5:40am: Lyrical, Abstract Hip-Hop of an Allegedly “Brutal Appearance”

Two days ago, Moscow idm netlabel Add Noise released a 69-minute album by Alexander Welsh (below) aka hip-hop outfit 5:40am, and founding member of the TruType “advanced music” concern. Welsh, in fact, also works as a gifted concert photographer; some modest detective work online around the Russian web will reveal colorful collections taken from his impressive portfolio, housed at image portals such as Flickr,  Deviant Art, Photo Dom, and Foto Sait. A lot of that work, seemingly done to order for the music press and PR agencies, focuses upon big-name or foreign musicians appearing in the capital – which is where Welsh lives, even if he claims on his Live Journal page to be a resident of Venezuela. That’s something he insists upon with considerable volume, no matter what Moscow’s cartographers might say.

Stand back and behold the paeans to sunny Caracas.

Equally mysterious is the name of this new release, “Monkey In the Beard.” Although the album’s artwork (at the top of this post) interprets that phrase rather literally, its origins before this week remain vague. Materials online make reference to a certain Canadian preacher – famous in some southern circles – who currently sports a tattoo showing the figure of Christ, crucified upside down and with the image of a monkey visible in his beard. Although that same preacher, like Mr. Welsh, is a well-built figure and sports a beard, the connection is tenuous at best.

What seems more likely – in fact crystal clear – is that several of the 13 tracks now available for free download are dedicated to a certain lady by the name of Kristina. The references to our Moscow muse across more than an hour of music are often, if not always, made in the context of her absence: she is referred to as somebody who is missing, (still!) missed, or remembered fondly.

And, in the meanwhile, sought both near and far.

As a result of these troubled thoughts, this hip-hop album barely qualifies as dance music. It is fundamentally downtempo, and – as mentioned – more of an idm composition than anything designed for the crowd-pleasing thump of a dancefloor. Those numbers that do establish a steady beat are either drowned in in ambient washes of urban noise (field recordings of Moscow pedestrians and traffic), or covered in dramatically punctuated samples and loops. A constant, clear musical foundation is never established; the girl is never close by and so nothing truly danceable is ever constructed. A partner has gone AWOL, both in the emotional and choreographic sense.

As a result, Welsh officially advertises “Monkey In the Beard” as idm, glitch, and abstract hip-hop. The track below, entitled “Intro,” is probably the release’s most extreme example of precisely how much he chops, slices, and otherwise abuses his samples. There’s a constant, natural rhythm in here somewhere, but external disorder does not let it establish itself with ease. All of this distortion is deliberate. It’s the noise of Moscow spoiling the lives of two people…

In sonic, structural, and social ways, this is a troubled album, as Welsh admits. “This release is both the hardest and most experimental thing I’ve written. I hope people don’t think it’s similar to my other works. I’d like to dedicate it to all of my friends, the people closest to me. I’d also like to dedicate it to everybody who comes to my shows or simply downloads my music online. Each and every one of them has found time to listen to my work; and I hope that you, too, will find something private or personal in these sounds – just as I did [when I wrote them]. The music concerns my experiences between January and August, 2009. Thanks to everybody who downloads this and gives it a listen.”

There then follows a ridiculously long list of people to whom Welsh also says “Thanks.”

This is obviously a young man with much gratitude for friends in tough times. In fact, the very last people on the list are his mother and grandmother, who are standing in, it seems, with moral support while a certain woman causes a lot of worry with her nonappearance.  Whenever he is left entirely alone, Welsh admits that he finds extra solace from some oddly juxtaposed musical sources, such as Rhode Island’s politically pugnacious Sage Francis or the markedly more relaxed tones of Serge Gainsbourg. We have, therefore, the very different options and worldviews of a disgruntled rapper and/or a French bon viveur.

Choosing between these polar opposites can produce even more stress.

