Brendan Philip’s ritualistic R&B is the centerpiece of Toronto’s new musical movement.
Philip runs in the tight-knit Toronto-based Fake Art Records collective, which includes frequent collaborators Jahmal Padmore (The Carps, Thunderheist, MSTRKRFT) and Mississauga rapper/producer Keita Juma. Though deliberately sporadic thus far, Fake Art’s collective output seems to be united by two things: a desire to explore and subvert the musical conventions of hip-hop and R&B, and a D.I.Y. punk mentality that governs all execution. As Brendan Philip prepares to release his debut self-titled EP via Dine Alone Records, "Shadow Ceremony" is an omen of what the Fake Art squad has to offer.
Sonically, it could be argued that “Shadow Ceremony” places Brendan Philip atop the crest of the electro R&B wave. But with a clear-cut musicality, and a neo-noir approach to storytelling, his music blurs genre boundaries and leapfrogs contemporary movements. Philip isn't just riding a wave—he's making one. Co-produced and co-written with both Padmore and Juma, “Shadow Ceremony” is host to shimmering synth work, an earthy bassline, and Phillip’s supernaturally gifted vocal delivery. In Brendan’s own words, “it's a sonic picture capturing the landscape of love through the looking glass that tries to determine if we spend endless lives dancing with our one true love.”
Brendan Philip’s self-titled EP drops May 12th via Fake Art and Dine Alone Records. Catch him performing with Keita Juma at Field Trip on Sunday, June 7th. You can stream “Shadow Ceremony” below:
