‘Baobab Dubbings’ - Chameleon Sessions
This week we take a closer look at Chameleon Sessions’ ‘Baobab Dubbings’
Chameleon Sessions is an interesting producer. Describing himself as ‘a musician with a home studio’, he began his musical journey at 15. Moving into a band setting in his late teens, his love for indie rock was augmented with a passion for IDM and HipHop. Chameleon’s musical direction changed when he heard Prefuse 73’s ‘Vocal Studies’ in 2001. Inspiring him to buy an MPC, his music got more experimental. Leaving the MPC behind for DAW manipulation, he took a 6 year music making hiatus for his family, then in 2014 inspiration struck again and he moved to a DAW. When his computer died on New Year’s Eve in 2016 he dusted off his MPC, pulled a couple records out of his collection and fell in love with making beats all over again. Since then he’s created 4 full lengths projects, with a spattering of singles. ‘Baobab Dubbings’ is his most recent work but how does this factor into the Chameleon’s varied story?
‘Baobab Dubbings’ kicks off with a speech telling you that is a ‘listening experience’ and experience is definitely the right word. Throughout ‘Baobab Dubbings’ the listener is constantly exposed to varying auditory highlights. The tunes rise and flow beautifully. Not telling one specific story but rather showcases the incredible range Chameleon Sessions can bring to bear. Though the tracks are loosely linked there is a very good reason for it. ‘Baobab Dubbings’ is a "compilation" of three CS monikers; Mushussu, Furcifer and Beats by Jan. Chameleon uses this project to fully express himself. Chameleon expanded on it:
‘The most memorable music in my life has a life memory attached to it. So when I create music, I have a habit of either making a concept album (not this one) or utilising elements that feel like an object, place or era within the music. I attempt to create what is essentially an aural journey into the amazing human mind and spark imagination. For example, sampling a hearing aid record to set the tone, recreating old school radio detective stories to add a sense of mystery, or shouting in a large room while sampling an acoustic drum kit (done in Into the Chasm) to get a 70s barroom funk band vibe that most of us were never alive to “experience”. That is a listening experience to me.’
On top of this Chameleon Sessions also carefully curates the experience with balanced, but exciting, aplomb. There is a level of meta self realisation too. At key junctions the listener is reminded that this is a tape experience. For example ‘BraikNex’ thanks you for listening to side A and implores you to grab ‘small herbs’ and not to forget ‘Yum Yums’. Rather than take you out of your mind state, these features link the listener intrinsically to the creator. The effect is almost like guided meditation. You are encouraged to surrender totally to the album and Chameleon Sessions shows his whole personality through it. The album has character because Chameleon has inserted so much if his into the project. A truly beautiful exchange between listener and creator.
Another standout feature of ‘Baobab Dubbings’ is the quality and clarity of the sound. Chameleon Sessions manages to walk the thin line between technical proficiency and accessibility on this one. From the largest piano sounds to the tiniest percussion flourish, every sound is treated with the same respect and deference. Like a sculptor working in multiple mediums, Chameleon Sessions knows his raw material. He knows where everything should sit and where he can push boundaries; and that makes for a very high quality experience. This dedication to a total sound experience is a key lynchpin of the project and Chameleon explained some of his techniques when we spoke to him:
‘Baobab Dubbings’ consists of music from 3 Chameleon Sessions artists that did not fit into their albums. Once I thought of a tree of life or a Chameleon Sessions family tree type of idea I began making a couple beats to set the pace for the mixtape. I primarily use my MPC2000xl to begin anything. Whether I sample records, VHS tapes or my own instruments. I run the finished tracks on to my reel to reel tape machine to slightly push and give it a punchy warmth. With a couple of tracks, I re-flipped the original beat to put both side by side to make it feel like a DJ mix in a sense. The last track ‘Into the Chasm’ was a goal of mine. To create a song that sounds like something you would find on a French funk album from the seventies. To get that vibe, I recorded my homie on the drums and re-recorded that coming from my monitors with one mic for a more live sound while shouting. I played lots of instruments in that track to make it sound like a band as much as possible.’
‘Baobab Dubbings’ is also full of variety. Songs take bits and bobs from all over to express Chameleon’s vision. From Rap acapellas to obscure European records, nothing is off the table. The astounding facet of this variety however is the unity in sound that ‘Baobab Dubbings’ achieves. Despite all these disparate elements Chameleon Sessions has a knack for creating variety with unity. Much like his reptilian namesake, the hues may change but they all belong to the same being. Tracks like ‘ShpShftr’ are like a gumbo of different sounds and styles. Kicking off with a totally on point vocal chop, the voice gives way to a large but focussed drum break with a thick horn section layered on top. The track doesn’t end as much as it blends into the next (‘Chant of 65 Percent Swing’). The entire album is a showcase of different ideas rising and falling. Truly proving that variety is the spice of life.
‘Baobab’ Dubbings is an incredibly unique project from an equally rare type of producer. The loose, meta levelled concept sets the tones perfectly for a self described listening experience. Rather than segment or split his multiple musical aliases, Chameleon Sessions has found a natural way to combine them all for an completely distinctive album. Chameleon Sessions complete dedication to sound quality and clarity bolstered this idea and allows him to craft a sound all his own. On top of this the variety at play here imbues every track with a motivational energy, tempting the listener to continue down this rabbit hole without alienating them or feeling disjointed. ‘Baobab Dubbings’ has achieved an incredible feat. It is an album made with the highest level of technical skill but without the pitfalls of the typical ‘producer only’ album. Plug into this project for a rare insight into the mind of the illusive Chameleon and I promise you won’t be disappointed.
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Listen to ‘Baobab Dubbings’ here: