BSKi

FEATURE
Nuyorican Soul Meets Sancocho Funk: An Interview with BSKi
Posted on August 15, 2017
by Néstor David Pastor


“If I can make a teacher’s salary as a comedian…” is what Dave Chappelle supposedly told his father, long before his success. Brian Collazo made a similarly practical deal with himself as he began to pursue a career in music. Born into a musical family, he discovered his talent and passion for singing early on, and went on to sign a deal with Columbia Records at a young age as a member of Trio Elán, a family band he shared with his cousin and older brother.

Since then, he has spent his time balancing his career as a professional singer for hire and his own musical projects, including Live Society, an eight piece soul meets pop-rock indie band. Once again playing alongside his older brother and cousin, the group lasted ten years before Collazo decided to launch his own solo project—this time with a more pronounced emphasis on soul and R&B. “In the band, I was very happy with the music I was making,” he says. “[But] even without realizing it, you start to make concessions.”


He called the new project BSKi, an old school nickname of his that recalled not only the early days of hip-hop, but one of the many musical influences that would come to define his new sound. Moreover, growing up in a Puerto Rican household, just outside New York City in Rockland County, meant listening to anything from Stevie Wonder to George Michael to Prince, El Gran Combo to Eddie Santiago. “I grew up on R&B, hip-hop, Latin music,” he says.

It’s the musical DNA of what Collazo refers to, tongue-in-cheek, as sancocho funk, a blend of different ingredients like the traditional Puerto Rican/Latin American stew from which he borrowed the name. “I’m a product of all these influences,” he says.



BSKi began in 2014 when Collazo booked his first solo gig. He also started to write songs and assembled a new band. Then, however, things took a turn. “Just as I started writing and recording the songs for the record, I ran into a vocal problem,” he says.

Collazo had developed a sulcus on his vocal cords. Worse than a polyp or nodule, he explains, it meant that his range would begin to diminish during sets. The quality of his tone had also worsened over time. In short, his instrument, after 6-7 years of singing full-time, had become overworked and unreliable.

One option was surgery, though there was a chance of scarring. He delayed as long as possible before agreeing to the procedure. “[It was] the scariest decision I ever had to make,” he says. If successful, the recovery would last anywhere from three to six months, with no talking the first week and no performing for the first three.

“So much of my identity is wrapped around this one thing I do,” he soon realized. Hours before the surgery, Collazo shared a very personal note via Facebook reflecting on that very question of identity. “I have no idea who I am without it [singing],” he wrote. “I’ll have three long months to figure it out.”

In the meantime, he found temporary work at an office and passed the time binging on Netflix (including all seven seasons of the West Wing). Uncertainty aside, he also decided he would continue his music career—even if he had to pick up another instrument in order to do so.

In the end, it took four months total for him to recover, but not without a few missteps along the way. “I definitely remember trying to come back too soon,” he says with a laugh, recalling an open mic and an ill-fated attempt at a Stevie Wonder song.

Fortunately, he was able to start performing again, booking practice space at a rehearsal studio so as to have privacy as he worked his way back into form. By December of 2016, he released his debut record, Keep It Light, a five-song EP produced by Greg Mayo, that showcases his myriad of influences.

“The real intention here was to do a record true to myself and the music I grew up on,” he says. One clear example is presence of Latin percussion throughout the record. “I wanted to do something exciting rhythmically, something that would make me want to dance,” he says.

Nowadays, the band is focused on recording its second EP, due for release later this year. The intention is to explore more complex rhythms and feature more Latin percussion. A new single, “You’re A Dream To Wake Up To,” is also on the way, as well as a possible collaboration with his cousin, Luis Alfredo del Valle of Buscabulla.

