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Detroit Music

Nadir Omowale: ‘Detroit Can Teach The World How To Succeed As An Independent Artist’

 

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It’s difficult to pigeonhole Detroit musician and producer Nadir Omowale into a specific genre. Jazz, funk, soul, rock and many other genres influence in his music. Out of that eclectic mix, Nadir has successfully crafted full-time career in the industry.

You’re originally from Elizabethton, Tennessee, went to Nashville for college and moved to Detroit in 1999. How has it been different living and working in the Detroit scene?

I was in Nashville playing my original music, which is funk-rock-soul based. Unfortunately at that particular time, it was really difficult to gain any traction in Nashville with that kind of music. I happened to meet a young lady who worked at the Nashville Ford plant. We took a liking to each other and she became my wife, Akanke. Before we made that decision she said, “You know, at some point I’m going to have to move to Detroit,” and I said, “Well I can make music in Detroit.” Moving here actually has turned out to be fantastic for my music career. I was raised on that Detroit sound, and it really was an opportunity to come home musically. As people in Detroit heard me play, they really embraced me and my music.

Read the full article HERE

LIVE RADIO PERFORMANCE: Nadir Live on WDET for Ann Delisi’s Essential Music, June 2013

In early June, Nadir and the band converged on the legendary Studio A at WDET radio in Detroit for a live recording and interview on Ann Delisi’s Essential Music. The band fired off smoking versions of “Daddy’s Cane” (from Nadir’s award-winning debut Distorted Soul 2.0) and “Go It Alone” (from 2012’s critically acclaimed disc The Book of Jonah). Click the player below to hear, share or download the performance and interview.

Players:
Nadir – vocals, guitar, interviewee
Tasha Lord – vocals
Steve Caldwell – guitar, vocals
Christopher Spooner – bass, vocals
Jeff Rebrovich – keyboards
Raphael Merriweathers, Jr. – percussion, vocals
Jason Bonaquist – drums

Ann Delisi – host
Alex Trajano – engineer
Nicole Fritz – 2nd engineer, editor

Exclusive Interview: Nadir Featured on TheDetroiter.com

TheDetroiter.comSince its founding in 2002, TheDetroiter.com has covered thousands of happenings and artists, and continues to be one of Detroit’s favorite sources for art and culture.

In this exclusive interview by Chariti Joi Ntuk, Nadir talks about his forthcoming album The Book of Jonah, about why Detroit is the world’s number one music city, and about why organizing artists is like herding cats.

Nadir Omowale: Diary of a Distorted Soul

TheDetroiter.com

Somewhere in Detroit sits an anonymous building on a nondescript block. Throughout any given day, a steady stream of conspicuously awesome people carrying guitars, keyboards, etc. flow in and out of this seemingly forgettable building on a seemingly forgotten block of a city whose demise some people seem to think is a foregone conclusion.

If music is indeed the soundtrack to life, then Detroit and more specifically, this building, is very much alive thanks to its long list of strong-winded musicians who blow life into it daily. One of the musicians you can find in this building, and who is most responsible for the city’s current musical pulse is none other than 11-time Detroit Music Award winner, Nadir Omowale.

Read the full article HERE

Detroit Producers Rule

For decades, Detroit has maintained arguably the most influential music scene in the country. Yes, awesome musicians, incomparable vocalists and mesmerizing performers learned everything they knew here. But this city’s influence on music is attributable not only to the iconic singers whose names we all know.

The D is also musically influential because of the people you don’t see. Detroit has contributed some of the most innovative and gifted music producers on the planet.

From early Motown staff producers like Smokey Robinson and Norman Whitfield, to funk maestro transplant George Clinton, to techno pioneers Juan Atkins, Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson, to rock legend Don Was, to hip hop genius J Dilla—these and other local producers have set the global standard for quality, creativity, musicality and innovation.

Whether or not lovers of soul, gospel, R&B, hip hop, jazz or electronica know it, producers from Detroit consistently reshape and reinvent music. Year after year, they are leaders in the development of new sounds that resonate with music fans around the world.

Because the nature of record production is behind the scenes, producers tend to be unsung heroes. They are often more responsible for the sound of a hit song than the artist whose voice is on the record, but their contributions may go unrecognized by the general public.

READ MORE AT BLACDETROIT.COM


Take My Funk To The Ballgame – Nadir in Tigers Spotlight

Peanuts, popcorn, crackerjacks and THE FUNK!

Nadir’s distorted soul music was featured at Detroit’s Comerica Park on Sept. 8 as part of the Detroit Tigers’ Detroit Music Spotlight.

This new musically based feature provides a chance for Michigan-based artists to showcase their music in front of thousands of Detroit Tigers fans.

This project combines the efforts of Detroit music scene and social media enthusiasts Tracy Lindsay and Hubert Sawyers III, along with the Detroit Tigers, to expose local music artists, while providing unique and interesting entertainment content at Comerica Park.

Nadir’s music hit a home run with baseball fans and the team as the Tigers beat their division rival Chicago White Sox 5-1.

© Nadir Omowale