My Top 10 -Maloon The Boom

Maloon The Boom is an internationally celebrated Swiss producer who sees no boundaries when it comes to sharing his art. A production guru and Hip Hop lover, Maloon uses music to spread positive, thought provoking messages.

Known for his contribution to the Indie Hip Hop genre, it comes as no surprise that he is the co-founder of Boyoom Connective, a music label. He has even collaborated with one of the best Namibia has to offer when he worked with Black Vulcanite.

Maloon says he fell in love with music several times in his life, with his father spinning the records 24/7, getting an electric guitar at the age of 13 cultivated his love for creating music.

“Music means everything to me. If I’m not playing or listening to it, I’d be singing, humming, tapping and beat-boxing melodies and rhythms. I guess music is that one thing that will always be here for me, and the medium to express myself the best,” he said.

This is a song I like to listen to on repeat to just let the lyrics inspire my critical thinking. I like to dive in the light melancholia of this track. Dudley Perkins is one of those artists who can sing, rap or just talk on a song, he always gives it his personal touch. The beat produced by Madlib and the preaching of Perkins provide a critical outlook of the world and always keep me rapt in thought.

This is my most listened to track, it was on repeat on my iPod for years. The beat is produced by Khrysis and is a jewel in my eyes. It’s simple, catchy but it doesn’t grow boring. I think a lot of people can identify with the lyrics. For those working nine to five jobs, and whenever you feel life is overwhelming you with duty and work. Just put on that song!

I couldn’t even decide on one track by this German Hip Hop crew. They are revolutionary in German Hip Hop because they didn’t join a existing scene but formed an opposition to the mainly aggressive existing gangster Rap. They aren’t less aggressive, but they spice up their tracks with refreshing humour and a big portion of wisdom. Their tracks are often unmixed, of bad recording quality, but the realness of what they say combined with a very intellectual approach to music, makes them pioneers in their genre. The group is formed of a producer and a rapper, and they have so many tracks out, you should go check them out even if you don’t speak German.

This track is a good mood track. Whenever I feel down I listen to that song on maximum volume and feel happy again. N.E.R.D. had a great influence on modern Pop and Hip Hop with their unique means of production and the way they handle percussion and mix. This song shows how effortlessly they mix up several genres and make a song for every taste, without a thought about fitting into a specific genre. They’ve mastered the universal language of music. By the way, there is a hidden second track.

Fela Kuti’s music will be recognised straight away. Most of his songs are very long and he is one of the few artists who are actually able to do songs over 10 minutes long without me ever thinking it’s too long. I feel he was one of the most influential Afro Jazz artists, being able to mix traditional African tribal music rhythms with jazzy riffs, melodies and chords. Listening to this track, I just want to get up and dance. With his lyrics he always educates and you can learn a lot from listening his tracks. The song is food for thought, mind, soul and body.

The beat is amazing in so many ways. Being produced by Madlib, the simpleness of the groove, how he combines the drums with this traditional Japanese sample just makes your head move back and forth. The song takes you on a journey with so many details and structures of sounds. I don’t have to mention why Erykah Badu is amazing, her mellow but still so powerful way to sing completes this track perfectly.

Pharcyde is legendary and on this J Dilla production it gets even better. The whole track is reverse, so is the videoclip to it. This track is one of my classic favourites, I couldn’t even point out why exactly. It is so unconventional and still very typical for Pharcyde and Dilla. The song, the beat, the rap and the concept, it’s just dope.

The Flying Lotus album, ‘Until the Quiet Comes’ is gold. Since it was released nothing and nobody has been able to raise the bar. For me it is the best album since 2012. The Song ‘DMT’ featuring Thundercat is a Jazz piece, referring to the drug DMT. When I play this track, it feels like I could fly away. What I love about the song and the whole album is that there are no genre boundaries, and it is very Jazz influenced in a modern way. I think ‘Until the Quiet Comes’ has influenced many upcoming producers and will have a great impact because it has set a new standard.

Jonwayne changes the whole concept of the song with a beat that is jazzy, deep and laid-back. He makes the remix better and so different from the original, it almost comes along as a parody showing that modern producers set themselves upon the rap and that there is a movement towards consciousness, just by beats. One used to talk about gangster Rap versus conscious Rap, now there is gangster beats versus conscious beats.

I don’t want to give myself props here, but this is the song which influenced my life the most in the last couple of years. It was the start of Black Vulcanite, it was the start of a close musical cooperation between me and the boys. I came to Namibia, got to know a lot of people, connected with a lot of musicians. I feel blessed at what we somehow found each other and that I can be part of the movement.

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