Looking back on his experience, Collazo is thankful for the second opportunity, “It gave me me a renewed sense of purpose,” he says. - Play Too Much

Meet new school old school crooner BSKi, (pronounced “bee-skee”) with a touch Jamiroquai and neo-soul, it’s the pure poetry he’s writing that takes his sound to another level, with lines like,

“Idiot wind ain’t just dancin’ by
Committee of hens and they shan’t abide
your video games and venial sins
so tedious trends of media frenzied bans arrive
Your plebeian friends with they hands held high
got minimum chance to withstand that tide
Immediate landscapes get gentrified
Ingredients tend to enhance that high
Your pineal glands will advance that lie
that them stakes ain’t high
Fake a stance or hide
on the fence don’t ride
Man the champs won’t cry
When the meteor lands the tyrannosaurs die
…and they can’t survive”

Check out this native New Yorker’s official site here. - ELEVTR

Playing NYC’s Rockwood Music Hall stage 2 June 13 at 9:30pm; we have the pleasure & privilege of presenting the following live in-studio performance of “Say Hello”featured off BSKi’s debut EP Keep it Light. Fusing together an earnest & eclectic blend of cultures that draw from his Puerto Rican heritage & local NYC inspirations & vibrations; Collazo continues to carry the torch for a style he has branded sancochofunk. Designing an enlightened & expressive aesthetic that takes cues from work in Élan & familial inspirations from Buscabulla—BSKi brings an inclusive & expansive approach to musical craft that encourages an entire globe to tune into a genuine celebration of being alive in a world that is both wonderful & more often than not outright weird & illogical.

Presenting a view of performing over at GnM Studios; Brian & the BSKi crew craft together a unique blend of super smooth rhythm & blues that are seen created in real time. Brian’s own vocal range encourages all rhythm & chord cadence progressions to shine in a fusion of Caribbean & Nuyorican components that comment on the various jazz, r & b & funk movements enjoyed throughout the generations. BSKi brings in a barrage of instrumental elements & inspired attributes that abide by something akin to the everything & the kitchen sink methodology but everything is done with an adept sense & style of pizazz & studied skill. A salutation that seeks something outside of the regressive cycles that pushes for something better & greater with global jazz schooled sensibility that pens a musical love note for the future era to appreciate & apply in their own lives. “Say Hello” incorporates guitars, keyboards, rhythmic measures, vibes & Collazo’s delivery that moves from harmonic song to spoken word that shines some enlightened sun into the ears & eyes of their audience. BSKi boasts a body moving approach to music that will have your entire being moving from morning rise all the way to late night retirements into the moon’s arms of replenishing rest.

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Busting out the big brass with Brian Collazo of BSKi; press photo courtesy of the artist.

Brian Collazo of BSKi provided us with the following reflective insights:

ABOUT KEEP IT LIGHT EP:
The music on Keep It Light evokes a 70s Stevie Wonder meets 90s New Jack Swing vibe while Collazo adds his own, at times, sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek lyrical approach for a uniquely personal record. BSKi explains,“Both musically and lyrically, these songs sound and feel more like me than anything I’ve ever done.

ABOUT “SAY HELLO”:
“Say Hello” was a song that I originally started, literally, eight years ago, shortly after Barack Obama’s inauguration. All I had were the lines: Say Hello, we’ve got a new team in this year / and so you know, we’ll do things differently round here / go to your homes await our orders, guard your wallets and your daughters…

I didn’t come back to finish it until years later but the thinking was that the conservative politicians and pundits were lamenting this supposed loss of American Values and a takeover by some sort of despotic ruler. So, the dystopian-type lyric was my tongue-in-cheek way of thumbing my nose at the obstinate old guard longing for the old way of doing things, (when the meteor lands the tyrannosaur dies). Ironically, by the time we released the record, these lyrics took on a whole new meaning and relevance as we, literally, had a new team in this year.

My parents are from Puerto Rico, making me a first generation “Nuyorican”. I liked the ideal of building this song around tumbao rhythm and guitar riff that almost could be a montuno line on a salsa record.

ABOUT “SAY HELLO” VIDEO:
The video was shot at musical director and producer Greg Mayo’s (son of legendary musician, Bob Mayo — of Peter Frampton, Hall and Oates, Foreigner and others) GnM Studios in White Plains, NY and filmed by Jackson Hoffman and team.The track was recorded live with the following lineup: Mayo (guitar, vocals), Patrick Firth (keys), Eric Brown (drums), Bryan Ladd (bass) & Anthony Almonte Leon (percussion). The track was mixed and produced by Mayo.

