Influences: Morris Mobley

 
Music

There's cool and then there is Morris Mobley cool. "What? Who's that?" We hear you say. Well, let us explain… 

As a man of many guises he is notoriously difficult to pin down, he dots between shapes, forms and characters as quickly as you might blink. The result is a whirlwind of music which circles and encompasses a variety of linear passages, genres and narratives. His sound draws upon a wide array of influences from soul to disco, funk to hip hop, R&B to house. The limits are endless and each reinvention of himself allows for the opportunity to explore something new… 

We've featured him before, we will again. See he selections below…


Follow him on facebook HERE. Visit the Arcane site HERE. Listen to the album HERE.  

Grant Green, Somewhere In The Night (Myrow, Gordon)

I wouldn’t play guitar if it wasn’t for Grant Green. I started
out as a bass player, but when I heard Grant, that was it. Each and
every day I felt like trying to imitate him until one day I finally
caved in and bought a semi-hollow guitar. He is #1 to me as he fuses
extra deep, real blues feelings with the coolest, most laid back
bebop attitude. He’s the most recorded cat on Blue Note, that’s
saying something.
This tune is a hard bop rendition of a classic TV Crime show
called “Naked City”, even colder than Peter Gun, adding to the vibe
of an already very ‘film noir’ record. Edgar, the boss of Arcane, is
also totally on that film noir vibe, and it’s so nice to be exactly
on the same page.

  • Grant Green, Somewhere In The Night (Myrow, Gordon)

    I wouldn’t play guitar if it wasn’t for Grant Green. I started
    out as a bass player, but when I heard Grant, that was it. Each and
    every day I felt like trying to imitate him until one day I finally
    caved in and bought a semi-hollow guitar. He is #1 to me as he fuses
    extra deep, real blues feelings with the coolest, most laid back
    bebop attitude. He’s the most recorded cat on Blue Note, that’s
    saying something.
    This tune is a hard bop rendition of a classic TV Crime show
    called “Naked City”, even colder than Peter Gun, adding to the vibe
    of an already very ‘film noir’ record. Edgar, the boss of Arcane, is
    also totally on that film noir vibe, and it’s so nice to be exactly
    on the same page.

  • Anita Baker - Mystery

    If there is any perfection in the world, it has to be those
    Michael J. Powell-produced Anita Baker records from the mid to late
    ‘80s. Anita’s voice is proof God exists, and on her best record,
    ‘Rapture’, the musicians are nothing but legends. This has Ricky
    Lawson on drums (who would later play with Miles Davis), the almighty
    Nathan East on bass, Greg Philinganes on keys… Some people don’t
    get it and think it’s over the top, but to me it’s pure soul.
    I love how the production is actually pretty minimalist for the
    genre and era. It’s just a band playing a great arrangement, there is
    no overdubs or extra sonic gizmos that you can’t replicate live. I
    tried to do my arrangements so they would work the same way. When I
    play live, my friends Giuliano on keys and Yvan on drums add a little
    flavor to what I recorded, but it’s basically just going through a
    solid arrangement with the right feeling.

  • Kleeer - Intimate Connection

    Also known as the ‘heaviest hitting 808 ever recorded’, this
    track and whole album was another key piece in the production design
    for me. Their whole record is done on a Roland TR-808 drum machine
    and Oberheim synths. That was the inspiration for me to use a very
    similar setup and fully embrace making soul music that had that
    street-level electronic funk edge.
    I love the vibe of the record as well, it’s very sensual yet
    nostalgic at the same time, something I try to convey as well.

  • Casiopea - Midnight Rendezvous (Live 1982)

    Probably the finest and most popular Japanese jazz-fusion unit,
    what sets them apart is crucial attention to every detail and very
    well written hooks and songs. Instead of having a couple chords and
    riffs to jam on for 5 minutes like most bands in that genre (which I
    like too), Casiopea’s joints are written exactly like great R&B
    songs. Issei Noro, the leader and guitarist, is an enormous influence
    on my style, both in writing and instrumentally. I got the idea of
    using an Octaver pedal on my guitar from him, because I felt the
    usual Wes Montgomery octaves style was too cliche? and played-out.
    On the sonic department, I got lucky enough to find on a
    japanese site a dump of the cartridges of Minoru Mukaiya’s Yamaha DX7
    presets ! That was a blessing as I love the DX7 but it’s very hard to
    program from scratch, so now I could tweak his sounds just like I
    wanted.

