Sound

Adrian Younge

Adrian Younge was known foremost as an entertainment law professor when he provided the score for the blaxploitation homage Black Dynamite (2009). As noted on the front sleeve of the release, Younge was the composer and producer, yet he also performed most of the music -- an acid-tinged hybrid of soul and funk -- on well over a dozen instruments, assisted by only a handful of vocalists and ancillary musicians, and also edited the film itself. Younge reached that point after a 13-year process that entailed immersing himself in hip-hop production, deepening a scholarly appreciation for a broad spectrum of late-'60s and early-'70s sounds, teaching himself to play a multitude of instruments, and learning the ins and outs of recording in the analog domain. Once the effect of Black Dynamite took hold, Younge's grip tightened with conceptual solo projects ranging from the dark psychedelic soul of Something About April (2011) to the synthesizer experimentation of The Electronique Void (2016). Concurrent sessions yielded full-lengths headlined by major influences such as the Delfonics, Ghostface Killah, Souls of Mischief, and Bilal. Younge's synthesis of vintage styles from a crate-digger's perspective appealed to hip-hop producers such as No I.D., the RZA, and DJ Premier, major inspirations who sampled his work. Younge also got to work directly with another influence, A Tribe Called Quest's Ali Shaheed Muhammad, for the score of Marvel's Luke Cage, as well as The Midnight Hour (2018) and the Jazz Is Dead sessions (2020). His vision has expanded again with an album, short film, and podcast entitled The American Negro (2021).