Ain't No Love

Each year The Great Escape focuses on a specific country as it’s showcase. This year’s was Poland but really it should have been Canada. I’m not some nationalist nut or anything, but the Canadian element at this year’s TGE was relentless. The four massively talented members of Ain’t No Love represented this like no other. Formed less than two years ago straddling the Montreal – Toronto expanse, Ain’t No Love brings expert lyricism, emotive vocals and scrupulous beats that make your limbs pulse with a ruthless energy. They’re topping this list as the best set of The Great Escape 2013 not just for their sound but for their endless on stage energy and that made them one of the best sets to see. - Kenton Magazine

The fastest accelerating artists during the past week, across all major social music sites, statistically predicted to achieve future success, as measured by Next Big Sound. - Billboard.com

Making a good performance video isn’t the easiest thing in the world, and it’s made even more challenging when you’re talking about a hip hop song. But it can certainly be done, and this new video from Toronto/Montreal collective Ain’t No Love is a prime example of it. I suppose it certainly helps when you film the video at a sold out show in the band’s hometown (well one of their hometowns in ANL’s case), as this one was, but director Max Sherman does a great job of mixing the pre-show tension/anticipation with the explosion of energy & excitement that was set off when they hit the stage.

We’d posted a video from Ain’t No Love a while ago, so I was somewhat familiar with their sound, but this jam sees their brand of electronic-influenced hip hop (with a lovely Reggae flavour thanks to Saidah C’s confident hook) being taken up another notch. It’s a great track, fun video, and seems to indicate big things might be on the horizon for this foursome. - HeroHill

Ain’t No Love People might look at you funny if you say their name too fast, but there is no way you can screw yourself in the ass by sharing an evening of hip hop re-appropriation with the decadent, dubbed-out dance party that is Ain’t No Love. Bang-on raps, saucy beats and the incredible range of vocalist Saidah Bowen are all great reasons to saddle up and boogie down to their production. (Darcy MacDonald) Café Campus, Thursday, Nov. 15, 3:15 p.m., free - CultMTL

Gone Already is the 2nd single from Ain't No Love's upcoming sophomore EP: Tears of Joy, which will be available just in time for Valentine's Day. The track's dreamy pop production mixed with an 80s dance vibe sounds like something that could be playing off Ryan Gosling's tape player in Drive . The eerie chords set the stage for Ain't No Love's rappers frenetic, emotion heavy verses while the powerful, soulful vocals of songstress Saidah Conrad bring the track home. Producer Liam Clarke delivers once again with a dose of chill-inducing crystal clean production.

The video for Gone Already will debut here and on MuchMusic & MTV the week of February 18th. The video was directed by Switzerland's Samuel Fluckiger and produced by Mike MacMillan of Lithium Studios. You can also catch Ain't No Love on an upcoming tour through NYC on February 15th @ Santos Party House, in Toronto on February 17th @ Black Box Theatre, in Montreal on February 23rd @ Le Belmont, and in Austin, Texas as featured artists for SXSW 2013 in mid-March. - Earmilk

Ain’t No Love, Ces Cru, Deap Vally, Kazzie Pop and Mod Sun are up for a spot in rotation on this week’s Freshmen. - mtvU

Some of us have accumulated some pretty embarrassing stories resulting from meeting people that our friends’ assured us that we’d love. While we often expect these friendly recommendations to not work out, for Saidah Conrad, Eli McBean, and Roly Broere, it may have been one of the best decisions they have ever made.

Accompanied by Liam Clarke, Conrad, McBean, and Broere make up the Canadian electronic hip-hop group, Ain’t No Love. This foursome meshes together hip-hop rhymes, flawless vocals, and bass-infused electronica to create a sound that nearly possesses your body and forces you to nod along to their delicious hooks.
Grooveshark had the opportunity of not only getting the exclusive early release of their latest music video, Champion Babylon, but also we had the pleasure of having a very fun Skype date with these cool kids from Toronto and Montreal. While McBean couldn’t be present for our cyber rendezvous, the remaining 75% of the gang got to spend some intimate time with the Sharks. Saidah, Roly, and Liam gave us some insight into their creative process, their development as artists, and the inspirations behind their latest EP, Tears of Joy, slated to be released this Valentine’s Day.

As a singer, rappers, and producer, who are each of your musical influences.

