by In a small Montreal studio illuminated by soft yellow light, where thirty people were snapping fingers like in a poetry lounge, Clan SPRM unveiled the first milestone of their future.
On the 7th of September, date of the Super Blood Moon, HUMBLUX’s main musical group organized an early release party, Eclipse Vol. 1.5 for their upcoming project Blood Moon Prophecy EP, out October 7th. After two decades of independence and community credibility, no marketing was done, nor needed, only core fans, friends and family there to enjoy the vibe, discuss and support.. Support Clan SPRM, the whole Humblux family as well as the producer of the whole album, Cotola. Their collaboration traces back to an old beat pack Cotola sent the group in 2015, after recording on a few of those beats, the connection naturally evolved into a full EP years later. “Hometown hero of Montreal’s music scene”, the musical producer and music video director worked with artists worldwide, such as Rowjay, Obia le Chef and even Bob Marlich. With his “lush, jazz-drenched” productions I call him “The Montreal’s Alchemist”.
The intimate atmosphere in Studio G, was firstly set by Mark the Magnanimous, sound engineer and DJ who mixed quite smoothlessly between musical eras, styles and even countries. The great Monk-E, made an appearance, warming up the crowd before the Clan’s arrival on scene. The kickoff came with Ol Man. Opening without a beat, delivering a freestyle a cappella, he turned the small studio into a theatre. The performance between poetry and rap, set the tone for the night ahead. Joined by the Clan, they launched their performance on a jazzy beat floating on a resonant bass line, that set the chills in everyone. From there, the show unfolded as a lesson of synergy. The tracklist revealed the Clan’s range of abilities. A song dedicated to women in an R&B atmosphere within their signature where each had a verse articulating their feelings, thoughts and love toward women. Ol Man’s verse stood out, tender and impressive in his embodiment of the text on stage. Also featured on the album’s tracklist are solo songs at least from APEX and ALPHA, the latter delivering his song on a beat military-like tied with a weird flow that worked smoothly on the hard to rap beat.
Each performance surprised and felt different from the previous one while following a main thread, surely a consequence of working with a single producer as well as a reminder of the group’s taste for unexpected beat choices. Technical hiccups never broke the momentum. When a microphone cut out mid-song, the Clan pushed through, rapped through the glitch and joked with the crowd about it. Their performance, coming to an end, the event shifted into a listening session for Blood Moon Prophecy EP’s last two tracks, the icing on the cake.
As the night reached an end, Ol’Man SPRM addressed the crowd. His words tied up the night in an emotional way, a reminder of the Clan’s roots, their influences, and above all their love for Montréal. “This is our home,” he declared, “we’re building bridges from where we came from to here.” The message was as intimate as the setting, a celebration of art and music of course but most importantly of community.
The Blood Moon Prophecy EP won’t stay confined to Studio G’s walls. The collab album will be performed on a bigger stage, October 30th. Eclipse Vol. 2, Don’t miss it !
