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{{short description|American rapper}}

{{Infobox musical artist
{{Infobox musical artist
|name = Gonjasufi
| name = Gonjasufi
|image = Gonjasufi-a.jpg
| image = Gonjasufi-a.jpg
|caption = Gonjasufi in [[Budapest]], [[Hungary]] (2011).
| caption = Gonjasufi in [[Budapest]], [[Hungary]], 2011.
⚫
| birth_name = Sumach Ecks
|background = solo_singer
|birth_name = Sumach Ecks
| alias = Sumach Valentine
⚫
| origin = [[San Diego]], [[California]], United States
|alias = Gonjasufi<br/>Sumach Valentine<br/>Randy Johnson<ref name="Amgs"/>
| genre = {{hlist|[[Hip hop music|Hip hop]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127560241|title=Gonjasufi: Musings Of A Hip-Hop Mystic|work=[[NPR]]|first=Anthony|last=Fantano|date=June 8, 2010|access-date=January 12, 2017}}</ref>|[[Psychedelic music|psychedelic]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://exclaim.ca/Music/article/Gonjasufi_-_Sufi_Killer|title=Gonjasufi: A Sufi And A Killer|work=[[Exclaim!]]|first=David|last=Dacks|date=May 13, 2010|access-date=January 12, 2017}}</ref>}}
⚫
|origin = [[San Diego]], [[California]], [[United States]]
| instrument = {{hlist|Vocals|[[Turntablism|turntables]]|[[guitar]]}}
|genre = [[Experimental music|Experimental]], [[lo-fi]], [[alternative hip hop]], [[psychedelic rock]], [[trip hop]], [[Dub music|dub]]
| occupation = {{hlist|[[Vocalist]]|[[rapper]]|[[Record producer|producer]]|[[Disc jockey|DJ]]|[[Yoga teacher training|yoga teacher]]}}
|instrument =
⚫
| years_active = 1990s–present
|occupation = musician, disc jockey, actor and yoga teacher
| label = {{hlist|[[Warp (record label)|Warp]]|A.I.R.}}
⚫
|years_active = 1990s–present
⚫
| associated_acts = [[Flying Lotus]], [[Pearl Thompson]]
|label = [[Warp Records|Warp]]
⚫
| website = {{URL|www.sufisays.com}}
⚫
|associated_acts = [[Flying Lotus]]<br />[[The Gaslamp Killer]]
⚫
|website = {{URL|www.sufisays.com}}
}}
}}
'''Sumach Ecks''' (born 1978),<ref name="Meer">Meer, Malik (2010) "[http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/mar/06/gonjasufi-warp-new-album Gonjasufi – the electro Hendrix]", ''[[The Guardian]]'', 6 March 2010, retrieved 2010-07-04</ref> better known by his stage name '''Gonjasufi''', is an American musician, disc jockey, actor and yoga teacher.<ref name="Sdrgei">[http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/jam-session/2012/jan/20/gonjasufi-extended-interview/ SDR - Gonjasufi Extended Interview]</ref>
'''Sumach Ecks'''<ref name=Meer>{{cite news |last=Meer|first=Malik|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/mar/06/gonjasufi-warp-new-album|title=Gonjasufi – the electro Hendrix|newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=March 6, 2010|accessdate=July 4, 2010}}</ref> (born 1978),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theartsdesk.com/new-music/theartsdesk-qa-musician-gonjasufi|title=theartsdesk Q&A: Musician Gonjasufi|work=[[The Arts Desk]]|first=Thomas H.|last=Green|date=January 14, 2012|accessdate=April 15, 2015}}</ref> better known by his stage name '''Gonjasufi''', is an American vocalist, producer, disc jockey, and yogi.<ref name=sdr/>


==Life and career==
==Life and career==
Ecks was born in 1978 to a [[Mexico|Mexican]] mother and an [[United States|American]]-[[Ethiopia]]n father.<ref name="Meer" /> He spent his formative years in [[Chula Vista, California]].<ref name="Sdrgei"/>
Ecks was born in 1978 to a [[Mexico|Mexican]] mother and an [[Ethiopian Americans|American-Ethiopian]] father.<ref name=Meer/> He spent his formative years in [[Chula Vista, California]].<ref name=sdr/>


