I said it somewhere else, the Washington DC area doesn't stop to amaze me with the amount of talented producers, DJs and artists who call this place their home. Latest example is Kimani Wilson, who some of you maybe remember from his classical "Soul Exodus/Beautiful Life," which was released in 1997 on Groove On Records. At this time, I didn't know anything about Kimani and only heard his name again earlier this year, when Step Ahead's Aou sent me Kimani's latest album called "Afro Kozmik Soul" (Step Ahead SAR0003-2).

But I was really surprised when instead of soulful house like on "Beautiful Life" dopest acid jazz hit me on my headphones. Well, "surprised" is the wrong word - lets better say "amazed," "delighted," "enthusiastic" or whatever positive word you wanna choose, because Kimani's album turned out to be one of the best acid jazz records I have listened to during the last couple of years. Recently, a couple of tracks from this superb album were licensed to K2, who by themselves released an EP called "Afro Kozmik Soul EP" (K2). The entire album is still not available on the market, but I hope that you will have a chance to listen to it in the nearer future. Kimani showed us on it his love for downtempo soul in combination with various music genres like reggae, trip-hop, salsa, dubs etc. - too many styles to mention - to create his musical vision of true soul music.

No wonder that I was extremely happy when I had a chance to talk to him about all kinds of things, including his musical past and presence. And when you have finished reading the interview, make sure to check out Step Ahead's Web site for last minute information about Kimani at:

www.stepaheadrecords.com

We here at UF want to wish Kimani all the best on his upcoming journeys through the soulful music universe, and want to express our highest gratitude for his unprecedented effort of keeping acid jazz alive!

DJ MG
July/August 1999

The following interview was conducted by DJ MG on 06/29/99:

Where are you born, and how did you end up in the D.C. area?

I was born in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. My family lived in several places throughout the southern U.S. (Arkansas, Georgia, etc.) before settling in Miami, FL. I came to Washington, D.C. to attend Howard University and have basically been here since the day I graduated.

How did you get involved in the music biz? By DJing?

I got involved via writing and producing. I mainly did the DJ thing inside the bedroom.

When did you start making your own music?

I started writing songs in junior high and high school.

How did it start from there? Did you have your own studio, and could you play any instruments?

Well, I first started with piano lessons at the age of seven. Then, at 13 yrs. of age, I began playing alto saxophone in the school band (concert band, jazz band, etc.). This continued until I graduated high school. I also started playing bass guitar (by ear) at the age of 14. I didn't have a "studio" back then, but I had enough to get a groove going!!

What kind of music did you play first? Was it house?

Actually, it wasn't house. I would say it was R&B/Rock, Hip-Hop, and then House. I think I first started playing house type chords on the keyboard in 1988 -- which was a breakout year and Golden Age for both Hip-Hop and House.

How was the feedback in the beginning? I mean, I still love "Soul Exodus!"

Thank you for the compliment. The feedback was great in the beginning. I didn't get that much love here in the States, but I got a lot of support from guys like DJ Oji, DJ Pope, DJ Sam Burns, etc. In England, however, they were spinning the flip side of "Soul Exodus" -- which was called "Beautiful Life." It's funny, I still run into people who remember that 12 inch, and I find it very humbling and exciting when they say that they liked it.

Yeah, I agree, "Beautiful Life" was, well... simply beautiful! Who helped you when you started your solo projects?

Charles Dockins was very helpful in introducing me to the people who would later sign my records.

You did some of the earlier stuff together with Charles. How did you hook up with him?

I met Charles through my friend DJ/Producer Chris Brooks (of Downtempo Sound System). I met Chris during our freshman year at Howard University. Chris is from Baltimore -- as is Charles Dockins. They were familiar with each other from their high school days and at some point in college they hooked up again. By the time my junior year rolled around, we were all hanging out together on a consistent basis. It was Charles who would later engineer my record for Groove On.

People know you from your releases on Strictly Rhythm and Groove On Records. Please tell me your experiences with Strictly.

They were pretty much what you'd expect from a high profile/high volume label. The people at the label were very cool (especially Gladys Pizarro). I think you have to go into it knowing that it's a trade off: your songs will definitely be found everywhere, but they might not get the individual attention and nurturing that can be found in a more intimate setup.