Thus far, as a result, the following picture starts to emerge: The absence of a certain “Kristina” instigates the bent, broken, and thoroughly abstract hip-hop of “Monkey,” which spends over an hour looking for some sense of consistency amid waves of white noise. Likewise, Welsh’s chosen influences show little overlap and thus give voice to an equally decentered sense of social belonging. The world is throwing up more questions than answers. This, perhaps, is what led Welsh to post a recent FAQ on his Live Journal page, answering the queries that appear most often, either in life or from other people.

Some of the more useful tidbits include the following facts, starting with his DOB and a suitable fetal position

Alexander Welsh was born in 1984 and a correct transliteration of his last name would be Velsh. He dropped out of law school, presumably to pen music, and admits to not knowing whether he’ll ever finish the degree.  Forever keen, it seems, on the chance of social contact (given his bad luck so far!) Welsh adds the following request to his FAQ: “Oh, my dear friends… If you ever see me in the Moscow subway – or anywhere else – and summon the courage to introduce yourself, I’ll be very glad indeed. I’m always happy to make new friends – so if you do see me, and don’t then introduce yourself, please don’t write subsequently and tell me so. I’m just the same as you. I don’t bite!”

How, though, would this look on an empty platform at 1am? (Let alone 5:40…) Is this a smile of late-night charity, or the preface to a major crime?

Welsh claims not to adhere to any particular religion – “but I do respect your right to believe in whatever you like. Just don’t try and get me involved in your sects.” Unenthusiastic about loud commitment to any one doctrine, Welsh is equally unlikely to scream and shout about his talents when encountering criticism. Dislike of his work will not cause him to take a severe, oppositional stance of self-defense. “If there exist a thousand people who think your work is cr*p, there will be just as many who take your work to heart. ” Troubles seem to roll off his back with ease; he maintains this easy-going attitude by sidestepping all forms of ardent commitment – with the exception, of course, of his nearest and dearest.

So what precisely caused the sadness of this album? One suggestion comes from a recent interview Welsh gave to the netzine/concert listings publication Look at Me. The interviewer admitted to being slightly/initially unnerved by our DJ, more accurately by his appearance. In other words, the writer did – as per the aforementioned metro scenario – see this young musician and then (almost) not introduce himself. “The first thing that amazed me when I met Sasha Welsh was the contrast between his rough-looking exterior – with his beard and all kinds of tattoos – and the way he talks. His voice, surprisingly, is very precise-sounding and not aggressive in any way whatsoever. Once we had introduced ourselves, he smiled modestly and  – without any recourse to swearing – told me how much he loved the recent concert by Massive Attack. Everybody had played and sung so well…”

The journalist then asked  – somewhat rudely, in our opinion! – how “somebody with such a ‘brutal’ appearance could write such gentle music.”  Welsh’s answer? “I don’t know, to be honest. As far as I’m concerned, I look perfectly normal – but I do wonder a lot whether there’s something special or odd in my appearance. The beard suits me, I think; and the earrings look good, too. I first started wearing them ages ago, when I was a kid, and I don’t feel like taking them out now. And I wouldn’t really call my music ‘gentle.’ I’d say it was… you know… ‘lyrical,’ maybe? I like the kind of music I’d want to hear myself, the kind of things that I’d put on the Ipod from time to time. If it turns out to be lyrical or gentle – or anything at all! – it’s nonetheless more important that I’m happy with it personally. It’s important that the music find a listener – somewhere beyond the boundaries of the room where I composed it. If that happens – then great!”

“We’re all caught up in people’s appearances, I think. It’s something, unfortunately, that influences all of us. People see some kind of aggressive guy in me; I don’t personally… but in today’s modern world, the way we look is something that starts to mess with everybody’s head.”

The big man pauses for thought, and local-hip benefits as a result. This is a lovingly-crafted, thought-provoking release that is clearly the product of a difficult relationship. Somewhere in Moscow is a young woman called Kristina, with a pair of binoculars in her bag. From a safe distance, she follows a bearded man, wondering whether he’ll bite. As long as she continues to equivocate, we – somewhat selfishly – should be assured of more interesting music.

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