Ecks got involved early on in the arts, playing [[Helios]] the Sun God in the opera ''Persephone''.<ref name="Gfigs">[http://gimme5.tumblr.com/post/426604212/gimme5-interview-gonjasufi-eng Gimme5 Interview: Gonjasufi]</ref>
Ecks got involved early on in the arts, playing [[Helios]] the Sun God in the opera ''Persephone''.<ref name=Gfigs>[http://gimme5.tumblr.com/post/426604212/gimme5-interview-gonjasufi-eng Gimme5 Interview: Gonjasufi] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100308045922/http://gimme5.tumblr.com/post/426604212/gimme5-interview-gonjasufi-eng |date=March 8, 2010 }}</ref>


In the early 1990s, he began releasing music within the [[San Diego]] hip hop scene; notably with the [[Masters of the Universe (Hip Hop)|Masters of the Universe]] crew.<ref name="Lymangrover" /><ref name="Dombal" /> Touring under the stage names '''Sumach Valentine''' and '''Randy Johnson''',<ref name="Amgs">[http://www.allmusic.com/artist/gonjasufi-mn0000573286 Allmusic - Gonjasufi]</ref> his first band was called Plant Lyphe.<ref name="Gfigs"/>
In the early 1990s, he began releasing music within the [[San Diego]] hip hop scene; notably with the Masters of the Universe crew.<ref name=Lymangrover>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/gonjasufi-mn0000573286/biography|title=Gonjasufi Biography|last=Lymangrover|first=Jason|work=[[AllMusic]]|accessdate=March 8, 2010}}</ref><ref name=Dombal/> Touring under the stage names '''Sumach Valentine''' and '''Randy Johnson''',<ref name=Lymangrover/> his first band was called Plant Lyphe.<ref name=Gfigs/>


Ecks gained notice from [[Warp Records]] in 2008 after an appearance on Californian musician [[Flying Lotus]]' album ''[[Los Angeles (Flying Lotus album)|Los Angeles]]'', on which he sings on the track "Testament".<ref name="Dombal">{{cite web |url=http://pitchfork.com/news/38024-rising-gonjasufi/|author=Dombal, Ryan|title=Rising: Gonjasufi|publisher=Pitchfork Media|accessdate=2010-03-06}}</ref> His Warp debut album, ''[[A Sufi and a Killer]]'', was released on March 8, 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://warp.net/records/releases/gonjasufi/a-sufi-and-a-killer|title=A Sufi And A Killer|publisher=Warp Records|accessdate=2010-03-06}}</ref>
Ecks gained notice from [[Warp Records]] in 2008 after an appearance on Californian musician [[Flying Lotus]]' album ''[[Los Angeles (Flying Lotus album)|Los Angeles]]'', on which he sings on the track "Testament".<ref name=Dombal>{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/news/38024-rising-gonjasufi/|last=Dombal|first=Ryan|title=Rising: Gonjasufi|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|date=February 25, 2010|accessdate=March 6, 2010}}</ref> His Warp debut album, ''[[A Sufi and a Killer]]'', was released March 8, 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/gonjasufi-a-sufi-and-a-killer|title=Gonjasufi – A Sufi And A Killer|work=[[MusicOMH]]|first=Ben|last=Hogwood|date=March 8, 2010|accessdate=April 15, 2015}}</ref>


Ecks' voice has been described by [[Pitchfork Media]] as "a scraggly, scary, smoked-out croak that creeps like the spiritual offspring of [[George Clinton (musician)|George Clinton]] and [[Lead Belly]]."<ref name="Dombal" /> He attributes his singing style to his day job teaching yoga, where he was forced to learn how to "project from [his] stomach more".<ref name="Dombal" />
Ecks' voice has been described by ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' as "a scraggly, scary, smoked-out croak that creeps like the spiritual offspring of [[George Clinton (funk musician)|George Clinton]] and [[Lead Belly]]".<ref name=Dombal/> He attributes his singing style to his day job teaching yoga, where he was forced to learn how to "project from [his] stomach more".<ref name=Dombal/> His music is largely experimental, fusing urban beats with [[psychedelic rock|psychedelic]] flourishes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://exclaim.ca/Music/article/Gonjasufi_-_Sufi_Killer|title=Gonjasufi: A Sufi And A Killer|work=[[Exclaim!]]|first=David|last=Dacks|date=May 13, 2010|accessdate=April 15, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127560241|title=Gonjasufi: Musings Of A Hip-Hop Mystic|work=[[NPR]]|first=Anthony|last=Fantano|date=June 8, 2010|accessdate=April 15, 2015}}</ref>