Saidah:
I think I draw influences from different things and from different artists. But in terms of the attitude that I kind of portray as an artist I’d probably say, this is kind of cheesy, but I’d say Spice Girls. I grew up in the 90’s and when I was 6 or 7 they were the first image I ever saw of strong badass chicks and where I first received the message of girl power.
In terms of songwriting, my dad listened to a lot of bluesy folk and he introduced me to Neil Young. Neil Young always had the perfect melodies, and the lyrics he chose were just insane. I think he blends that a nice balance of abstractness into his lyrics that I really appreciate.
But my main influence in terms of sound I would have to say is Nina Simone. I remember the first time I heard ‘Pirate Jenny’ at age 5 and being scared to death. That song is so dramatic and I remember not being able to go to bed because I was so terrified. Being able to portray those kind of emotions with your voice is something that I would like to do as well.

Liam
Well I have gone through a lot of different phases in music but one thing I have listened to my entire life was electronic music. Even from a youngster I was listening to like Dance Mix 95 or 2 Unlimited.

Roly:
For me my musical influences change almost daily. Truthfully, I draw more inspiration, especially for this new album, from more non-musical sources. I was inspired by relationships, friendships, girls, relationships with teachers, or even relationships with the people that I don’t even know, or even books and literature. For this latest album, I have taken a lot inspiration from books that I’ve read in the last 8 months.
I think that we make the best music when we are not trying to emulate anyone else so I have almost tried to stop listening to music to create or write for this specific album. That way there is no preconceived notions on what we are supposed to be making.


You guys were originally called Wrabeanz when Roly and Eli first came on the scene, however now you guys have released your second EP under the name Ain’t No Love. What’s the story behind that name?

Saidah:
Literally, it would be like text message wars between the 4 of us. Eli might send a list of 4 names and then Roly would be like, ‘Ok, maybe this one’ and I would be like ‘Hell no’ to all of them, and Liam would be like ‘ehhhh maybe these three.’ Then one day someone said Ain’t No Love and then we sat back and really thought about what it would mean in our case. The fact was that we were changing our sound and we were about to change our followers perception of us and we were really expecting their to not be a lot of love from our hip-hop purist fanbase. Ain’t No Love was a name we all ended up really liking and luckily it worked out in so many different ways.

The underground hip-hop scene and freestyle circuit is known to be pretty brutal. Roly, how was it for your guys as young rappers?

Roly:
There was a lot of freestyling, lots of rap battles, lots of fighting, and lots of racial tension. For me personally, I didn’t really explore or accept the fact that I liked other genres of music as well. I just kind of had the mindset that I am a rapper and I had to be the best at it. I believed that we had to be hard and not back down from anybody. It was just very stereotypical and how you’d imagine kids rapping on the streets downtown would be. But honestly, in the past year and half we’ve really come out of our shell and I realized there is so much more I want to do with music than just rapping.


You mentioned racial tension, your first mixtape with Eli was entitled Black and White, does the title have anything to do w - GrooveShark

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a showcase for North by Northeast (NXNE) where I specifically went to watch a group called Ain’t No Love perform. If you don’t know who they are, Ain’t No Love is a electronic, pop and hip-hop group made up of 4 young artists from Montreal and Toronto. There sound is nothing like I’ve heard before but nonetheless they’re awesome. Roly “1990? Broere and Eli “Beanz” McBean are their 2 MCs, Saidah Conrad is their soulful singer and Liam Clarke (aka Love Thy Brother) is their DJ and producer making the beats.

Ain’t No Love have only been around for about a year and a half, but since then they have been grabbing everyone’s attention. Their self-titled debut EP was released last summer carrying 6 tracks. The album is filled with almost all upbeat songs and when you hear it, all you want to do is dance. They’ve also released two videos, the most recent one came out in February for “Shine” which actually acted as promo for a showcase they were apart of in SXSW in March. Read the rest after the jump.

This particular showcase for NXNE was at Tattoo Rock Parlour where there were about 8 different groups and artists performing. Ain’t No Love came on second after an interesting and slightly confusing set by a group called Dirty Radio. With Love Thy Brother set up towards the back of the stage, and a female keyboard player to the left #swag, the 3 vocalists took to the stage and immediately got the crowd going with an energetic song called “Love Me Lots”. The lyrics in this song are super catchy, “mama says she loves me, it shows lots and lots, I wonder if she loves me when I’m hustlin’ on the block”. This is for sure my favourite song off their album.

Saidah has a really soulful voice and generally sings the hook/chorus which helps break up their songs hard hitting bassline and 1990 and Beanz go back and forth on the verses; most of their songs are structured this way which I think makes them flow nicely. From “Love Me Lots” they turned it up a notch with a track called “Renegade” which sort of reminded me of a No Doubt tune. 1990 and Beanz were having a blast on stage, and they even threw in what looked like choreographed dance moves – “Did you all like those dance moves?” said Roly.

