M’lumbo | Interview | New Album, ‘The Summer of Endless Levitation’
M’Lumbo, the iconic band hailing from New York City, channels their pre-pandemic Shamanic voyages into their latest masterpiece, ‘The Summer Of Endless Levitation’.
This mesmerizing album, available in both digital and vinyl formats, offers a groundbreaking fusion of avant-garde folk music inspired by the “biomorphic” works of Jean Hans Arp, providing listeners with a sonic journey of self-discovery.
Since their inception in the mid-80s, the enigmatic M’Lumbo collective has pushed the boundaries of music, seamlessly blending jazz, world, electronic, rock, and experimental genres into a captivating tapestry that transcends commercial norms. With each member bringing their diverse cultural influences to the table, the band’s sound remains unparalleled, inviting audiences into a realm of unparalleled musical exploration.
Amid the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic, three band members – Rob Ray Flatow, Paul-Alexandre Meurens, and Brian O’Neill – embarked on a series of Shamanic travels throughout New York City. These experiences inspired the spontaneous creation of a suite of compositions, drawing from Arp’s “biomorphic” aesthetics and reflecting the looming sense of isolation and exile in their urban surroundings.
Contrasting with their previous works, ‘The Summer Of Endless Levitation’ presents a more intimate and introspective musical endeavor, employing a minimalistic instrumentation comprising acoustic and electric guitar, keyboard, flute, percussion, kalimba, and clarinet. Each track serves as a vessel for emotional renewal, encapsulating both profound melancholy and transcendent euphoria, inviting listeners on a transformative sonic odyssey.
“We like to keep our backgrounds slightly mysterious”
What kind of record did you want to make with ‘The Summer Of Endless Levitation’?
Rob Flatow: After our last two albums, ‘Celestial Mechanics’ and ‘Fairytale Aliens,’ both with Helmet’s main man Page Hamilton, we thought we would try something with a compact ensemble and play music that was less urban and aggressive than those releases.
How much time and effort went into it? Tell us more about the recording and producing process for it.
After a period of, let us say, shamanic traveling, we mostly spontaneously composed and played something new that also referenced earlier M’lumbo styles of “ambient” and world folk music. We wanted to convey how deep reverie could have both very sad and truly uplifting dimensions. And also, as usual, to have fun. The recording sessions were held partly in a bedroom and partly outdoors in a building’s courtyard/garden. There was one outpouring of performances, and then we revisited the project after a few months with another burst of creativity, so although there was a considerable time span, the playing/recording/mixes were done [as usual] fairly quickly.
You have a rather large selection of releases on Bandcamp; would you be able to share your discography?
Here you go! [All CD and Download unless noted otherwise]
Relaxin’ with M’lumbo
M’lumbo Plays For Young Lovers
M’lumbo Plays for God [All cassette only; digital download will be available by next year, Maitre D’Records/Several Pressing and Distribution companies, 1988-1990]
Life After Death [More Relaxin’ With M’lumbo] CD 1990/1991 [Same label/various P&D]
The Book Of Night Burning In A Garden Of Ice J-Bird [U.S.], Staalplaat [Europe] 1997
Spinning Tourists In A City Of Ghosts [Unit Circle] 1999
The Nine Billion Names Of God [Multimood/Staalplaat] [Sweden, Netherlands] 2000
Sacrifices to The Neon Gods [Songs Of Worship And Sacrifice] Mulatta 2006
The Angel Wars [CD and DVD Pursuance Records] 2007
Celestial Ghetto [Pursuance] 2011
Tuning In To Tomorrow [Pursuance] 2012
Popular Science [Pursuance] 2013
Fairytale Aliens [credited to M’lumbo and Page Hamilton Ropeadope] 2020 and reissues
Celestial Mechanics [Ropeadope] 2020
The Summer Of Endless Levitation [Vinyl LP Hell Yeah Recordings Italy] 2023 expanded CD 2024
Also, appearances on several compilations for various labels over the years, a favorite being Apokalypsis Explicata Various Artists including M’lumbo, Robert Rich, Jeff Greinke, Shinjuku Thief, Roedelius, etc. [Multimood/Staalplaat] 2000
What can you tell us about your background? How did you first get interested in music? Was M’lumbo your first project, or were you involved with other projects?
We like to keep our backgrounds slightly mysterious and have used many pseudonyms, basically because I and many of the others have played and recorded with different artists whose music doesn’t really relate to what we do/have done in M’lumbo. However, I have also been interested in music since I can remember and have done session work with various folks in hip-hop, jazz, and rock genres, as well as commercials, sync work, and works for hire. Members of the group have performed/recorded with/for artists ranging from Gil Evans, Abbey Lincoln, Bobby Brown, Herb Alpert, Alex Skolnick [Testament], and others whose styles have little to do really with what we do. I’ve done many projects before, during, and in between M’lumbo, which has been an off and on band from 1985 to the present, and I’ve been the presumptive leader all along. We played the first two iterations of The Knitting Factory in New York City, where we’re mostly based, many, many times. Also, I’m happy that we’ve had very long-term/time members, including our wonderful guests Jane Ira Bloom [Grammy and 12-year consecutive Downbeat Soprano Sax poll winner] and Page Hamilton [Helmet, David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails]. Everybody plays in and for a lot of different projects, including those not related to music, all the time.
“People like Simpson’s creator Matt Groening and Neil Young put in good words for us too”
So, what led to the formation of M’lumbo?
It was originally a bedroom project involving close personal friends, and come to think about it, it is in many ways still that! The original concept was that of a fake African band that played versions of very famous cover tunes, mostly TV and movie themes like the Perry Mason, Alfred Hitchcock, and Flintstones theme songs. This was in the late ’80s/early ’90s, and we quickly got a lot of great press and airplay. It was a very different time and place from now and much easier to do! People like Simpson’s creator Matt Groening and Neil Young put in good words for us too. Of course, the concept began to mutate, spawning multiple styles over time. It’s also been pretty psychedelic, but then most interesting music from Stravinsky to Indian classical to Pink Floyd to Sun Ra is [psychedelic].
What are some future plans?
We have quite a lot of works/recordings in the can ranging from intense prog rock/jazz fusion to avant-garde to a kind of soul/ambient/chillwave direction with electronic vocals in groupings from 3 or 4 people to the entire cast of characters, which can reach 8 or 9. We would also love to perform live again. Our last plans for this were shattered [like so many other people] by the coronavirus pandemic.
Let’s end this interview with some of your favorite albums. Have you found something new lately you would like to recommend to our readers?
I’ve heard a lot of pop music in the last few years that’s really wonderful. I like the group L.S.D. and Glaive. I’ve been listening, discovering, and rediscovering lots of old music. I really enjoy the earlier works of the group Oregon, The Third Ear Band, early Incredible String Band, ‘I Sing The Body Electric’ and ‘8:30’ by Weather Report, The Orb, electric Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Archie Shepp, and a bit of North African music like Gnawa. I’d recommend it all. We all have the ability to really dig deep into music of the present and the past due to platforms like YouTube. It’s one of the upsides of the current crazy world we find ourselves in. Of course, since almost everything IS available somewhere on the internet, it is all fodder for Artificial Intelligence to sample, and that’s a downside.
Klemen Breznikar
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