The Clearing
Do It Properly, the first single out on The Clearing, out October 9th, is an ever-evolving suite. The intro is taken from a speech by Dr. Khalid Muhammad, which Public Enemy also used to open "Night Of The Living Basehead”, a song that came out around the same time I had been courting the N.O.I. in the late 80’s. I repurposed the sound byte as a call and response that speaks in past tense, reminding me that I have been brought to a place where I have taken my “name, reputation, language, religion, culture, god” and even “mind” away, so I can come to a new place, space and time//The Clearing. Once this was done, I created the opportunity or possibility to go within to find my authentic self and then I could truly “Do It Properly”, the way I want it done.
In the video, Tone dances through Chicago locations that played a pivotal role in his real life history, using movement as a way to let go not only emotionally but also physically of both traumas and triumphs. Acknowledging the joy & expression of connecting to one’s body and being present to oneself.
The Clearing
Taxi Cab Confessions, the album’s third single, is the score to a spiritually, emotionally , and psychologically therapeutic ride, in which the passenger is leaving a place that is not in alignment with what he or she really wants in life. Driven by The Twilite Tone, the passenger is given a space to express themselves authentically allowing them to continue to head “uptown” - a metaphor for their higher self and ultimately, arrive home//their place of clarity-their “Clearing”.
The Clearing
Baby Steps is the second single off of debut LP The Clearing, out on October 9th.
“Baby Steps” are the first new creative steps forward after you release the past. I used a sound byte of a woman speaking about letting go of her “preconceived notions” that had been “stumbling blocks to her own sensuality”. This allowed her to be fully present physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually for “making love”, which is a metaphor for creating one’s life within one’s purpose. Khahil Gibran said “Work is Love made visible…”
FACT Mag
Patch Notes Live Series >>>
On this episode of Patch Notes, The Twilite Tone presents an impromptu practice performance, bobbing and weaving through three of his creations with his equipment of choice, featuring an Akai MPC 2000XL at the heart of his setup. The first and last selections are from The Clearing, while the second is an untitled, unreleased piece that Tone felt inclined to share in this “moment of now”.
<<< FREEEEEEEEEEE Live from The Twilite Tone's studio
>>> Space Invaders, out on Stones Throw February 2020