Audio/Visual is the debut full length from artist, club and radio dj, playwright, Anthony Valadez. This album
is a collection of beats that became modified with the addition of live instrumentation to add texture. The concept
of the album is based on the merger between sight and sound. Each song, sample and layer is inspired by a visual that
inspired Valadez. “I’ve
always been inspired by the visual element of everyday life” Valadez explains. “From my college days in
taking public transportation to driving home late at night from gigs, my mind takes mental snapshots that stay with me while
I play with keys, percussion and the mpc to create sounds.”
The opening track ‘Vibrations’ is a clear indication that this is not your typical beat album
but rather experimentation with samples, live bass lines, melodic chord changes and soulful elements. “I got bored
of beat music with simple loops that really go nowhere and I wanted to challenge myself in creating a palette that allows
me to change the texture or mood within a song”.
Valadez enlisted the vocal talents of Stockholm’s Kissey Asplund and Los Angeles’ Wendisue on a few of the tracks. Nevertheless, majority of the project
is an instrumental soundscape accompanied with the musicianship of Dexter Story (Life Force Trio, Build an Ark), Shaunte Palmer (Raphael Saadiq, Talib Kweli) and Evan Lasrey.
