20th November 2020. That cursed year. The end of which I’d begun executing my master plan of releasing a steady stream of records. A lockdown during a pandemic. After going through the motions of terror and mostly accepting them, opportunity wafted out from the flames like a massive eagle. This was going to be a big one (plan).
To mark the occasion of my new confidence in my beginnings of mastery of the great drum and bass genre, and very importantly, a solid plan to release and publicise the tunes I was making, I decided to spend some money on promotion. That’s what makes the music “business” a thing right?
As an art lover, I had met many artists out and about in bars, squats and parties all over. I love chatting to them because I feel like I’m a sort of one too, and I love getting my head around things people create. What did they mean by painting a big square off centre right there? And other questions. Many other questions.
I wanted to release “Cool Up” the way I believe a business that runs a record label would release it. That is by paying specialists to do what they excel in to do what I cannot, will not, or do not have the skills or time to do. So I did.
One time when I lived in Chorlton, Manchester, on the edge of Whalley range (Chorlton borders, darling), I went out with housemates for a drink at the legendary Jam Street. One of them being Christian Van Fields, an energetic and highly motivated jazz and classical musician, tutor and composer, who was getting work performing various jam and jazz nights at this venue.
While Christian was setting up an event, I was sipping a pint, and noticed a guy, who we walked past on the way in drawing, looking up every so often, and drawing some more. He’d stare at different people going around the room, obviously trying to capture them in some way on his art materials scattered around the table.
I went over, like I do, as it was afternoon and not many people in there, and well he’s obviously an artist. Asked him what he does. His unique thing was that he’d do is people’s portraits, very quickly with charcoal. I mean super fast. With a few rapid strokes he’d have done your face.
Another time I went to Jam Street, he was in there a lot, at night when it was a bit fuller, and when Christian was enthusiastically playing piano on a jazz night, with an electric atmosphere, buzzing, everyone’s face rosy, and there was Akin again, drawing, everyone’s face, although this time squeezed up in some corner due to the compact size of the venue.
I was watching this guy, and he was watching everyone else, drawing their portrait, the musicians portraits too, and as people would come over to him asking what he’s doing, he’d show them the portrait he’d just done of them, and maybe sell a few. Amazing I thought. But also tough. As tough as I thought busking would be, except this wasn’t in the cold on Market Street, and had beer.
He must’ve been doing not too bad as the first time he’d offered me a portrait for £5 then the next time I saw him, when his portraits were better and using colour this time, he asked for £10 or was it £20 for a group of us, I cannot remember. He knows his value anyway. He has a plan!
Years went by, I eventually moved away from Chorlton, but I still saw Akin at the odd free party around Manchester, and as usual he always had some kind of pad or paper, or any bit of cardboard, literally anything to make a mark on, and would be looking up and down making swift movements with his hand. That’s dedication. As a music maker, in the back of my mind, I felt like I had to be somewhat as habitual as that, as naturally dedicated, maybe even obsessed, like it’s your life.
I then noticed him on Instagram and watched his regular new artworks getting posted on there, and over time it was amazing seeing how he developed and tried new things often with brilliant results.
So, when it came to releasing my new dnb single, Akin was obviously the first artist who I thought of. I wanted to use my tiny budget to commission him to do one of his quick sketches of a figure holding a lollipop with a blue background. I thought of this image (very, very late at night), and started building on the vision so I could message him with a proposal of some kind.
After messaging him and discovering that he was now way out of my price range, I apologised to him for suggesting such a low price because artists deserve to be paid accordingly for their works and expertise. I almost backed out due to it breaking the budget. Thankfully we came to an arrangement and he then asked for my selfie. My what? Yeah, my selfie. Who else would ever ask for that?
This was not what I expected to happen, just any face would do I thought, but not any face really because that would be someone else’s! He’s a portrait artist after all so it made a lot of sense really. I snapped a rare, quick selfie of myself and sent it over to him.
The next day he sent the outline of my face and it was looking ace, again not what I expected. He uses Microsoft Paint as a medium sometimes. My favourites of Akin’s artworks are usually real-world brush strokes with paint, pastels or charcoal. We had agreed to a digital image done in MS Paint, being quicker for him to do and also more vivid colours like DnB covers? Yeah like DnB covers.
I was being made a picture from an experienced artist who I trust and buzz off their works. Later that day he’d finished it after adding the finals colours and texture.
He sent it me, I was happy, the first artwork I had ever commissioned and it was a joy to work with one of my favourite artists, and an invaluable learning experience. After I added some snazzy text in an android app, it became the cover art for “Cool Up”.
A little secret: that’s not my hand, nor my lollipop.
You can check out Akinyemi’s amazing artworks here.