On January 18^th, 2016, Washington, D.C. musician Brahm (born Chaz Barber) posted a cryptic message on Facebook: “Rebirth”.  Following that post, Brahm posted pictures with nothing tied to them: a classic cat keyboard scratcher, a box full of floppy disks, and his logo.  The anticipation was crippling for Brahm’s fans; all of them enquiring to find out what was happening.  Behind those postings was Brahm carefully crafting his long awaited return to making music again; February 24^th, Brahm will release the forthcoming album Ratimis via Swedish Columbia.
Consumed with hip-hop from the 80s, Brahm became heavily involved in wanting to produce.  In 1993, he purchased an ASR-10 sampling keyboard (used by notables that included Wu Tang’s own RZA).  Analog guitars, keys, effects, grimy drum samples, catchy vibes have all captured the essence of Brahm’s tunes.  It’s been over a decade since Brahm put out any material; hundreds of tracks and two albums (the last being 2006’s Built To Be Brought Down).  Swedish Columbia’s label runner and past collaborator Shelby Cinca reached out to Brahm to see if there’s any interest in getting back to creating music.  After Cinca reached out and explained how he wanted to release material, Brahm pulled out the ASR-10 again and got back to work.
The concept for the new album, according to Brahm:
Ratimis is a future city where a sole broadcast station is the only media that has been left available to the public. A city once so developed by smart technology and mass media was devastated by the lobotronix.eye crash of 2138, in which the primary operational unit R.A.T.I. (Reactive Arbitrating Terminal Intelligence) had developed so much sentience it finally determined that shut down was the ultimate decision. People panicked. Most perished. Only the mysterious cat, Saki, who can be seen lurking near the central transmission hub, knows who or what is behind these broadcasts. Decomposing cables, wires, televisions, VCRs and music equipment have now overrun the landscape and the few remaining are awaiting the next sign.  The next directive.  The next broadcast.
Pre-Order Ratimis here: https://brahmbroadcasting.bandcamp.com/
Listen to the single off of Ratmis “Lobotronix”: