London-based prodigy mixes guitars with club music.
Eddie Lee keys, Mansur Brown guitar, Jonathan Moko bass, Junior Ngboufa drums
In our DATSKAT series we present innovative acts on the cutting edge of jazz, hip-hop, neo-soul, and more. This edition features guitarist/producer Mansur Brown from London.
Mansur Brown is the definition of a prodigy: a classically trained guitarist, who has chosen to develop his own multi-disciplinary style. 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 Afrobeats and the melancholic sound design of Burial.
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 Heiwa find him reaching for keyboards, flute and saxophone - even singing, pitch-shifting his voice in honor of his favorite R&B tracks. His recent album Desta - The Memories Between was released on his own label AMAI, an entrepreneurial venture through which he plans to release music, film, artwork, and even technology.