Music
www.qns.com I LIC COURIER I JUNE 2018 29
a single person. And within three days, I
was DJing at the Christmas party at the
hottest restaurant in Long Island City
here, SHI, and became friends with him
the owner and everybody else in this
neighborhood. So it was happening and
everyone was supporting me, and the
LIC thing just kinda came so strong to
me," he said.
The LIC will be Browne's eighth album
and second solo album since he
began making music professionally in
2005. The artist said he writes the track
beds using Reason by Propellerhead
and then moves the track to Pro Tools
for production and mixing.
Browne, whose real name is Rich
Bennett, said he came up with his portmanteau
by combining the name of his
favorite athlete with one of his favorite
funk musicians. Browne explained
that Fred Brown, known as "Downtown
Freddie Brown," was a player for the
now-defunct Seattle SuperSonics and
Jimmy Castor, a funk musician from
the 1970s was known for his album
E-Man Grooving.
He shared that he befriended Castor
after he spoke with him on the phone
about how his music inspired him. He
flew out to Nevada in 2005 and had
dinner with Castor and his wife in their
Las Vegas home.
"I took the 'e' from the E-Man, my
friend Jimmy Castor who passed away,
and I put the 'e' at the end of Brown so
that he's always with me everywhere I
go and inspires me," he said.
Browne's first single from The LIC is
entitled "Kiss the Sun," with lyrics by his
friend and vocalist YOBi. The two met
while at a party in Long Island City for one
of their mutual friends. Browne described
YOBi as a "little sister" and said that their
relationship comes from a "nurturing"
place that is conducive to making music.
YOBi said that the lyrics of "Kiss the
Sun" are about liking a guy and wanting
to "hang out with him all night until the
sun rises." The single is produced by
Browne in cooperation with YOBi's vocal
producer Mario Abrams, who she cites
as a "big part of the creative process."
"Kiss the Sun" features funk, R&B and
hip-hop elements, combining the styles
of Browne and YOBi into a carefree and
fun track for the summer.
The singer, who likes to think of
herself as "the underground voice of
women" said that her lyrics come from a
place of experience, but she also writes
about things she wants to experience.
She adds that she always wants her
music to have some kind of meaning.
Browne said that the full LIC album is
slated to come out in July 2018.
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