Are you in the mood for some Swedish soul inspired by Jazz, Hip Hop and RnB? Then you should take some time and get to know Paul Mac Innes & T.B.O.I. They have been creating music together since 2005 and recently released their second album Paul Mac Innes & T.B.O.I.
Personally i feel that their single Even Though could be a future radio hit, it stays with me all day :) I sent Paul and Björn some questions about their work and you can read their answers below.
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When did you (Paul) and T.B.O.I start to make music together, and how did two you meet?
T.B.O.I. (Björn) and I first met when he was sharing a rehearsal room with my singing coach when I was 17. We didn't really get to know each other. It was mostly hi and bye as we finished and he came to rehearse. Then some years later he is asked to join and play saxophone in a Live Hip Hop group that I was a part of.
It is really here we discover we share a similar love and taste in music and we figure we should write together. So we start writing in sometime in 2005.
On the website you list soul, hip hop and gospel as your main influences, is there anything in particular, in these genres, that you recommend the readers of this blog?
No Doubt - Donny Hathaway's work. The mans voice is pure soul and the music is beautiful.
I have as long as I remember loved soul music, I used to listen to my dads Stevie Wonder records growing up, and as most people in my age, I could not avoid loving Michael Jackson and Prince music. So those are my first strong soul influences. My love for soul music grew passionate, I could be in the record shops for hours, searching for and listening to new music.
When I found Donny Hathaway in the shelves I was blown away! That was SOUL! I am Influenced by so many, the above mentioned, Marvin, Curtis, Aretha, D'angelo, Maxwell, Bilal, Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill and many, many more. Hip hop and Gospel have also had huge impact on me.
T.B.O.I. is inspired by many of the same artists however being a sax player that has spent much of his life in jazz, he brings that influences he mentions the following as strong influences Jim Pepper, Eddie Harris, Miles Davis (all of it but most early 80s), David Sanborn, Michael Brecker, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter, Pharoah Sanders, Keith Jarrett, Chaka Kahn, Mary J Blige, The Roots, Common, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Faith Evans… so there is also a lot of Jazz influence in our music.
Do you have any Swedish influences and who might they be?
I'm sorry to say I don't have many clear Swedish influences. I really used to listen to Per Erik Hallin. He is definitely a soulful man and had a early influence on me.
Why do you think Sweden has so many more talented musicians per capita than the rest of the world?
This is a commonly asked question. I think it is that we have great opportunities through our school/culture school. We are offered to learn instruments at an early age. There are also a lot of places for young people to rehearse. I think this has been very healthy for the music.
Paul Mac Innes & T.B.O.I. - Even Though
Press photo by Pamela Cortés Bruna
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To get more information about Paul Mac Innes & T.B.O.I; check out their Myspace and official website
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