Experience BSKi’s debut EP Keep it Light available now. - Impose Magazine

On December 7th, 2016 BSKi (Brian Collazo) released long-awaited debut solo EP Keep It Light.

Coming off a vocal injury in 2014, BSKi made a full recovery and came back with renewed focus and a new sound.

The music on Keep It Light evokes a 70s Stevie Wonder meets 90s New Jack Swing vibe while Collazo adds his own, at times, sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek lyrical approach for a uniquely personal record. The song “Let Your Hair Down” manages to simultaneously pay homage and poke fun at the “sexy lover man” persona so prevalent in R&B, matching an infectious groove with lyrics like “if I had game, I wouldn’t need to sing.” BSKi explains,“Both musically and lyrically, these songs sound and feel more like me than anything I’ve ever done.“ - rappersiknow.com

BSKi, a singer from New York that blends Latin rhythms with 90’s R&B, Funk and Hip-Hop in a style that he refers to as “sancochofunk” released his debut EP, Keep it Light, today. I got the chance to listen to it. The 5 song album is a great representation of himself and he says, “Both musically and lyrically, these songs sound and feel more like me than anything I’ve ever done.”

The first song, “Say Hello” starts out melodic, smooth and soulful. It’s the kind of song you could put on during a dinner date at home or slowly dance to in front of a fire. BSKi’s beautiful voice serenaded me while background singers “oooooh” in harmony. It feels very reminiscent of Stevie Wonder.

“Let Your Hair Down” Reminds me of an R&B song from the 90’s that you’d hear on the radio and then wait for hours for it to come on so you could record it for your latest mixed tape. On the surface it sounds like a cool R&B song with its chorus, “I wanna rock into you” but you soon realize the snark when he then sings, “What does that even mean?”

The third song on the album starts out with a great beat that immediately had my head bouncing and your feet tapping. “Starbound” is a song about an up and coming actor that leaves for what is presumably LA to pursue her dream. The lyrics, “I guess you’re star bound after all,” suggest he’s happy for her as she takes off to follow her dreams but it is quickly followed by, “It ain’t no thing, I’ll catch you when you fall.” It’s then I realized that it’s not as uplifting a song as it appears. I won’t spoil the rest of the lyrics, but they are really funny as they get more sarcastic as the song progresses. This is my favorite off the album and it will have everyone dancing at live shows for sure.

Bringing it back to the slow R&B feel is “Splanky” a song about a ball player named Tito that suffers the fate that a lot of athletes face. They get really famous and do really well but then an injury happens and they are finished. The album title comes from the chorus, “Baby, keep it light.” This has a good beat with an amazing horn sound throughout the song and a horn solo to end it. BSKi’s vocals are really showcased throughout this song.

The last song is “Good Idea” and once you listen to it, you will probably agree that it’s anything but a good idea. This is another beautiful smooth R&B song. This is the kind of song you’d hear at the middle school dance while try to work up the courage to ask that shy boy to slow dance. The song talks about what it would be like if someone told you right upfront how the entire relationship would be like. “I’ll be careless with your heart. Won’t finish what I start.” It definitely emphasizes the blues part of rhythm and blues.

Overall, I loved the album and will have it on repeat for a while. The album is out today so if you are a fan of good music, go get it. You can grab it here.

I got a chance to chat with BSKi about music, the EP and life in general. You can find the interview at http://musicexistence.com/blog/2016/12/08/interview-with-bski/.

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Sound Cloud - musicexistence.com

BSKi, a singer from New York that blends Latin rhythms with 90’s R&B, Funk and Hip-Hop in a style that he refers to as “sancochofunk” (sanchocho= Stew or gumbo) released his debut EP, Keep it Light, yesterday. Recently, I got the chance to chat with him about music, his EP and life in general.

ME: How did you get started in music?

