Artist Spotlight: Second Womb
South New Jersey duo, Second Womb is a collaborative team, consisting of lyrical wise man DookieBrownFlow & production and vocals go to Father Earth. The dream team kick-started in late 2012, after a chance meeting at Sigma Sound Studios in Philly. The match was created after a brief introduction and a realisation of their similar interests.
Going against the grain in the US is a hard thing to do with such dominating music in the charts and worldwide. Standing out from the crowd is something that only comes from sheer determination and talent. The duo pride themselves on their ability to invoke their own personal experiences of “self enlightenment, oneness and well being”, which is only something we accept and encourage.
The team strike up an interesting dynamic within the music scene. January 1st 2017 marked the next phase of the ‘Live From The Cave’ series.
Starting in 2015, the duo vowed to release a monthly EP for a whole year! 2017 marks the start of a new year of monthly EP’s, the first of which is 'Volume 013' - available for you guys to listen and download now. Volumes 001-012 of the ‘Live from the cave’ series are also available on Soundcloud and features on all major online music providers.
The idea behind an EP a month is something that leaves me dumbfounded. Personally, knowing a lot of MC’s and producers; knowing the sheer amount of time, effort and dedication that goes in to creating a great EP; it's mad to think of the hours they will be putting in this year alone. What it really tells us about them is how much they truly love creating music. Creating content of quality, consistently is clearly a priority for them. Attitudes like that deserve to be appreciated, written about and listened to.
“The Live From The Cave series has proven itself to be an outlet for Second Womb to showcase their many styles as well as showcasing collaborative efforts with artists of all disciplines and backgrounds”
Musically, Live From The Cave Vol. 013 is kind of like listening to ones of those meditation tapes they put on at spa’s, and I don’t just mean ‘Tilahokulani Meditation’ as track one on the EP. The whole project sounds like something I really could have used back when my anxiety was at its peak. The relaxing, mellow sounds genuinely give you this sense of peace and comfort that not a lot of music can create. The feature of vocalist Marissa Joy, adds to this. Her soft, harmonic sound in 'Gravity' is a personal favourite from this months project. Fighting back in Track 4, 'The Void', Marissa hits us with some really powerful vocal range. Absolutely dominating the track.
Even with a fast flow and tight lyrics, DookieBrownFlow’s deep, husky voice reassures us that “I do believe in love”. The whole consistency and flow of the EP is obviously down to the group dynamic. The sounds and styles merge so well, and with great production value, you just HAVE to listen to this EP with a decent pair of headphones on.
Talking to the pair I asked a few questions about where they get their inspiration, what’s next, and how they keep up with such a demanding task ahead of them.
Hey guys! I've obviously listened to the latest EP (Volume 013), and of course, a few others from the Live From the Cave series. I was wondering what inspired this particular sound for the EP? Any music or artists that really brought it to life for you guys in the process?
Father Earth: I’ve been experimenting a lot recently with live instruments and not so much programming and sampling. Vol: 013 is definitely a reflection of this. I’ve been taking inspiration from music that I probably would’ve sampled in the past, studied and tried to put my spin on certain musical ideas while keeping it original.
DookieBrownFlow: For me this sound was strictly driven by emotion. its funny... because with no exchange of words Father Earth always embodies how I feel in his beats and naturally the words write themselves. No one artist comes to mind, guess you can say everything I experience is an influence.
That’s definitely influential and inspiring in its own right. Sounds like you have an amazing connection. I know you guys love to showcase your talent with varying styles and genres, and really make it your own. With so much influential music coming from the U.S, how do you keep on top of your game and mix things up for new releases?
FE: We’ve never sat down and said “we’re going to make this kind of track” or “we’re going to try to sound like this or that”. The varying styles you hear from us are kind of a subconscious expression. It just happens, really.
DBF: To piggy back off of Earth, the sounds truly embody who we are as artist. There is no thought to the process we simply create in the studio!
How do you find the time to keep up with the journey of an EP a month? Because it must be super tough producing EP after EP, right?
FE: It can definitely get hectic at times, but after releasing 12 EPs in 2015, we have a pretty good idea about what needs to get done and how we need to organize and plan things out. There’s a bit more preparation this time around. It also helps that we have an extensive vault of unreleased music to pull from.
DBF: At times we do feel the pressure but at the end of the day we are truly artists, so the work creates itself. We have so much music that if there happens to be a mental drought all will be well. Haha (no pun intended)
What date can we be expecting your February release?
FE: You can expect Vol: 014 and every subsequent EP on the 1st of each month of 2017.
And what’s next for the February project? Can we get any cheeky hints or heads up?
FE: In a way, it’s sort of a 180 from Vol: 013. That’s all I can really say about it. You just have to hear it.
DBF: Vol 014 will be geared more toward the hip hopper. All I can say is that its much dimmer. The sound is uniquely its own, I feel every EP this year will be as such. Like Earth said you just have to hear it!
I honestly can’t wait! Lastly, I’d love to know if you guys listen to any music we at The Pit London cover, or other unsigned music from the UK? If so, who are you fans of?
DBF: Awww man we listen to so much. But the artist that come to mind immediately are Hawk House, Little Simz, Stormzy, Skepta and Kano. We are mos' def getting more familiar with the UK sound.
Amazing. I hope we come to see some of those influences in the upcoming EP’s. It would be interesting to hear how you guys absorb it. For everyone reading, the new EP Live From The Cave Volume: 014 is out tomorrow. Personally I cant wait to hear what comes up month after month.
I want to thank Second Womb for chatting to me about their work and actually putting their music and experiences out there for all of us to enjoy. What a great duo. You can find their music at all online major music providers and follow them on Soundcloud for the new EP and previous work by the pair. The tracks from Vol. 013 can also be found on the 'REVIEWED BY ME' playlist on my Soundcloud.
Don’t forget to follow the whole team on social media for live updates.
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