Besides singing and rapping,<ref name=cmj>{{cite web|url=http://www.cmj.com/news/new-mini-album-from-gonjasufi/|title=New Mini-Album From Gonjasufi|work=[[CMJ]]|first=Andrew|last=Olshevski|date=November 2, 2011|accessdate=April 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415235856/http://www.cmj.com/news/new-mini-album-from-gonjasufi/|archive-date=April 15, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> Ecks also serves as a producer,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2012/02/video-premiere-gonjasufis-the-blame-roams-downtown-la.html|title=Video premiere: Gonjasufi roams downtown L.A.|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|first=Randall|last=Roberts|date=February 21, 2012|accessdate=April 15, 2015}}</ref> DJ,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://laist.com/2010/03/15/tonight_in_rock_she_him_gonjasufi_m.php|title=Tonight In Rock: She & Him, Gonjasufi, Moonrats, The Delta Mirror|work=[[LAist]]|first=Joshua|last=Pressman|date=March 15, 2010|accessdate=April 15, 2015|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160130155442/http://laist.com/2010/03/15/tonight_in_rock_she_him_gonjasufi_m.php|archivedate=January 30, 2016}}</ref> and yoga teacher.<ref name=sdr>{{cite news |url=http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/jam-session/2012/jan/20/gonjasufi-extended-interview/|title=Gonjasufi Extended Interview|newspaper=[[San Diego Reader]] |first=Chad|last=Deal|date=January 20, 2012|accessdate=April 15, 2015}}</ref>
Ecks currently lives in [[Las Vegas Valley|Las Vegas]], [[Nevada]].<ref name="Lymangrover">{{cite web |url={{Allmusic|class=artist|id=p921360/biography|pure_url=yes}}|title=Gonjasufi Biography|author=Lymangrover, Jason|work=Allmusic|accessdate=2010-03-08}}</ref>

On August 19, 2016, Gonjasufi released the album, ''[[Callus (Gonjasufi album)|Callus]]'', which featured contributions from [[Pearl Thompson]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://exclaim.ca/music/article/gonjasufi_returns_with_callus|title=Gonjasufi Returns with 'Callus'|work=[[Exclaim!]]|first=Brock|last=Thiessen|date=July 7, 2016|access-date=January 12, 2017}}</ref>


==Discography==
==Discography==
===Studio albums===
===Studio albums===
*''[[A Sufi and a Killer]]'' (2010, [[Warp Records]])
* ''[[A Sufi and a Killer]]'' (2010)
⚫
* ''[[MU.ZZ.LE]]'' (2012)
* ''[[Callus (Gonjasufi album)|Callus]]'' (2016)


===Remix albums===
===Remix albums===
*''The Caliph's Tea Party'' (2010, Warp Records)
* ''[[The Caliph's Tea Party]]'' (2010)
* ''[[Mandela Effect (album)|Mandela Effect]]'' (2017)


===EPs===
===EPs===
*''The Ninth Inning EP'' (2011, A.I.R.)
* ''The Ninth Inning EP'' (2011)
* ''Untitled'' (2013) <small>(split with [[Ras G]])</small>
⚫
*''MU.ZZ.LE'' (2012, Warp Records)


===Singles===
===Singles===
*"Holidays" b/w "Candylane" (2009)
* "Holidays" b/w "Candylane" (2009)
*"Kowboyz&Indians" b/w "My Only Friend" (2010)
* "Kowboyz&Indians" b/w "My Only Friend" (2010)
*"Kobwebz" b/w "Speaketh" (2010)
* "Kobwebz" b/w "Speaketh" (2010)
*"Nickles and Dimes" (2010)
* "Nickels and Dimes" (2010)
*"Ninth Inning" (2011)
* "Ninth Inning" (2011)
*"The Blame" (2012)
* "The Blame" (2012)


