Black Nile - River of Emotions (2022) [Hi-Res]

Playing music together for much of their lives, Black Nile are brothers Aaron and Lawrence Shaw. Their music, which they call “River of Emotions” is rooted in Black American culture, which is the genesis of American music. It cannot be defined by a single genre. It encapsulates the whole spectrum from blues, jazz, hiphop, RnB, soul, etc.

Not based on the Wayne Shorter song, “Black Nile” is an amalgamation based on the two separate words: “Black” - The very darkest color owing to the absence of or complete absorption of light; and “Nile”: The longest river in the world originating in East Africa, and is the wifehood of many great civilizations. The result is how the brothers define their band: Black Nile - “The absorption of reality, propagating Spiritual Energy through the river of conscious minds”.

The brothers believe their music is a culmination of two things: LA’s progressive sound (because the many influences from their contemporaries and past heroes like, Miles Davis, Kamasi Washington, Nipsey Hu$$le, Gerald Wilson, George Duke, Vince Staples, Terrace Martin, Thundercat, Jimi Hendrix, Kerry Chandler, Kaytranda, etc.; and their life experiences.

“The roots we grew up with, they still influence our music to this day, constantly soaking in life experiences to impact our music” says Lawrence. “Also, transparency will always be in our music. It helps to show people what we went (and lived) through, so all will know why we play and produce music as hard as we do.

That energy Black Nile puts into their music can be reflected on their third album on Alpha Pup Records titled “River of Emotions”.

With this record, Black Nile has now developed a technique for creating music that works best for them while providing the top quality music they strive to release.

“We have worked to create a process which best works for us, constituting a consistent workflow from setup to execution”

In addition, this record contains material which Black Nile has played live for years but never recorded.

“Playing with a band allows everybody to input their own unique identity, creating a new experience every time we're on stage”, per the band. “It was time we took the best of those onstage experiences and record them in studio”.

In addition to finally recording songs they have been playing live for years, the Covid-19 pandemic forced Black Nile to change its business model where their outreach to fans ( including new ones) had to change.

“COVID impacted us tremendously” says Lawrence.“ Between 2019 and through 2020, we were very busy doing live shows and events. Then we released our second CD ‘The Further Side’ in December 2020; and had a number of dates lined up. Then came the lockdown, and everything was cancelled.”

“Pre-Covid, our model was based upon in person, intimate interactions on stage, etc. That had to shift to creating and releasing content online, as well as streaming live shows. We were focused on maintaining a connection with our fans and expanding our online presence. Pre-pandemic we were already creating content for online use but once the shutdowns occurred we expanded both the amount and frequency we released content online.”

The release of “River of Emotions” couldn’t have come at a better time. As COVID restrictions start to ease, and the world starts to open up, people are ready to experience live music again.

“We still plan on creating and releasing content online but we are looking forward to getting back in front of live audiences."

Tracklist:
1.01 - Black Nile - Miss Ann (4:09)
1.02 - Black Nile - Los (3:56)
1.03 - Black Nile - Red Sun (3:24)
1.04 - Black Nile - Parody (4:05)
1.05 - Black Nile - ICU (1:12)
1.06 - Black Nile - Sleezeball (2:23)
1.07 - Black Nile - Downfall (2:14)
1.08 - Black Nile - Insight (Greg's Jam) (2:19)
1.09 - Black Nile - DWYFT (2:16)