![]() A Trax and Derrick P have been making music together for 10 years. Their latest collaboration Midnight Music Volume 1, serves as a breath of fresh air in today’s melodrama hip hop world of misogynistic raps, vocoder-laced vocals and the all too popular southern snap music. Together the guys make up the group Clearwater. Clearwater along with their unique sound was concretely formed in 2008 after realizing they had something different to offer the game. Their different was a unique blend of hip hop and electronic beats, words and rhythms.
The duo first realized they had a certain musical chemistry during their home economics class at Love Joy High School on Atlanta’s Southside. “We were supposed to be making cakes but we were more interested in writing rhymes” boast A Trax. The two impervious teens would sneak off to their high schools’ recording studio during lunch to record their written thoughts amongst a multitude of students that were supposed to be in the recording class. “The record would end up sounding like a low budget Wu-Tang track after everyone added their verse” says Derrick P. Realizing that writing rhymes was more than just a hobby, the two got serious after A Trax purchased Derrick P his first beat machine in 2000. The two soon linked up with Atlanta producer Brian Jennings to learn all there was to know about making songs. There was no stopping them from there.
Once the production work was tight A Trax and Derrick P sought radio play for their music but were abruptly turned away by local Program Directors because their sound did not replicate the traditional Atlanta crunk style. “We just got tired of turning on the radio because everything sounded the same,” remarks the Atlanta natives, whose government names are Anthony Jones and Derrick Pettis. “It might sound corny, but we just weren’t interested in creating your typical down south crunk music, we wanted to make something different.”
Becoming frustrated with the Atlanta music scene and realizing that they were going in two different musical directions, the duo decided to part ways in 2003. Derrick P would move on to start his own rap group 20/20, a conscientious combination of raps with a Black Star type vibe. A Trax and his demo would have a chance meeting that led him to ink a deal with Stone Legend Recording while he moonlighted with his rap trio 3E (3rd Element). The two had moderate success apart but the occurrence of two major events in separate worlds would force the two musical geniuses back together once again to create a sound like no other. Derrick P would have the opportunity to visit Johannesburg South Africa where he found a musical sound that had an international feel but a local flavor. A Trax had completed his mixtape Block Bangers in North Carolina, but moved to Washington, D.C. for its street promotion. Alongside DJ Shaolin of the 'World Famous Superfriends', he returned to Atlanta. After purchasing an ad in Makin It Magazine, A Trax had a fortuitous encounter with a producer by the name of Mr. Pain. Mr. Pain offered him a beat making software that would employ him to take his beat making ability to the next level. A Trax introduced the phenom to Derrick P and Clearwater was born.
March 2008 would mark the birth of Clearwater Productions, a new company with a cutting-edge sound. The duo unselfishly decides to focus on their first act, an R&B singer by the name of Laura Vernice. After months of solid studio work and production, the Laura Vernice project had to be shelved due to personal circumstances. Devastated with the turn of events, Clearwater decided to take control of the situation and focus on their own talents. They had hundreds of tracks that were untapped goldmines waiting to be introduced to the world. Clearwater returned to the recording studio to master these tracks until they were satisfied with their debut album. The masterpiece is entitled Midnight Music Volume 1and is comprised of thirteen amazing tracks.
The beauty of Clearwater’s music is that A Trax and Derrick P are not trapped by trends or preconceived notions of how their music is supposed to sound. The duo is influenced by such groups as Chemical Brothers, Outkast and Daft Punk. With additional influences by The Prodigy, Glen Lewis, and Kanye West, the album is a breath of fresh air with features like “Amazin’” and “I Know” (featuring Laura Vernice). Clearwater then hits you with a move you wouldn’t normally expect, four music tracks for you to unwind to like “Black Lights”, “Here We Go”, “ I “ and “The Afterparty”. While Clearwater still embraces hip hop, electronic and house music, their complete persona on Midnight Music Volume 1, shows they are a group unafraid of taking chances. Even though the guys like to flip the script when it comes to their sound, they stay the course when it comes to their message. “Our goal is to make feel good music without all the cursing and drug reference, we still get our points across without all of that.” Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply. |
