ANDERSON STREET CHATS WITH INC. NO WORLD

Back in 2013 when media outlets were hellbent on making “PBR&B” a thing, we became big fans of one the sub-genres leading groups, inc. We fell in love with their sound which is a unique mix of ambient and soul that’s highly reminiscent of a late 90s Maxwell album. Their album no world is still, in our opinion, one of the sexiest albums released within the last five years.

Since the release of their debut album, a lot has changed for the Andrew and Daniel, the duo of brothers that make up the group. One, they moved from California to Hawaii. They slightly changed the band name to include the phrase “no world.” Also, they released a new project called As Light As Light. We couldn’t wait to talk to Andrew, the lead singer of the group, about these things. Check out our conversation below. 

How would you describe the sound of inc.?

It’s just soulful. On a basic level, the music is coming from the heart. Trying to write from that place. Trying to speak from the heart and play from the heart. It’s definitely a soulful music. We have a lot of influences. They all make their way into our sound. Outside of that, we’re always exploring for something that we hear in our heads already. We’re always trying to get to it. It’s kind of a sound you hear.

When I met you after the Philly show back in 2013, I told you that your album reminds me of Maxwell’s Embrya album. Who are your influences?

It’s been so many. We grew up with motown and older music. In high school, we grew up in a time where simultaneously Neo-soul and D’Angelo and we grew up with grunge music and alternative music. Somewhere those two kind of blended. Also, ambient music. There’s a label called ECM, a European jazz label. I’ve always been connected to that music. So it’s kind of a fusion of that and a more ambient approach to a mix of sounds and soulful songwriting and rhythms and groove-based music like soul & R&B. We also grew up in California so we grew up around the Grateful Dead  whose influences and that culture. So somewhere in there, that made it into what we like also.

I jokingly stated, well not really, that the no world album was the sexiest album of the last five years. Was that the intention or the end result?

I think that was the end result. We were looking to make a personal record that was kind of vulnerable and intimate. Those are all qualities that will align with what you are saying. We weren’t  trying to make anything that was sexy. We’re two brothers in a room making music. We’re just trying to make good songs. When you go to a place that’s vulnerable, that’s the same place right?

Coming to your new album As Light As Light, there seems to be a lot more folk references. Where did that come from?

I was living in Hawaii for a couple of years. I was writing a lot music on guitar and Daniel had also begun playing a pedal steel guitar as an instrument. We’re always trying to reach new steps. I think it was a the time we were at. We were trying to reach a different realm. We also wanted to open up what we do because when we go to tour you do don’t want to be pigeon holed. We want to create a conversation with our audience that we’re open and that we’re going to be trying things. Hopefully people will be along for the ride and can be open to different sounds. We’re trying to be open to different sounds musically.

Between the the span of the two albums, you have made a big fan in legendary spiritual leader and teacher, Deepak Chopra. Did he impact the new album?

We’re people of faith, myself specifically. A lot of these songs come from nowhere.  The gospel hinge on the album came from nowhere. They came right through me. We’ve always been open. Maybe when he heard the music he connected on that level. We’re not sure but he contacted us and said that he appreciated the music. He invited us to play an event that he was holding. It was cool, a great time. We’re touched to be invited and to meet him. And to this day, very gracious.

What does the title As Light As Light mean?

I think we were talking about light as a white light or a sense of holy spirit. This sense of holiness. Also, kinda free and fun. That’s the feeling we were having with the album. It was recorded in the summer. We were just having a good time. It was a lightness in that way

Also during the span of the two albums, you changed your band name slightly to include the phrase “no world.” Why?

“No world” is a mantra for us. It’s not meant for us. We’re playing music for somewhere else. It comes back to the faith thing. There’s something more than this world. It’s a guiding light. We discovered it when making our first album. Called it no world because in order to create music we had to go somewhere. We can’t think about this world. We just had to make it from inside our hearts and not think about our world. We added it to remember like a mantra.

What do you have planned for the Philly show?

It’s gonna be fun. We’re gonna play as a trio. We’re gonna play some stuff from no world, we’re gonna play some stuff from the new record. We’re gonna do a lot of covers. We’re gonna do a Stevie song. We’re gonna jam. Should be a good time.

What do you like about Philly?

The people. A lot of heart. A lot of classic music from Philly. It seems like a music town. I wish we played there more.

inc. no world will be performing this Saturday night at Kung Fu Necktie. Tickets are still available. 

Stream inc. no world’s newest album As Light As Light on Apple Music and Spotify now.