The Urban Renewal Project is a 13-piece musical collective that brilliantly explores the boundaries between rock, pop, jazz, & hip–hop. Led by songwriter and multi-instrumentalist R.W. Enoch, Jr., The Urban Renewal Project creates a signature sound using instruments of a bygone era.
The URP’s most ambitious project to date is their new LP entitled 21st Century Ghost. The album features nine prolific guest artists (singers, rappers, soloists) in addition to the 13-piece collective and was produced by Neil Wogensen (Valley Queen).
The LP perfectly combines catchy melodies, a vibrant brass section and upbeat drums, while still conveying subtly profound and contradictory meaning.
Leading single Don’t Ask Y featuring famed rap duo Camp Lo, refreshingly fuses ’90s sounding hip–hop with deep funk beats and powerful brass. Don’t Ask Y is reminiscent of early Gorillaz but with the refreshing blast of a live 10-piece horn section. In Armor Love, The Urban Renewal Project achieved what can be called a ‘modern disco anthem’ sung by none other than popular indie pop artist Gavin Turek. Armor Love deserves to be played loud on the dance floor and at everyone’s next house party. The track Hide successfully showcases the band’s ability to conjure up vintage soul and jazz sounds and combine them with modern indie rock. Hide features warm vocals from Dustin Morgan of chamber-rock ensemble Archer Black and powerful rhymes from Elmer Demond – You can check out the single below!
We managed to catch up with The Urban Renewal Project they talk about their new release, working with Elmer Diamond, fans and more!
How was it working alongside Elmer Demond?
We’ve had the good fortune of working with Elmer Demond across three different recording projects so far. It’s always a pleasure, not only because he’s extremely talented, but also because he’s very easy to work with and a joy to be around. Just like the rest of the band, I think Elmer Demond really took his craft to the next level on this single.
There is a lot of you guys, what’s the secret of you all getting on so well?
We’ve been playing together around Los Angeles for nearly 6 years with a few personnel changes along the way, and I think we’ve been fortunate in that every new person has contributed to the group dynamic rather than compromising it. Things are starting to feel really settled, and we like to think it’s just the beginning.
How has the release of 21st Century Ghost gone?
The release is going phenomenally well so far. Our first single Don’t Ask Y, featuring rap duo Camp Lo, has been our most popular track to date, and we are seeing a lot of attention and interest both online and behind the scenes. We still have some more singles to release before the full-length drops, probably early next year, so we’re looking forward to seeing all the possibilities unfold.
What is your favourite song from this release?
There are 3 or 4 tracks that really came together better than expected—a “whole is greater than the sum of its parts” kind of thing—so it’s very hard to pick an absolute favorite. Don’t Ask Y is definitely one of those tracks because I had written this instrumental groove with a quirky hook, and I knew there were only a handful of names in hiphop that would be able to pull it off. I am not sure how the track would have turned out if Camp Lo had not come aboard for it!
How much does your fans mean to you guys?
We don’t exist without the fans. We’re a self-represented and completely independent group, so we’re still at a phase in our career where literally every single fan interaction, stream or CD sale matters to us personally. It’s always fun to see the variety of people and reactions we get at our live shows.
Will there be a tour soon?
We are already scheduling dates for 2017 and are hoping to do the most travel during the summer of next year. Probably just USA & Canada for now.
If you could work with any artist, who would it be and why?
You’d probably expect me to name a singer or rapper, but lately I’ve been thinking it would be really transformative to work with a gifted writer/producer like Danger Mouse to take our sounds and push it a little further into the production-music universe.