Brainfeeder, the celebrated imprint of Flying Lotus, is proud to announce its flagship full length of 2010, Ardour, the debut album by Teebs. Born Mtendere Mandowa in New York to Malawi and Barbadian parents, the 23-year-old producer was primarily a visual artist until he moved to Los Angeles and fell in with a collective called My Hollow Drum, who turned him onto the city's burgeoning electronic music scene. Since his debut a few years ago, he has put out an EP on Svetlana Industries, landed a track on Mary Anne Hobbs's landmark Wild Angels compilation and attended the 2008 Red Bull Music Academy in Barcelona. An accomplished skateboarder and painter, Teebs is ready to push producer to the top of that list with Ardour.
Ardour was made during two major periods of Teebs' life. Having just lost his job and with little to no money, Teebs moved into the same apartment complex as Flying Lotus and shared living quarters with another Brainfeeder affiliate, Samiyam. It was here that the beginning stages and one-half of Ardour were created. Before Teebs was aware his album was showing itself, his father who had been terminally ill, passed away. He moved back home and stopped making music. After an arduous period where he ceased work on the album altogether, Teebs was able to regain focus and finish the album at home.
Anchored by the emotional weight of the its origins, the album's push towards reconciliation and redemption is palpable in its tender melodies and rich textures. The result is a stunning collection of warm-blooded melodies adrift amongst the ebb and flow of his unique rhythms. Comprised from a cache of found elements, resembling anything from the sounds of pocket change, a loose set of janitor keys, and heart-pump thuds, his beats bridge the organic and the ethereal. The lead single, Why Like This, pulses in this style as the balmy synths swell to songs melodic climax. Ardour features this track, along with 18 other new productions by Teebs, plus cover art painted by the man himself.