Let's move on to your latest album on Step Ahead called "Afro Kozmik Soul." Please describe the album title and the music.

Afro Kozmik is how I describe what I do, how I think, and what the music is saying. Afro Kozmik is for everyone -- it's the promotion of good vibes and the vision of liberation through the only truly revolutionary concept: LOVE. The music on this album is a combination of things: mellow & wistful, spacey & earthy, etc. It's music to put on and cool out to.

Why did you change your music from house to downtempo acid jazz grooves?

I've never really changed my music. I love house music. But, moreover, I love music as a whole. I've always made this kind of music (mellow, abstract acid jazz), but this is the first opportunity I've had for my material to be heard.

Don't you think it's sad that acid jazz almost vanished from this planet?

It's one of those things that can give you a headache when you think about it. There's so much good music out there that goes unheard by the masses...

You blend all kinds of music styles on this album together, like Reggae, Dub, Soul, Hip-Hop, Samba, etc. Are you a fan of all of these styles?

Absolutely!! I'm really feeling all of those musical vibes!!

What do you consider similar between house and acid jazz?

Their underground pedigrees, of course. Also, the freedom of artists to include jazzier and deeper elements into songs that, when making traditional pop music, tend to get left on the cutting room floor. Plus, they both have soul.

In the liner notes to your album you say "Speak MAAT and do MAAT." What does this mean?

MAAT is simply an ancient Kemetic (ancient Egyptian) ideal which means balance, order, righteousness, etc. It was very important in the culture of Nubia (Egypt/Sudan) and Kemet (Egypt) for your word and your actions to be in balance... to follow the divine order. We can learn so much from what the ancestors have done (good & bad)... if we pay attention.

You recently licensed material from your album to K2. Are there more 12" coming up, and who is doing the remixes?

Yes, there will be more 12" releases. As of now, I think you can expect mixes from the Pound Boys, Jask, DJ Oji, Jeannie Hopper, and the crew from Addictive Records. Judging by everyone's individual style, there should be a wide variety of interpretations.

Do you have lots of unreleased material floating around somewhere?

Yes. Tons & tons of songs that I hope will surface someday!!

Oha, can't wait for this to happen! At the end, the typical questions. What are the people who influenced you in your career, and maybe your all time top 10 records?

My Dad influenced me with his cool record collection and my Mom helped by pushing the piano lessons when I got fickle with it. On the professional tip, a big influence was my cousin Jerome Woodson. He was in a band called Mazarati that was on (the Artist Formerly Known as) Prince's Paisley Park record label back in the the mid-1980's. They had a few singles, videos, and also sang background vocals on Prince's hit "Kiss." Man, I was hooked when I saw how he could play bass and sing. Hanging out with him and the band backstage and stuff made me say, "Hey, I wanna be in the music biz too !"

Also, just to name a few more influences (there are too many to name them all) -- Bob Marley, Prince, Marvin Gaye, Jimi Hendrix, Duke Ellington, The Police, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Curtis Mayfield, Run-DMC, Santana, Sade, Philly Soul, Marley Marl, Motown, Tribe Called Quest, Larry Heard, Lenny Kravitz, Public Enemy, Loose Ends, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, classic rock artists from the 60's and 70's, all of the dance music pioneers, and anyone who's ever done emotive, dreamy, and deep kinds of tunes. The kind that touch your soul when you hear the groove and the smoothness of the chords, strings, etc. Basically, I'm all over the place when it comes to influences.

As for my top 10 tunes, I'm sure you've guessed by my above answer that I'd have no way of cutting that list of favorites down to 10. Man, that would be rough!!

Thank you, Kimani, for this interview.

You are welcome. Thank you for taking the time to interview me. It's been fun.

Discography:

"Soul Exodus/Beautiful Life" (Groove On)
"High on Luv" (Strictly Rhythm)
"Save Your Soul" (Kumba Records)
"Afro-Kozmik Soul EP" (K2)
"Party of the Year" (Soul Boy Records) **soon to be released**
"Afro-Kozmik Soul" full length CD (Step Ahead Records) **soon to be released**

Remixes:

Evelyn Holiday "All My Days" (Groove On)
Robyn "Somewhere" (Soul Boy Records) **soon to be released **
Les Nubians "Makeda" **unreleased**