BSKi: I came from a musical family. Both of my parents sing. My father plays guitar. They even sang a duet at their wedding. I’m the youngest of 4 children, and we were always glued to the radio. Music was one of those things that was always there. I just thought everybody’s family was that way. I didn’t realize that other people didn’t sing.
ME: So did you come from the era where you had to sit by the radio and wait for your song to come on so you could tape it?

BSKi: Totally. I remember sitting by the radio waiting for the Humpty Dance to come on so I could tape it after first seeing it on a show called Pump It Up. That was like one of the only shows that showed Rap videos at the time. It was amazing and I just waited. I finally caught it and immediately I just played it over and over again. I just sat there with a piece of paper so I could transcribe it. I remember the one lyric, “I drink up all the Hennessy ya got on ya shelf” and since I was 11, I thought he was saying Heaven See. We didn’t have the luxury of looking up lyrics on the internet back then.
ME: Who is your favorite artist to work with?

BSKi: The gentleman that produced the record, Greg Mayo, is a frequent collaborator and I am in awe of his talents as a musician and as a writer and producer. But there is a long list of people here in NY that I get to work with and collaborate with and I don’t have enough time to list them all.
ME: What’s your favorite venue or town to play in and why?

BSKi: I’ve kind of made my home at Rockwood Music Hall. A lot of my friends and my relationships kind of grew out of that room, so I have a special connection to that place. My new favorite is the place I’m playing at tomorrow night for my EP release- C’mon Everybody in Brooklyn. There’s a vibe and something brewing over there. The variety and type of music happening over there is just refreshing.

As for towns, I grew up in New York and haven’t really lived anywhere else. I don’t do a lot of touring, so right now NY is all I know. I want to tour more. I want to see the country, but right now as far as towns, I’d have to say New York.
ME: If you could pick an instrument to play that you can’t currently play, what would it be?

BSKi: Piano for sure. Just from a songwriting and composition perspective. I could do a lot more on my own when I record my demos and what not. It’s just a big sounding instrument. I marvel when I see people like my friend Aakie Bermiss (who guests on the record) play and accompany themselves on it. It’s a vibe that I really love.
ME: Is there anyone on the charts today that you feel resembles your ‘sound’?

BSKi: I feel a kinship to Emily King. When she first came out I heard her and was like, it’s amazing that this type of music is being embraced. I love the stuff she’s been doing. While we don’t particularly sound alike, I think we’re likely drawing from the same pool of influences. As for actual pop artists, people sometimes mention Bruno Mars or Miguel when they hear my music but that’s probably just because we’re all Latino R&B singers (laughs). But his stuff is more geared for top 40. I didn’t plan my album for the masses necessarily; I was just trying to make music I liked. This project started as a little vanity project with Greg Mayo. As much as I love what I did with Live Society, in hindsight I suppose I never got to go as R&B as I wanted to. With this EP I am excited to have something that I can show people when they ask, “What are you about?” I can hand them this EP.

ME: If you could sing a duet with anyone living or dead, who would it be?

BSKi: A singer whose voice completely blows me away is Charlie Aponte from the legendary Puerto Rican Salsa orchestra El Grand Combo. He’s just amazing and would blow me out of the water but I would be honored to sing with a guy like that.

ME: Name some items on your bucket list- musically or personally

BSKi: I would love to tour the world with this. Get to go play in all these different parts of the country. See all of America, all of the world- Puerto Rico, Africa, Europe. It was also important to make something I could dance to. I find when I’m really into music, when I’m in my freest moments, I’m just dancing, like an idiot, to what the band is grooving on. I wanted to make something of that on my own. And it’s universal all around the world. These rhythms and these styles that we are doing come from Africa and far away and long ago and it’s something everyone in the world can tap into. I hope I can do something that would be well received.

ME: Anything else you’d like to share?

BSKi: I would encourage people to still seek out good music, whether it’s mine or not. People will say there is no good music and I think in 2016 there is no excuse for that with the scope and reach of the internet. This year alone there are some amazing projects. Search it out and support good art.

BSKI’s debut EP, Keep it Light, is out now. - musicexistence.com