Tunde Adebimpe steps out with solo album Thee Black Boltz at The SoCal Sound
Joins Nic Harcourt ahead of the release
Interview + extended 4 song performnace
Written By: Matt Blake
Tunde Adebimpe – best known as the frontman of TV on the Radio – has released his first solo album titled Thee Black Boltz, and he joined Nic Harcourt for a conversation about time, creativity, and personal reinvention in studios at The SoCal Sound.
Recording Thee Black Boltz
In 2019, TV on the Radio took a step back, going on hiatus. The following year, the world became still, amid pandemic shutdowns. The combination of these two events left Tunde with new found time within the stillness of the those events. A devastating studio burglary, in which the theif took hard drives containing unfinished material, demos, and ideas, including what he was currently working on. That event left him with nothing to work on… but then he found a treasure trove in an old box of four track tapes, from about 1997 to 2008.
“So I had nothing to work with. But then I found… a box of fourtrack tapes that went from about 1997 – 2008. The stopped in 2008 because [we] started recording digitally. Then I found my four track player, and just went through these a bit, found some things. They’re fragments of that stuff, but it ended up being part of the record.”
Producing the Album
Joined on this album, and in The SoCal Sound session today, by longtime friend and collaborator Wilder Zoby (Run The Jewels). The collaboration on this album came after he had sent some demos to Wilder while both were working on a separate work project. Tunde asked him to be a guest on this album and he said yes!
During The SoCal Sound Session, Tunde performed four tracks off of Thee Black Boltz
Acting
Later in the interview, Nic Harcourt presses on how Tunde is balancing multiple careers, now working as an actor (most recently appearing in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew). “When I'm doing this, I'm focused on this, and when I'm doing that, I'm focused on that.” He explains “I’ve been lucky enough that one is presented itself as the other is winding down”. Nic also asks if directing could possibly in the future for Tunde, in which he responds “If it was, it would probably pretty scrappy if I do.” – both agreeing it’s the best way.
What’s Next
At the time of this release, Tunde has played the record release show at Zebulon, in Los Angeles, on April 18th. TV on the Radio will be on tour in Europe most of June, and some additional dates in the US this year.
All SoCal Sound Session, interviews, and performances are filmed and edited by Matt Blake, recorded and mixed by Tristan Dolce.
Tunde Adebimpe Thee Black Boltz is released now on Sub Pop Records
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