Oliver Rodley has today released his new album titled ‘Sweet Green Tea’. Lo-Fi meets top-shelf with this collection of tracks steeped with the evolution of said genre with added touches of originality and out-of-the-box song-ginuity on a level usually reserved for musical masterminds. Is Oliver at that level? Judge for yourself, but I would say yes, indeed. Jazz meets fusion and is swallowed by hip hop, soul, and RnB by someone who is not only learned of music, but is a fan.
About Oliver Rodley
This project has been a long time coming. Initially inspired by Nujabes and Ta-Ku, Oliver Rodley set out to produce his vision of lo fi hip hop music. A prolific keyboard player, producer, DJ, music programmer, and studio engineer, Rodley is an electrical engineering graduate of both the University of Texas, Austin (B.S.) and the University of California, Berkeley (M.S.E.E.). His biggest musical inspiration came from his father – who, although he didn’t play a musical instrument, was a true fan of music, and a man with a vast record collection. He had an insatiable appetite for jazz, and Oliver grew up listening to the wave of soul jazz that emerged in the 60’s, propelled by artists such as Cannonball Adderly, Stanley Turrentine, Gene “Jug” Ammons, and Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers.
Rodley cites a wide range of influences from the 70s jazz funk of Herbie Hancock, the unadulterated funk of P-funk, to current electronic artists Jon Hopkins, Max Cooper, and Thom Yorke. He cites the electronic minimalist composers Ólafur Arnolds and Max Richter as influences on his most recent work. He is also inspired by the musical artistry of Nujabes, Ta-Ku, J-Dilla, Kanye West, A Tribe Called Quest, DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, DJ Shadow, Lupe Fiasco, and Madlib, amongst others.
Featured image by Razz Lee.
LINKS:
https://oliverrodley.com
https://www.facebook.com/oliverrodley
https://twitter.com/OliverRodley
https://www.instagram.com/oliverrodleyofficial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiCUi31C6Ao
