Minneapolis artist and member of ZULUZULUU Greg Grease releases his third solo record Down So Long. On Down So Long he shows a new growth musically and lyrically, its a smart, honest and funky record. Speaking to Bandcamp Greg Grease On Eschewing Escapism on “Down So Long” "When did you feel like the musical style you wanted for Down So Long was established?
I had two phases. I produced about 80 or 90% of the record, so I made a bunch of beats and recorded to them. Once I had all my demos done, I brought it into another studio with fancy microphones, musical instruments, and stuff. I brought musicians in to replay or interpret a lot of samples and give it a much more musical vibe. I wanted to show my growth as a producer and as a musician, because in ZULUZULUU, we’re pushing each other to get to the next level. I wanted to try to make [the album] more musical than anything in the past, where it was more rap.
How was that experience for you? Was it fun? Tedious?
It was an incredible experience. It was definitely a learning experience, too. Normally when you’re a producer, you make a beat while being all by yourself or on the computer. I brought in a few friends of mine who are talented jazz musicians. These guys are professionals. So I wanted to challenge myself and make sure they were impressed with what they were doing. Javier Santiago is an amazing composer and musician. I had Miguel Hurtado [of Solflower Collective] come in and lay drums on a couple of tracks. I had my ZULUZULUU fam come in and lay stuff down; Proper-T played some keys and Trelly Mo played some keyboard. My bro ∆RT P∆RTÉ came in with a lot of funky guitars.
What effect do you hope that Down So Long will have on listeners?
My goal is to challenge listeners to feel uncomfortable with the music. Not in a bad way, but uncomfortable with the unfamiliarity of it and excited about that as well. My goal is to challenge people’s own thoughts on what we find acceptable when it comes to music and content. I think that’s what makes my listeners, my listeners. They do enjoy a challenge.
Oddisee said something to the effect of, ‘If somebody found my music, that means they really dug for it and are going to enjoy it, because my music isn’t something that you come across easily.’ I identified with that, since my music isn’t something that you come across on a national platform. The type of person who is going to find my music is somebody who does want to be challenged." —Christina Lee
