Natural Self is the ongoing project of Nathaniel Pearn, aka producer Keno-1. Pearn was originally inspired by the rhythmic force of The Bomb Squad's productions for Public Enemy, and hip hop was the primary influence on his first forays into music. His hometown of Oxford was just near enough to London to pick up Tim Westwood's then seminal Capital Rap Show floating across the airwaves. The beats he heard as a teenager led him forward, to the future hip hop of DJs Shadow and Krush, and back to its roots in the American funk of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. This sparked a keen appreciation of musical lineage as well as a sense of the possibilities of the future. Crate-digging culture introduced him to a whole world of music and broadened his horizons immeasurably and part of The Broken Keys.
2001 saw Natural Self’s production debut with the "Shakedown/The Soul step" single on Tru Thoughts. With seven years of DJing experience already under his belt by this time, he knew exactly how to work a dancefloor, and both tracks had a strikingly direct and confident sound. The characteristic combination of raw drums, polyrhythmic percussion and strident horns would become a signature style of the several singles that followed, notably in the mighty "Heavy Heavy", the renowned collaboration with his good friend Nostalgia 77 (recorded as Keno-1 & The Hermit). This style became increasingly sophisticated and subtle, as showcased on Natural Self's 2006 debut album ‘Let Peace Be The Ruler’ for Breakin’ Bread records. This album saw the introduction of live recording into the Natural Self sound as well as a first full-vocal production with Alice Russell on "I Don't Need This Trouble". The first Natural Self and Nostalgia 77 collaborative album "Gravity" - recorded as The Broken Keys for Tru Thoughts – was also released in 2006, and received acclaim from the BBC 6Music Funk and Soul Show, among others. Combining the skills of the two producers, the album also featured Natural Self's first steps into singing.
Throughout this time, the demand for Natural Self’s services as a remixer was steadily rising, and he re-worked tracks for such artists as Nicole Willis, Quantic, Elizabeth Shepherd and the Canadian MC Abdominal. Natural Self's skills as a DJ also saw him travel increasingly across the UK and Europe, as his style came to incorporate Latin and African music alongside the funk and hip hop that had played such a consistent role since he first started out.
2008 saw Natural Self returning to Tru Thoughts to release his highly anticipated second solo album, entitled "The Art Of Vibration". The new long player, which was released on 30th June, saw a further development of the continually distinctive productions, featuring experiments in electronic sound as well as collaborations with Abdominal and eminent UK soul singer Andreya Triana. The album was preceded by a 12” single, "The Rising", featuring the vocals of Andreya Triana and Natural Self, gaining support and acclaim from Mark Lamarr (BBC Radio 2), Gilles Peterson (BBC Radio 1), Boca 45 and many other DJs and tastemakers around the world. Natural Self recently put together a top quality live band to take the sound of his album on the road, and their first outing was a killer performance supporting Mr Scruff - so watch this space for more action from Natural Self Live.
“It’s got quality written all over it” - Mark Lamarr
“Kooky chants, dirty brass and all kinds of wonky beats...Cracking.” - iDJ Magazine
“takes his startling soul brew to fresh depths…melting cool melody over old school beats in a showdown with the shadows of dubstep” - DJ Mag
“An awesome return to TT for Natural Self …encapsulates everything that is good about music and diversity right now. Go get.” - Pimp Magazine
“By rights this should be the LP that breaks this young man into the big time.” - Shook Mag
"The Art Of Vibration is one of 2008’s winners and I hope it receives the attention and accolades that it duly deserves." - juslikemusic.com
more @ www.breakinbread.org/profile_nself.html
Midnight Sun
Natural Self Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The clouds were like an alabaster palace rising to a snowy height,
Each star it's own arora bora elis suddenly you held me tight,
I could see the midnight sun.
I can't explain the silver rain that found me or was that moonlit veil,
The music of the universe around me or was that a nightingale,
And then your arms miraculously found me sudden't the sky turned pail,
Was there such a night? It's a thrill I still don't quite believe,
But after you were gone there was still some stardust on my sleeve.
The pain of it may dwindle to an ember and the stars forget to shine,
And we may see the meadow in December, Icy white and crystalline,
But oh my darlin always I'll remember when your lips were close to mine,
I could see the Midnight Sun,
In Natural Self's song "Midnight Sun," the lyrics describe a moment of pure bliss and wonder in the singer's life. The singer describes the beauty of the night sky with each star having their own aura and the clouds resembling a palace. The person they are with is compared to a red and ruby chalice that is warmer than a summer night. The singer can't explain if it was the silver rain and moonlit veil or the music of the universe and a nightingale they heard, but they know that they felt their lover's arms around them, and suddenly the sky turned pale. They were able to see the midnight sun, a spectacle that is typically only seen in places such as the Arctic or Antarctic Circle.
The lyrics convey a moment of intense emotion, unexplainable by words, that cannot be recreated. The singer's lack of understanding of the moment adds to the mystery and magic it holds. However, even though the moment has passed, the singer still cherishes the memory and gives it the power to remain with them, perhaps forever. The song's melody and tone complement the lyrics' mood, with a jazzy yet mellow sound that sets the scene for a magical moment.
Line by Line Meaning
Your lips were like a red and ruby chalice warmer than the summer night,
Your lips were as sweet as a red and ruby chalice and warm like a summer night.
The clouds were like an alabaster palace rising to a snowy height,
The clouds were like a beautiful palace made of alabaster that climbed above and beyond the snow-covered mountains.
Each star it's own arora bora elis suddenly you held me tight,
The stars shimmered and twinkled in their own unique way, and then you unexpectedly held me tight.
I could see the midnight sun.
I was able to witness the breathtaking and rare phenomenon of the midnight sun.
I can't explain the silver rain that found me or was that moonlit veil,
I cannot understand the reason for the silver rain that poured on me. Or maybe it was just the veil of moonlight that I saw.
The music of the universe around me or was that a nightingale,
I heard the harmonious hum of the entire universe or perhaps it was just the sweet melody of a nightingale.
And then your arms miraculously found me sudden't the sky turned pail,
Suddenly, your arms embraced me and then the sky went pale.
I could see the midnight sun.
Again, I could witness the magnificent view of the midnight sun.
Was there such a night? It's a thrill I still don't quite believe,
Did that night truly happen? It was a thrilling experience that I still cannot believe.
But after you were gone there was still some stardust on my sleeve.
Even after you left, I carried some traces of stardust on my sleeve.
The pain of it may dwindle to an ember and the stars forget to shine,
With time, the pain of the bittersweet memory may fade and the stars may lose their shine.
And we may see the meadow in December, Icy white and crystalline,
We may witness a meadow in December, covered in ice and white as crystal.
But oh my darlin always I'll remember when your lips were close to mine,
But, my darling, I'll always remember the time when your lips were touching mine.
I could see the Midnight Sun,
Once again, I was able to see the extraordinary and magnificent midnight sun.
Contributed by Eli N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.