Throughout the entire set the momentum was high and the energy kept flowing. Literally, all of them were jumping around the entire time, I was actually surprised they didn’t knock any equipment over or fall into the crowd cause the stage was small. The highlight of their set was when they performed “Shine”, it’s definitely a crowd favourite. After this, they did a crazy transition into a dubstep inspired track “Crash and Burn” with a sample of Jay-Z’s “Heart of a City (Ain’t No Love)” which was intelligently thought out. They ended their set with “Step Hard” where they tossed in another sample, this time it was 50 Cent’s “Wanksta.”

Overall, the show was amazing, I loved every minute of it. This group is full of youthfulness and energy, similar to that of the Beastie Boys but they’re slightly sexier, ahem, thanks to Saidah. Their sound is very diverse but the way they mix electronic and hip-hop makes it really fresh, Love Thy Brother is seriously ill! I know this group has a bright future ahead of them, they’re gonna do big things. Also, they’re dope people and super humble. Their new album is dropping sometime before the end of summer. Look out for it!

Written by Natasha for HipHopCanada
Lead photo by Tom Franks
Photography of live performance by Stuart McLeod - Hip Hop Canada

Some people plain outgrow hip hop, but Saidah Bowen, Roly Broere and Elias McBean, formerly known as TO/MTL rap outfit WraBeanz, were feeling constricted by it around this time last year.

“We were totally bored with making regular, boombap hip hop. We felt we were in such a tar pit. We saw older people in the scene totally stuck,” says Broere. “And we love hip hop, I still lis­ten to it way more than anything else. But we wanted to touch bigger crowds.”

Broere befriended musician/producer Liam Clarke, partying at his McGill Ghetto crib, “the Gingerbread House.” Connecting over music, they decided to collaborate. The proper introductions to McBean and Bowen were made, and Ain’t No Love was conceived.

“I produced music under the name Love Thy Brother, known for its electro/dubstep, but I write all kinds of music, all of which is responsible for the influences on the Ain’t No Love EP,” explains Clarke. “[Album opener] ‘Shine,’ for instance, was originally an old soft disco track of mine remixed into heavy-rock-influenced dubstep.”

Even with a mean age of 21, and only five shows as ANL (including a sold-out, word-of-mouth show at the 600-capacity Belmont in November), the group is already garnering serious label attention in the States and overseas, which they do not wish to jinx, but is not to be dismissed as star-eyed loud talk, by any means.

The music is glossy and groove-inducing, but its appeal is broader than even the best club fodder: lavish and full of pop-hookery, without being over the top or corny. Simply put—genuine.

A creative process they call “the Sandwich” sees Clarke kick the two rappers and singer a short, simple, melodic ghost track, which the vocalists then bring to TO producer Fresh Kils, whose engineering brings Ain’t No Love’s lyrical stylings to life.

The elongated versions are returned to Clarke, who then remixes the entire beat according to mood and direction, arranging sounds and adding new layers. This often results in several ver­sions of any given track, effectively rendering the traditional “producer-gives-rapper-beat” mold obsolete.

“We make party music and it’s what the people want to hear,” McBean says. “The music is heavier and I think I can really connect more to it because it’s what I want to hear when I’m out hav­ing a good time.”

“When I heard Liam’s music for the first time, I literally got up and danced around his room,” Bowen enthuses. “Ultimately, it came down to us finding a sound that’s going to get people danc­ing. People NEED to bring their dancing shoes to our shows ’cause we get buck! I want people to leave our shows high on our energy and saying, ‘I’m an official Ain’t No Love fan now!’” - Montreal Mirror

By Thomas Quinlan
When Toronto/Montreal rap trio WrabeanZ's Saidah Bowen, Roly Broere and Elias McBean grew bored with traditional boom-bap rap, they found inspiration with musician/producer Liam Clarke (aka Love Thy Brother), who provided the two rappers and one singer with a selection of club beats incorporating everything from his usual electro and dubstep to house and disco. The result is new group Ain't No Love. And bringing in Liam Clarke was the right decision; their six-song self-titled debut is a success on the beat front. "Shine," "Crucified" and "Renegade" are epic dance tunes designed to highlight Bowen's singing, while "Love Me Lots," "Step Hard RMX" and "Crash & Burn" are aggressive, funky jams heavier on raps. The latter two tracks sound a little too similar for such a short CD, but "Step Hard RMX" is a definite highlight and the warbly country bridge and g-funk breakdown in "Crash & Burn" are awesome, so it's hard to find fault. Broere and McBean incorporate into their lyrics a greater degree of intelligence than normal for this style of music, but their talents as rappers get lost with all the postproduction, featuring a heavy emphasis on glitchy effects that stutter the vocals and disrupt the natural flow of the MCs. It also most likely doesn't translate well to the live show. Next time, let the rappers rap. Still, Ain't No Love demonstrate plenty of potential with their debut, and it would be prudent to expect some club and radio play starting right here.
(Independent) - Exclaim!

link only - The Link Newspaper

Diversity is cool, man. Ain’t No Love, a fresh quartet of MCs, shimmering pipes and slick electro production has really put some of that in their debut EP.

