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 Feat. Elodie Rama
Natural Self Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Warmer than the summer night
The clouds were like an alabaster palace
Rising to a snowy height
Each star it's on Aurora Borealis
Suddenly you held me tight
I could see the midnight sun
I can't explain
Or was that a moonlit veil
The music of the Universe
Around me
Or was that a nightingale
And then you arms miraculously found me
Suddenly the sky turned pale
I could see the midnight sun
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 flame of it may dwindle
To an amber
And the stars forget to shine
And we may see the meadow in December
Icy, wide and cristaline
But oh my darling always I'll remember
When your lips were close to mine
And we saw the Midnight Sun
The Midnight Sun
The lyrics of Natural Self's song Midnight Sun feat. Elodie Rama speak of a magical and unforgettable night spent with a lover, under the starry sky, with the midnight sun shining bright. The first verse describes the lover's lips as being like a red and ruby chalice, warmer than the summer night. The clouds are described as an alabaster palace rising to a snowy height, with each star having its own Aurora Borealis. Suddenly, the lover holds the singer tight, and the singer is able to see the midnight sun.
The second verse describes the feeling of being wrapped in the magic of the universe around the singer, with silver rain or a moonlit veil falling on them. The music of the universe seems to be playing, with a nightingale singing in the background. The lover's arms miraculously find the singer, and suddenly the sky turns pale, revealing the shining midnight sun.
The bridge talks about how the singer still remembers the thrill and magic of that night spent with the lover, even though the flame of it may have dwindled to an amber. The stars may forget to shine and the meadow may become icy and crystal-like, but the memory of that night remains vivid and unforgettable.
Line by Line Meaning
Your lips were like a red and ruby chalice
Your lips were more enticing than any cup made of precious gemstone.
Warmer than the summer night
Your lips felt warm like a summer night, but even more appealing.
The clouds were like an alabaster palace
The clouds looked as if they were made of the finest white marble and formed a beautiful palace in the sky.
Rising to a snowy height
The clouds rose so high that they looked like they were made of snow.
Each star it's on Aurora Borealis
Every star seemed to be a part of Northern Lights, filling the sky with beautiful colors.
Suddenly you held me tight
Suddenly, you held me closely and tightly.
I could see the midnight sun
I could witness the beautiful sight of the sun shining at midnight.
I can't explain
I am at a loss for words to describe this experience.
The silver rain that found me
I felt the touch of the rain that sparkled like silver all around me.
Or was that a moonlit veil
Or maybe it was moonlight that created a beautiful veil of shimmering light.
The music of the Universe around me
I could hear the profound and beautiful music of the whole Universe surrounding me.
Or was that a nightingale
Or perhaps it was the sweet song of a nightingale that made the experience even more magical.
And then you arms miraculously found me
And then, as if by a miracle, your arms found their way to embrace me.
Suddenly the sky turned pale
Suddenly the sky lost its color and turned pale, as if awestruck by the beauty of the moment.
I could see the midnight sun
I could witness the beautiful sight of the sun shining at midnight.
Was there such a night
I wonder if there was ever a night as beautiful as this.
It's a thrill
It's an exhilarating feeling.
I still don't quite believe
Even now, I find it hard to believe that this magical moment truly happened.
But after you were gone
But after you left...
There was still some stardust on my sleeve
I found that there was still some stardust on my sleeve, a reminder of the magical moment we shared.
The flame of it may dwindle to an amber
The intensity of this moment may fade with time, like a flame that slowly turns into amber.
And the stars forget to shine
The stars may lose their shine and brilliance, but...
And we may see the meadow in December, Icy, wide and cristaline
We may see a cold and icy landscape, such as a meadow covered in snow in a December night.
But oh my darling always I'll remember
But, my dear, I will always remember...
When your lips were close to mine
...that magical moment when our lips were so close together.
And we saw the Midnight Sun
When we witnessed the beauty of the sun shining at midnight, a moment that will stay forever in our memories.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOHNNY MERCER, J. FRANCIS BURKE, LIONEL HAMPTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind