Gonjasufi

Gonjasufi

Sumach Ecks (* 1978 ) better known by his stage name Gonjasufi , is an American singer, producer, DJ, actor and yoga teacher .

life and career

Ecks was born in 1978 to a Mexican mother and an American-Ethiopian father. He spent his young years in Chula Vista , California .

Ecks became artistically involved early on and played the sun god Helios in the opera Persephone .

In the early 1990s, he began releasing music in the San Diego hip hop scene, most notably with the Masters of the Universe crew. He toured under the name "Randy Johnson", his first band was called "Plant Lyphe".

Ecks was discovered by Warp Records in 2008 after appearing on the Los Angeles record by California artist Flying Lotus . There he sang the song Testament . His debut album Sufi and a Killer was released on March 8, 2010.

Ecks' voice has been described by Pitchfork as "a rough, creepy, smoked croak" that " sounds like the spiritual descendants of George Clinton and Lead Belly ". He attributes his singing style to his day job yoga, where he is forced to “feel more of his stomach”. His music is largely experimental and combines urban beats with psychedelic flair.

In addition to singing and rapping, he also works as a producer, DJ, actor, and yoga teacher.

On August 19, 2016, Gonjasufi released the album Callus, which includes contributions from Pearl Thompson .

Discography

Studio albums

• A Sufi and a Killer (2010)
• MU.ZZ.LE (2012)
• Callus (2016)

Remix albums

• The Caliph's Tea Party (2010)
• Mandela Effect (2017)

EPs

• The Ninth Inning EP (2011)
• Untitled (2013) (split with Ras G)

Singles

• Holidays b / w Candylane (2009)
• Kowboyz & Indians b / w My Only Friend (2010)
• Kobwebz b / w Speaketh (2010)
• Nickels and Dimes (2010)
• Ninth Inning (2011)
• The Blame (2012)

Guest appearances

• Flying Lotus - "Testament" from Los Angeles (2008)
• The Gaslamp Killer - "I'm in Awe" from Death Gate (2010)
• Humansuit - "Lawnmower Man" from Humansuit (2012)
• The Gaslamp Killer - "Veins" and "Apparitions" from Breakthrough (2012)
• Old English - "The Omen" from Band in Amerikkka (2013)
• Perera Elsewhere - "Giddy" from Everlast (2013)
• Awol One & Gel Roc - "Flight" from The Cloaks (2014)
• Dag Savage - "Bad Trip" from E&J (2014)
• The Bug - "Save Me" from Angels & Devils (2014)
• L'Orange & Mr. Lif - "Strange Technology" from The Life & Death of Scenery (2016)
• The Gaslamp Killer - "Good Morning" from Instrumentalepathy (2016)
• A7pha - "Hater Hate It" from A7pha (2017)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Malik Meer: Gonjasufi - the electro Hendrix . In: The Guardian , March 6, 2010. Retrieved July 4, 2010. 
2. ↑ Thomas H. Green: theartsdesk Q&A: Musician Gonjasufi . In: The Arts Desk . January 14, 2012. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
3. ↑ ( Page no longer available , search in web archives: Gimme5 Interview: Gonjasufi )
4. ↑ Jason Lymangrover: Gonjasufi Biography . In: Allmusic . Retrieved March 8, 2010.
5. ↑ Ryan Dombal: Rising: Gonjasufi . In: Pitchfork . February 25, 2010. Retrieved March 6, 2010.
6. ↑ Ben Hogwood: Gonjasufi - A Sufi And A Killer . In: MusicOMH . March 8, 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
7. ↑ David Dacks: Gonjasufi: A Sufi And A Killer . In: Exclaim! . May 13, 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
8. ↑ Anthony Fantano : Gonjasufi: Musings Of A Hip-Hop Mystic . In: NPR . June 8, 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
9. ↑ Andrew Olshevski: New Mini-Album From Gonjasufi . In: CMJ . November 2, 2011. Archived from the original on April 15, 2015. Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved April 15, 2015. 
10. ↑ Randall Roberts: Video premiere: Gonjasufi roams downtown LA . In: Los Angeles Times . February 21, 2012. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
11. ↑ Joshua Pressman: Tonight In Rock: She & Him, Gonjasufi, Moonrats, The Delta Mirror . In: LAist . March 15, 2010. Archived from the original on January 30, 2016. Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved April 15, 2015. 
12. ↑ The Cure star legally changes his name as he leaves the music world for art . In: Hollywood.com . March 15, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
13. ↑ Chad Deal: Gonjasufi Extended Interview . In: San Diego Reader , January 20, 2012. Retrieved April 15, 2015. 
14. ↑ Brock Thiessen: Gonjasufi Returns with 'Callus' . In: Exclaim! . July 7, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2017.