A sound wall of bass music-inspired drum breaks, dubstep drops, pop vocal hooks and dynamic ciphering sets up this self-titled effort, spinning in at just over 20 minutes, is an exciting, interesting experiment of genres and artists coming together. I think it’s working.

MCs Roly “1990” Broere and Eli “Beanz” McBean teamed up on the record with singer Saidah Bowen (stage name, Saidah Conrad) and Montreal electro/dubstep artist, Liam Clarke, aka Love thy Brother. This half-Montreal-half-Toronto band has gotten some noticeable attention from their live shows, and recently opened for Redman in November.

This first release, with six tracks, is pretty bold for a group less than a year old. Wonderfully, it doesn’t lose its britches as it strives for the branch at the thinnest, most pliable top of the tree. “Shine” opens the EP with a kick – but, though an admittedly catchy single, it only starts the ride. As the drum fills ornament the dynamic orchestra and synths in the style of Kanye, post- Graduation era, the track change brings us to some of the real, good and dirty stuff.

“Step Hard RMX” kicks in and the oscillating bass-synths hit you much like inflation after the Big Bang: where the record started, we had pop convention, mixing with both familiar and totally new sounds – exploding with new forces of dub and step and grind; now the Universe has tasted freedom and it wants out. MCs 1990 and Beanz tag-team the verses, setting out the swag of the ANL crew in a forceful display of territorial marking. Saidah pinches in some vocal breaks, but she really takes off in the chorus. You hear it in the first swell; if voices had legs hers would step hard indeed.

The record keeps the excitement the entire way through. “Crash and Burn” really highlights a playfulness of Clarke’s productions – and the enjoyment the group has working together. I don’t know if it’s just me, but voices processed to sound like Cher in chipmunk form are like the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Check out Aint No Love soon, as they play locally pretty regularly. Their last show at Le Belmont in November was pretty bangin’ – and sold out. - The Link Newspaper

It was exactly the kind of place where you could be unexpectedly surprised by a talented young group, as I was by Ain’t No Love, a four-piece group from Toronto/Montreal. The ethos of contemporary Canadian hip-hop (Drake nonwithstanding), embodied by the shined-up boom-bap sound and intellectual party maven personas of people like K-Os, K’Naan and Shad, was clearly present, but the songs were pleasantly removed from any notion of adherence to those artists’ formula. Composed of singer Saidah Conrad and producer Liam Clarke, with raps performed by Beanz and a guy simply named 1990, they flowed through their strong set with relentless energy. Perhaps even more impressive was the young crowd, in which at the tender age of 25 I was the decided outlier. The way Beanz pointed out people he knew made it seem like mostly friends, but none of the support seemed obligatory. At some point during the set, it dawned on me that this was my first hip-hop show outside of the U.S. (the presence of girls should have been a dead giveaway). - Dig Boston

This is a tale of way more than two cities, and there ain’t no love in the heart of any of ’em. With a little dub in their step, a little echo in their parables and both the “core” and the “coeur” in their choruses, TO/MTL hip hop crossbreeds WrabeanZ match powerful wits and ecstatic fits with producer Liam Clarke to create something altogether different from what you would reasonably expect, much less an EP party-lovers are gonna end up embracing entirely. 8.5/10 Trial Track: “Love Me Lots” (Darcy MacDonald) - The Montreal Mirror

A noteworthy new talent I have seen here at M For Montreal this week is Toronto-based Ain't No Love. They are the vocal, DJ and rap teaming of Liam Clarke, Roly Broere, Elias McBean and Saidah Bowen who crank out what is best described as renegade pop. It's an unapologetic blend of pop, hip hop and dubstep that is hard to fit into one particular mold but has a solid pop aesthetic. The group recently put out an EP with songs to further define their genre-meshing sound.

Check out "Crucified," the downtempo track on the EP that neatly spotlights Saidah's soulful vocals and the group's production savvy. One of the first things that came to mind when I heard "Crucified" was that this is a track that the Sugababes could have totally recorded to up their game a little. It's contemporary pop ruled by forward production stylings. People like Skrillex, Calvin Harris and Steve Aoki agree, and recently invited Ain't No Love to open shows for them in Canada. You can check out Ain't No Love's entire EP here. Make sure to also listen to the grinding "Crash & Burn" and single "Step Hard." - Arjan Timmermans: Official blogger for The Grammys