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Gonjasufi

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Gonjasufi
Gonjasufi in Budapest, Hungary, 2011.
Gonjasufi inBudapest,Hungary,2011.
Background information
Birth nameSumach Ecks
Also known asSumach Valentine
OriginSan Diego,California,United States
Genres
Occupation(s)
Instrument(s)
Years active1990s–present
Labels
Websitewww.sufisays.com

Sumach Ecks[3](born 1978),[4]better known by his stage nameGonjasufi,is an American vocalist, producer, disc jockey, and yogi.[5]

Life and career[edit]

Ecks was born in 1978 to aMexicanmother and anAmerican-Ethiopianfather.[3]He spent his formative years inChula Vista, California.[5]

Ecks got involved early on in the arts, playingHeliosthe Sun God in the operaPersephone.[6]

In the early 1990s, he began releasing music within theSan Diegohip hop scene; notably with the Masters of the Universe crew.[7][8]Touring under the stage namesSumach ValentineandRandy Johnson,[7]his first band was called Plant Lyphe.[6]

Ecks gained notice fromWarp Recordsin 2008 after an appearance on Californian musicianFlying Lotus' albumLos Angeles,on which he sings on the track "Testament".[8]His Warp debut album,A Sufi and a Killer,was released March 8, 2010.[9]

Ecks' voice has been described byPitchforkas "a scraggly, scary, smoked-out croak that creeps like the spiritual offspring ofGeorge ClintonandLead Belly".[8]He attributes his singing style to his day job teaching yoga, where he was forced to learn how to "project from [his] stomach more".[8]His music is largely experimental, fusing urban beats withpsychedelicflourishes.[10][11]

Besides singing and rapping,[12]Ecks also serves as a producer,[13]DJ,[14]and yoga teacher.[5]

On August 19, 2016, Gonjasufi released the album,Callus,which featured contributions fromPearl Thompson.[15]

Discography[edit]

Studio albums[edit]

Remix albums[edit]

EPs[edit]

  • The Ninth Inning EP(2011)
  • Untitled(2013)(split withRas G)

Singles[edit]

  • "Holidays" b/w "Candylane" (2009)
  • "Kowboyz&Indians" b/w "My Only Friend" (2010)
  • "Kobwebz" b/w "Speaketh" (2010)
  • "Nickels and Dimes" (2010)
  • "Ninth Inning" (2011)
  • "The Blame" (2012)

Guest appearances[edit]

  • Flying Lotus– "Testament" fromLos Angeles(2008)
  • The Gaslamp Killer– "I'm in Awe" fromDeath Gate(2010)
  • Humansuit – "Lawnmower Man" fromHumansuit(2012)
  • The Gaslamp Killer – "Veins" and "Apparitions" fromBreakthrough(2012)
  • Old English – "The Omen" fromBand in Amerikkka(2013)
  • Perera Elsewhere – "Giddy" fromEverlast(2013)
  • Awol One& Gel Roc – "Flight" fromThe Cloaks(2014)
  • Dag Savage – "Bad Trip" fromE & J(2014)
  • The Bug– "Save Me" fromAngels & Devils(2014)
  • L'Orange &Mr. Lif– "Strange Technology" fromThe Life & Death of Scenery(2016)
  • The Gaslamp Killer – "Good Morning" fromInstrumentalepathy(2016)
  • A7pha – "Hater Hate It" fromA7pha(2017)

References[edit]

  1. ^Fantano, Anthony (June 8, 2010)."Gonjasufi: Musings Of A Hip-Hop Mystic".NPR.RetrievedJanuary 12,2017.
  2. ^Dacks, David (May 13, 2010)."Gonjasufi: A Sufi And A Killer".Exclaim!.RetrievedJanuary 12,2017.
  3. ^abMeer, Malik (March 6, 2010)."Gonjasufi – the electro Hendrix".The Guardian.RetrievedJuly 4,2010.
  4. ^Green, Thomas H. (January 14, 2012)."theartsdesk Q&A: Musician Gonjasufi".The Arts Desk.RetrievedApril 15,2015.
  5. ^abcDeal, Chad (January 20, 2012)."Gonjasufi Extended Interview".San Diego Reader.RetrievedApril 15,2015.
  6. ^abGimme5 Interview: GonjasufiArchivedMarch 8, 2010, at theWayback Machine
  7. ^abLymangrover, Jason."Gonjasufi Biography".AllMusic.RetrievedMarch 8,2010.
  8. ^abcdDombal, Ryan (February 25, 2010)."Rising: Gonjasufi".Pitchfork.RetrievedMarch 6,2010.
  9. ^Hogwood, Ben (March 8, 2010)."Gonjasufi – A Sufi And A Killer".MusicOMH.RetrievedApril 15,2015.
  10. ^Dacks, David (May 13, 2010)."Gonjasufi: A Sufi And A Killer".Exclaim!.RetrievedApril 15,2015.
  11. ^Fantano, Anthony (June 8, 2010)."Gonjasufi: Musings Of A Hip-Hop Mystic".NPR.RetrievedApril 15,2015.
  12. ^Olshevski, Andrew (November 2, 2011)."New Mini-Album From Gonjasufi".CMJ.Archived fromthe originalon April 15, 2015.RetrievedApril 15,2015.
  13. ^Roberts, Randall (February 21, 2012)."Video premiere: Gonjasufi roams downtown L.A."Los Angeles Times.RetrievedApril 15,2015.
  14. ^Pressman, Joshua (March 15, 2010)."Tonight In Rock: She & Him, Gonjasufi, Moonrats, The Delta Mirror".LAist.Archived fromthe originalon January 30, 2016.RetrievedApril 15,2015.
  15. ^Thiessen, Brock (July 7, 2016)."Gonjasufi Returns with 'Callus'".Exclaim!.RetrievedJanuary 12,2017.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gonjasufi&oldid=1234341919"