"Mansur Brown is Balancing Innovation and Perfectionism" ~ Notion

Mansur  Brown  is  the  definition  of  a  prodigy:  a  classically  trained  guitarist,  curator and  multi-disciplinary artist whose music balances virtuoso precision with deft expressions of emotion. Born in Brixton, still a resident of the South London sprawl, Mansur’s distinctive compositional approach finds him blending his intricate, flamenco-influenced guitar with his own original production work, informed by the rhythmic snap of early ‘00s Timbaland, the swing of Afrobeat and the melancholic sound design  of  Burial. “Sometimes my music has a club feel, other times it’s more introspective,” he explains. “But running through all of it are feelings of happiness, of gratitude. I want it to feel rejuvenating.”

TOUR DATES:

4 October 2023 – Porgy & Bess – Vienna – Austria – TICKETS
5 October 2023 – House of Music Hungary – Budapest – Hungary – TICKETS
6 October 2023 – JunkYard – Dortmund – Germany – TICKETS
7 October 2023 – Theater Bremen – Bremen – Germany – TICKETS
8 October 2023 – Alte Feuerwache – Mannheim – Germany – TICKETS
9 October 2023 – Mojo – Hamburg – Germany – TICKETS
10 October 2023 – Gretchen – Berlin – Germany – TICKETS
12 October 2023 – Jassmine – Warsaw – Poland – TICKETS
13 October 2023 – TivoliVredenburg – Utrecht – Netherlands – TICKETS
15 October 2023 – JAZZMI Festival – Milan – Italy – TICKETS
16 October 2023 – Ancienne Belgique – Brussels – Belgium – TICKETS
17 October 2023 – NueJazz – Erlangen – Germany – TICKETS
18 October 2023 – Zentralwächerei – Zurich – Switzerland – TICKETS
20 October 2023 – Fri-Son – Fribourg – Switzerland – TICKETS
28 October 2023 – Lafayette – London – UK – TICKETS
1 November 2023 – Belgrave Music Hall – Leeds – UK – TICKETS
10 November 2023 – Band On The Wall – Manchester – UK – TICKETS
23 November 2023 – Room 2 – Glasgow – UK – TICKETS
29 November 2023 – Musicbox – Lisbon – Portugal – TICKETS
30 November 2023 – Auditorio CCOP – Porto – Portugal – TICKETS
3 December 2023 – Echoes of Earth – Bangalore – India – TICKETS
9 December 2023 – E-Werk – Freiburg – Germany – TICKETS

Guitar remains at the centre of Mansur’s music, but it’s by no means the only component. Straddling the roles  of  songwriter,  producer  and multi-instrumentalist, records like 2021’s Heiwafind him reaching for keyboards, flute and saxophone – even singing, pitch-shifting his voice in honour of his favourite R&B tracks. This spirit of self-sufficiency cuts through everything Mansur does. It’s why he decided to found his own label AMAI (‘sweet’ in Japanese), an entrepreneurial venture through which he plans to release music, film, artwork –even technology and code. “In the music industry, people really like genres –they like to define things, put things in boxes,” he says. “Being able to start a label, in this climate where everything’s in a box, it gives me the freedom to innovate and explore concepts. To do it my way.”

A collection of club heaters that set Brown’s melodic guitar to a set of rich, filled-out dancefloor productions, NAQI Vol.1 finds Mansur exploring the influence of ‘00s hip-hop innovator Timbaland and Afrobeat artists like Burna Boy and Wizkid. “I like my music to have a club feel at its core, but to keep hold of that sense of musicality,” he explains. “Having that sense of movement, but with guitar melodies, keyboards and strings over the top –that’s always been a dream of mine”.