  • Swv - Always On My Mind

    More 808 goodness. There was great stuff in the early ‘90s when
    it comes to soul music, it wasn’t all fluffy New Jack Swing at all.
    This track hits deep and I love the whole gospel vibe of it, the
    churchy ‘talk music’ piano intro, the vocal stylings and emotion of
    it.
    Just like the Kleeer track, it’s a great example of making soul
    that still will rattle the boomers in the car and keep up with the
    strongest rap joints on the low-end department. Just put it loud and
    see how that synthesizer bassline makes you feel.

  • Steely Dan - My Rival Hd

    What can I say that hasn’t been said about Steely Dan ? Of
    course, their production style is even more perfect than the Anita
    Baker stuff. On Gaucho, that was them going as far as they could on
    that overly stylish ‘fake jazz’ – as Donald Fagen would say – tip.
    Most of the tracks are very R&B, but in a very cold, sophisticated
    New York business-suit way.
    Part of the reason why is, half of the album actually used the
    first realistic-sounding drum machine, nicknamed Wendel, including
    this track. It’s ground breaking on that respect. Also, the great
    Steve Kahn is on guitar on this track, and he’s another massive
    influence when it comes to fusing blues and bebop.
    Lyrically, ‘My Rival’ is a cleverly-written, cynical take
    on a typical film-noir scenario. Very ‘Arcane’ again, dare I say.

  • Alexander O'Neal (1987) When The Party's Over

    ‘The Heavy Bottom and The Pretty Top’: That was the formula of
    Jam & Lewis. I basically ripped them off of many production ideas on
    the ‘Movin’ On’ LP. The way everything is locked together is amazing
    on their classic records. It’s so lush, yet so funky at the same
    time, and the songwriting is the best out there.
    I love that track in particular for its very bluesy, late-night
    vibes, but still g’d up. Pure class. Talkin’ about class, Alexander
    and Jam & Lewis’s style was a definite inspiration when it come to
    how I would present myself. The whole corporate, suit & tie, super
    duper sharp dressed thing –- that comes from them.

  • Gemini - How Can I

    Chicago House is a big influence on that project, but y’all
    probably know about Larry Heard already.
    This is one of my favorite tracks. It’s super funky and swings
    very hard. The keys on it are very hip, and it’s got that nocturnal,
    sensual and mysterious vibe I’m all about.
    Even tho it’s obviously a DJ, floor-orientated track, I think
    it’s vital to fuse all the R&B derived influences to keep the idiom
    fresh and interesting. Back in the day, I used to play guitar on top
    of deep-house DJ sets, and I think that opened my mind to new ideas.

  • Trae - No Help Ft Z-Ro Official

    I’ve always had a thing for Southern rap in general and Houston
    rap in particular. My favorite blues players are Texans, and I felt
    you can still feel that vibe on many modern rap records, especially
    on the Z-Ro ones where he sings. It’s just modern blues to me. The
    arrangement is excellent, and that hook hits you right there. Some of
    the influences of this page are R&B taking cues from street rap, and
    this is the reverse process.
    The meaning of this song is something I sometimes relate to as
    well, that loneliness you can find in hard times that actually makes
    you stronger, I’ve definitely been there.

  • Bruno Mars - Calling All My Lovelies (Audio)

    I’m waiting for the snobs to raise their eyebrows on this one,
    but I know my friends who don’t think soul has to sound like nothing
    else but pre-80’s Motown love it. I didn’t even knew who he was
    before I heard his latest album, wich was pretty decent, but this
    song is an another level.
    When I first got his record, I think I played that very track on loop for the whole afternoon and reverse-engineered it in my head. It’s really one of the best crafted R&B joints I’ve heard, and I think it’s great to have that level of songwriting and arrangement by a superstar on a major label today, it goes to show there is still an audience of millions of people of all age who love real-deal sophisticated R&B music.

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