===Guest appearances===
===Guest appearances===
*[[The Gaslamp Killer]] - "I’m in Awe" from ''Death Gate'' (2010)
* [[Flying Lotus]] – "Testament" from ''[[Los Angeles (Flying Lotus album)|Los Angeles]]'' (2008)
*Humansuit - "Lawnmower Man" from ''Humansuit'' (2012)
* [[The Gaslamp Killer]] – "I'm in Awe" from ''Death Gate'' (2010)
*[[The Gaslamp Killer]] - "Veins" and "Apparitions" from ''[[Breakthrough (The Gaslamp Killer album)|Breakthrough]]'' (2012)
* Humansuit – "Lawnmower Man" from ''Humansuit'' (2012)
* The Gaslamp Killer – "Veins" and "Apparitions" from ''[[Breakthrough (The Gaslamp Killer album)|Breakthrough]]'' (2012)
*Perera Elsewhere - "Giddy" from ''Everlast'' (2013)
* Old English – "The Omen" from ''Band in Amerikkka'' (2013)
*[[Awol One]] & Gel Roc - "Flight" from ''The Cloaks'' (2014)
* Perera Elsewhere – "Giddy" from ''Everlast'' (2013)
*Dag Savage - "Bad Trip" from ''E & J'' (2014)
* [[Awol One]] & Gel Roc – "Flight" from ''The Cloaks'' (2014)
* Dag Savage – "Bad Trip" from ''E & J'' (2014)
* [[The Bug (musician)|The Bug]] – "Save Me" from ''[[Angels & Devils (The Bug album)|Angels & Devils]]'' (2014)
* L'Orange & [[Mr. Lif]] – "Strange Technology" from ''The Life & Death of Scenery'' (2016)
* The Gaslamp Killer – "Good Morning" from ''Instrumentalepathy'' (2016)
* A7pha – "Hater Hate It" from ''A7pha'' (2017)


==References==
==References==
Line 61: Line 73:


==External links==
==External links==
*{{Official website|www.sufisays.com}}
* {{Official website}}
*{{Discogs artist|GonjaSufi|Gonjasufi}}
* {{Discogs artist|GonjaSufi|Gonjasufi}}

*[http://core.thomaslaupstad.com/mary-anne-hobbs-experimental-2010-02-25-gonja-sufi-and-cooly-g-in-the-mix/ Gonjasufi on the Mary Anne Hobbs Experimental show on BBC Radio 1]
⚫
{{Authority control}}
*[http://specialfeatures.podbean.com/e/sf-ep-019-interview-series-gonjasufi/ SF-EP-019 - Interview Series: Gonjasufi] Special Features Podcast, August 16th 2012


⚫
{{Authority control|VIAF=121206187}}
{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME = Gonjasufi
⚫
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Sumach Ecks
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = musician, disc jockey, actor and yoga teacher
| DATE OF BIRTH = 1978
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
[[Category:American hip hop musicians]]
[[Category:American hip hop musicians]]
[[Category:American people of Ethiopian descent]]
[[Category:American people of Ethiopian descent]]
[[Category:American people of Mexican descent]]
[[Category:American musicians of Mexican descent]]
[[Category:1978 births]]
[[Category:1978 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Rappers from San Diego]]
[[Category:Warp (record label) artists]]
[[Category:Warp (record label) artists]]
[[Category:People from Chula Vista, California]]
[[Category:People from Chula Vista, California]]
[[Category:Musicians from San Diego, California]]
[[Category:Musicians from San Diego]]
[[Category:African-American male rappers]]
[[Category:American male rappers]]
[[Category:Hispanic and Latino American musicians]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American musicians]]

Latest revision as of 03:46, 31 July 2024

Gonjasufi
Gonjasufi in Budapest, Hungary, 2011.
Gonjasufi in Budapest, Hungary, 2011.
Background information
Birth nameSumach Ecks
Also known asSumach Valentine
OriginSan Diego, California, United States
Genres
Occupations
Instruments
Years active1990s–present
Labels
Websitewww.sufisays.com

Sumach Ecks[3] (born 1978),[4] better known by his stage name Gonjasufi, is an American vocalist, producer, disc jockey, and yogi.[5]

Life and career

[edit]

Ecks was born in 1978 to a Mexican mother and an American-Ethiopian father.[3] He spent his formative years in Chula Vista, California.[5]

Ecks got involved early on in the arts, playing Helios the Sun God in the opera Persephone.[6]

In the early 1990s, he began releasing music within the San Diego hip hop scene; notably with the Masters of the Universe crew.[7][8] Touring under the stage names Sumach Valentine and Randy Johnson,[7] his first band was called Plant Lyphe.[6]

