The Midnight Hour Tour: Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad | Presented by JAZZ IS DEAD
It’s not often that Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge get to tour. It’s pretty rare that they get to do so together, as The Midnight Hour, with a 10 piece band. Venues are all purposely small and tickets are moving. Please get yours now and party with us in November and December.
When two of hip-hop’s most accomplished composers get together to make an album you know the results are going to be special. Ali Shaheed Muhammed (of A Tribe Called Quest) & Adrian Younge began their work together in 2013 on the critically acclaimed Souls of Mischief album There Is Only Now and their partnership cemented on their score work for Marvel’s Luke Cage. Today, they are proud to announce the forthcoming release of their carefully constructed and masterful The Midnight Hour. It is the duo’s long awaited debut album and it showcases their songwriting ability like never before.
The Midnight Hour is black excellence: an ode to the cultural sophistication that the Harlem Renaissance established for its people. The Midnight Hour is comprised of Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge, alongside a tight rhythm section and a full orchestra. The album has features from some of the most celebrated names in contemporary hip-hop and R&B including CeeLo Green, Raphael Saadiq, Marsha Ambrosius, Bilal, Eryn Allen Kane, Karolina, Questlove and more.
Adrian and Ali began working on this album back in 2013, but put the project aside as they would score the hit Netflix series Marvel’s Luke Cage. The Midnight Hour is a soul/jazz/hip-hop album which continues the conversations started by yesterday’s jazz and funk pioneers; those that created the bedrock of samples for hip-hop producers in the 80s/90s. The Midnight Hour is sophisticated hip-hop that fans will enjoy, capturing their jazz rhythm section, and a full orchestra, to analog tape.
The Midnight Hour and Fender are releasing very Limited-Edition Signature Precision Bass guitars, available for purchase exclusively on linearlabsmusic.com, avail now. “The Precision Bass is an extremely soulful statement piece. It cuts through the track, but also sits in the track” said Younge. Completely unique and reflective of The Midnight Hour band’s unique style, the bass features key modifications, such as a purple sparkle lacquer finish, purple shell pickguard and gold pickup cover, hardware and neck plate engraved with “The Midnight Hour.”
Shot at Younge’s record store (The Artform Studio) and studio (Linear Labs) in Highland Park, the 23-minute short film takes viewers behind the scenes of the pair’s creative inspiration and musical process creating with traditional instruments. For both, who have collaborated with the likes of Cee Lo Green, Raphael Saadiq and more, learning to play ultimately opened up opportunities for live performance, as well as scoring and producing soundtracks for movies and TV shows, like Marvel’s “Luke Cage.” Interwoven throughout are studio tips and tricks, as the pair dives deep into the recording of “Redenph in B-Minor” – a track from The Midnight Hour’s self-titled 2018 soul/jazz/hip-hop album.
VIDEO: ARTFORM with Ali Shaheed Muhammad & Adrian Younge | Fender Presents | Fender
NOV + DEC 2018 TOUR DATES:
