- Words Notion Staff
Championing brass instruments as stars in their own right, Notion meets new live music platform, BrassHouse.
Founded by George Davies in partnership with Louis Savage (Disturbing London Records, Wray & Nephew), BrassHouse was created as a live music platform for the UK scene. Aiming to give live performances depth and difference, they’ve secured some of the biggest names in rap, R&B and soul for the debut season of BrassHouse Presents.
Kicking off with the incredible artist, Maxi Millz, each picturesque episode of BrassHouse Presents was filmed at the iconic Electric Cinema on Portobello Road in London. The astounding Sainté is the second artist to play.
Taking place in front of a live audience, each artist performs an enrapturing four-song set that consists of three live brass renditions of their own songs, plus a cover chosen by them.
Notion got the chance to speak with BrassHouse and learn about how they’re disrupting the way artists create and the audience consumes live music, the importance of instinct, and plans for world domination.
First of all, what led you to launch BrassHouse?
BrassHouse: The talent, that’s where it all starts. There is talent in abundance and a million ways to consume it, but most of the existing content is kind of forced. We look at what’s out there and we see that it’s lacking: it’s surface level shit. Where’s the passion? Where’s the quality control? Let’s be honest, we could all go the rest of our lives without seeing another VEVO Rounds.
BrassHouse exists to challenge this, to challenge how the artist creates and how the audience consumes.
What inspired the BrassHouse Presents series?
Back in the day, every time an artist dropped it was a moment, every video felt important. The roll out was an experience and the fans felt a part of it – that shit was real, it felt real, we’re going to bring back that feeling.
You have an amazing lineup of artists for the first season of BrassHouse Presents – starting with Maxi Millz on episode one. How did you select which artists to work with?‘
Instinct, we gotta feel it, we have to love them and love what they do. Then we have to know we can give both them and the people something truly special. It’s a massive trust exercise, handling someone’s art, we have to do it justice.
What has been your proudest moment so far with BrassHouse?
Actually doing it, taking a dream and making it a reality, from idea to execution, that shit is beautiful, everyone chats, not many people do, we’re proud to be about our business.
And what has been one of the biggest hurdles so far?
People not being about their business, an operation like this includes many moving parts, fine tuned logistics, third party accountability, if someone isn’t about it, it fucks everything up. We’d do it all ourselves if we could, but we’re blessed to have built a reliable team, they move militant.
What kind of goals are still on your list?
This is only Episode 2 so we have many, many goals, we can’t give away the play so early in the game, just watch this space.
Which is your favourite brass instrument and why?
The sax, 100%. The sax is sexy, people lose themselves in the sax. Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, them man transcended performance, it became more than that, it became spiritual, like the first time you link a truly Leng One.
Why do you feel that brass musicians and music should take more of a spotlight in today’s sounds?
Brass music is present in all the defining genres of the 20th century and has contributed to the shaping of contemporary music. When you think of Jazz, Soul, Funk, Hip Hop, pillars of Black music (all music is Black music but we’ll get into that later) that have dictated the journey to the modern sound, you will always hear brass instruments. We’re talking legacy shit, legacy should never die, it is our duty to honour it wherever we can.
What’s next for Brass House Entertainment?
‘BrassHouse Entertainment’ I like that, we might have to change the name, on some Jay n Dame shit – World Domination