Ecks gained notice from Warp Records in 2008 after an appearance on Californian musician Flying Lotus' album Los Angeles, on which he sings on the track "Testament".[8] His Warp debut album, A Sufi and a Killer, was released March 8, 2010.[9]

Ecks' voice has been described by Pitchfork as "a scraggly, scary, smoked-out croak that creeps like the spiritual offspring of George Clinton and Lead Belly".[8] He attributes his singing style to his day job teaching yoga, where he was forced to learn how to "project from [his] stomach more".[8] His music is largely experimental, fusing urban beats with psychedelic flourishes.[10][11]

Besides singing and rapping,[12] Ecks also serves as a producer,[13] DJ,[14] and yoga teacher.[5]

On August 19, 2016, Gonjasufi released the album, Callus, which featured contributions from Pearl Thompson.[15]

Discography

[edit]

Studio albums

[edit]

Remix albums

[edit]

EPs

[edit]
  • The Ninth Inning EP (2011)
  • Untitled (2013) (split with Ras G)

Singles

[edit]
  • "Holidays" b/w "Candylane" (2009)
  • "Kowboyz&Indians" b/w "My Only Friend" (2010)
  • "Kobwebz" b/w "Speaketh" (2010)
  • "Nickels and Dimes" (2010)
  • "Ninth Inning" (2011)
  • "The Blame" (2012)

Guest appearances

[edit]
  • Flying Lotus – "Testament" from Los Angeles (2008)
  • The Gaslamp Killer – "I'm in Awe" from Death Gate (2010)
  • Humansuit – "Lawnmower Man" from Humansuit (2012)
  • The Gaslamp Killer – "Veins" and "Apparitions" from Breakthrough (2012)
  • Old English – "The Omen" from Band in Amerikkka (2013)
  • Perera Elsewhere – "Giddy" from Everlast (2013)
  • Awol One & Gel Roc – "Flight" from The Cloaks (2014)
  • Dag Savage – "Bad Trip" from E & J (2014)
  • The Bug – "Save Me" from Angels & Devils (2014)
  • L'Orange & Mr. Lif – "Strange Technology" from The Life & Death of Scenery (2016)
  • The Gaslamp Killer – "Good Morning" from Instrumentalepathy (2016)
  • A7pha – "Hater Hate It" from A7pha (2017)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Fantano, Anthony (June 8, 2010). "Gonjasufi: Musings Of A Hip-Hop Mystic". NPR. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  2. ^ Dacks, David (May 13, 2010). "Gonjasufi: A Sufi And A Killer". Exclaim!. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  3. ^ a b Meer, Malik (March 6, 2010). "Gonjasufi – the electro Hendrix". The Guardian. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
  4. ^ Green, Thomas H. (January 14, 2012). "theartsdesk Q&A: Musician Gonjasufi". The Arts Desk. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  5. ^ a b c Deal, Chad (January 20, 2012). "Gonjasufi Extended Interview". San Diego Reader. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  6. ^ a b Gimme5 Interview: Gonjasufi Archived March 8, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ a b Lymangrover, Jason. "Gonjasufi Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
  8. ^ a b c d Dombal, Ryan (February 25, 2010). "Rising: Gonjasufi". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 6, 2010.
  9. ^ Hogwood, Ben (March 8, 2010). "Gonjasufi – A Sufi And A Killer". MusicOMH. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  10. ^ Dacks, David (May 13, 2010). "Gonjasufi: A Sufi And A Killer". Exclaim!. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  11. ^ Fantano, Anthony (June 8, 2010). "Gonjasufi: Musings Of A Hip-Hop Mystic". NPR. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  12. ^ Olshevski, Andrew (November 2, 2011). "New Mini-Album From Gonjasufi". CMJ. Archived from the original on April 15, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  13. ^ Roberts, Randall (February 21, 2012). "Video premiere: Gonjasufi roams downtown L.A." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  14. ^ Pressman, Joshua (March 15, 2010). "Tonight In Rock: She & Him, Gonjasufi, Moonrats, The Delta Mirror". LAist. Archived from the original on January 30, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  15. ^ Thiessen, Brock (July 7, 2016). "Gonjasufi Returns with 'Callus'". Exclaim!. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
[edit]
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