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
Shake Down
Natural Self Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Get Your Goat
Shake Your Halo Down
Dip a cloth in a bowl of blood lean your horses hide with it. Stick a
fish in a tattoo
gun watch what color ink comes out. Die gin bottle wedged in wet hand
Best at
what I do, mom says. Shake your halo down like snow from a pregnant
about to blow. Makes a neckbrace, a belt. and then a hole in the ground.
The lyrics to Natural Self's song Shake Down present a vivid and disturbing image of violence and chaos. The opening lines suggest a ritualistic act of violence, with the commands to "dip a cloth in a bowl of blood" and "lean your horses hide with it." The following lines are even more jarring, describing the strange and gruesome practice of sticking a fish in a tattoo gun to see what color ink comes out. The imagery in these lines suggest a world where violence and destruction are commonplace, and where people are willing to experiment with new and bizarre forms of cruelty.
The next set of lyrics in Shake Down continue to paint a picture of a dangerous and unpredictable world. The line "Die gin bottle wedged in wet hand" suggests that the singer is drunk or under the influence of something, and the final line of this verse - "Best at what I do, mom says" - implies that the singer is proud of his ability to cause chaos and destruction. The chorus of the song is both haunting and beautiful, with the image of snow falling from a pregnant cloud suggesting both purity and impending danger. When the lyrics suggest that this falling snow can "make a neckbrace, a belt, and then a hole in the ground," we realize that the beauty of the imagery is undercut by the violence and destruction that it represents.
Line by Line Meaning
Shudder To Think
Referring to a feeling of unease or discomfort
Get Your Goat
To upset or irritate someone
Shake Your Halo Down
To let loose and have fun, perhaps in a reckless way
Dip a cloth in a bowl of blood lean your horses hide with it.
Using violence and cruelty to achieve a desired result
Stick a fish in a tattoo gun watch what color ink comes out.
Experimenting with unusual or unexpected combinations
Die gin bottle wedged in wet hand
Drinking heavily and living recklessly
Best at what I do, mom says.
Having confidence in one's abilities and skills
Shake your halo down like snow from a pregnant cloud about to blow.
Letting go of inhibitions and living in the moment, perhaps sensually or sexually
Makes a neckbrace, a belt, and then a hole in the ground.
Referencing a violent act, possibly murder or the disposal of a body
Contributed by Nora D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.