The Odd, The Beautiful: KAMAU

Introducing The Odd, The Beautiful: KAMAU. Texture is the constant contrast of positive and negative space. In order to truly appreciate our successes, we must first have our fair share of failures or lessons. As a small team, and a young brand, we've had a textured journey which has led us to where we are today. When we profile creatives and artists we strive to show both their triumphs and struggles. We want to show the raw truth of it all. KAMAU is an artist and visionary who pushes the boundaries of self-expression. We spoke with KAMAU about his process, upcoming project and the importance of focusing inward and living a balanced life style. Enjoy.

ILU: Thanks for taking the time to sit down with us brother, first off who is KAMAU?
K: No problem. KAMAU is the sonic symbol for the energy that is animating, and experiencing/perceiving life through, ‘my’ particular human body.

ILU: What effect does creating music have on you?
K: Creating music has a similar effect on me as breathing deeply. It is the exhaling of all of my perception that I have conversational access to, thus far, everything I have inhaled.

ILU: You're an artist that is clearly defining their own lane. How would you define your sound and does pop-culture play a role in your writing process?
K: I don't desire to define it. To define is to state or explain the meaning or nature of. I feel like I’ll always be in the process of learning what this means and I have the feeling that this ‘meaning’ has the potential to change/evolve continuously as my study deepens.

ILU: How did your family relate to you going down the artistic, non-conventional route?
K: It never felt non-conventional. I believe that most things on the planet grow in accordance to their internal design and within a path of least resistance. I am only doing that.

ILU: Where do you look for inspiration?
K: There is inspiration everywhere. It's everywhere there is to look. You don't even have to open your eyes. We are always seeing/perceiving things. Music, not exclusively, is the exhaling of what has been perceived through the use of sound and silence (or relative silence).

ILU: What importance does having a message or ‘purpose’ have in your creative process?
K: I believe purpose and creation to be inseparable. That thing has purpose, whether we understand it or not. Many times, when we cannot create or grasp a meaning for a thing, we call it meaningless. This is a product of our arrogance.
Therefore, the purpose is there before we utilize the creativity. The purpose is the reason why it is there. It is a prerequisite to the existence of anything. 
We are left with, not why have creativity but, why we use it, and even that is layered. It is layered because why we think we do things often differs from why we really do things.
I find it best to engage in using creativity to learn more about why we have it and what it is for, why is was included in our design. The more I understand what the tool is for, the more I am able to use it more effectively. 
(The same goes for any tool or piece of equipment)

ILU: What song from the upcoming KAMAU-Cassette: ūRTH GōLD are you most excited to share with the world?
K: Ah! All of them! It is very hard to choose. They all came from different things I experienced and perceived internally and externally. I want to express as much as I can about what I'm learning, my notes, as possible, so it's hard to say that I'm more excited for some songs than others. I really enjoy the entire project.

 

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