NY/Berlin-based band, The Mung Beings, hail from diverse musical backgrounds and opposite ends of the earth. Their sound is a mash-up of future soul, conscious rap, electronica and jazz served up with conspicuous lyrics and a positive attitude.
Keeping It Moving On, their new single single (out June 12th 2020), brings a much-needed positive message of hope that encourages people not to give up their struggles and to keep pushing forward. Sickness, oppression, dishonesty and hard times can be overcome by focusing on what is good and right in the world such as love, family, friends and community. The Mung Beings say, believe in yourself and others and keep it moving on.
The Mung Beings are producers Allan Thomasson and Nigel Braddock (from Australia and New Zealand respectively) and Saadiah Fowlkes from Brooklyn, New York. The three met in Berlin in where they recorded their debut album, soon to be released on Monkey Records.
Special guests on Keepin It Movin’ On include Fowlkes’ father, celebrated jazz trombonist Curtis Fowlkes (The Jazz Passengers, Debbie Harry, Glen Hansard) and renowned gospel singer Tracey Duncan (James Last, The Weather Girls).
Fowlkes is a rapper, singer and DJ. He has performed at venues all over the world, mostly in his hometown NYC and Berlin, his home for nine years. He was a member of the rock/hip hop band Natural Selection and has shared the stage with the likes of Wyclef Jean and Mark Ronson.
Braddock, originally a classical pianist, plays keyboards on the album and was also responsible for recording and production. He founded Monkey Records in 2000 and has produced nine other albums to date including the award winning debut by Charity Children. He also plays in Dystopia, Cosmo and the Cosmonaut (with his son), has an electronic project called Broad Oak and composes minimalist solo piano music.
Thomasson plays bass and provides beats on the recordings and was an early auteur of seminal electronic dance music production in New Zealand in the 1990s with MINK and offshoot Cloudboy as well as creating video content for their live shows. In Berlin since 2003, Thomasson has worked with The Sacred Travellers, a World Jazz Fusion group, as well as producing his own electronic music as Boxroom Rebel. He is responsible for any video content on behalf of The Mung Beings including the Mung Days series.
Debut album coming late 2020.
lyrics
I’m walking a long and winding road
And I’m tryin to find my way back home
But I don’t know which way to go
I’m on my own and it’s so cold
And my mind
Is so weary man
And my eyes
Are so bleary man
And the skies
Are so dreary man
Sometimes
I can’t see clearly man
But I
Gotta keep movin on
Yes I
Gotta keep movin strong
So I
Gotta make improvements on my stride
Cuz I keep losing all this time
And I’m about to lose my mind
Cuz it’s so dark it’s like I’m blind
But in my heart I hope I’ll find
The finish line (that’s why I’m)
Gotta find my way
Find my way hey
Hey hey hey
I’m on a quest
No I ain’t Kanye
But I’m headed west
And I’m all outta breath
But I can’t rest
Gotta take another step
While I’ve still got pep
In my walk and my talk
Cuz I’m so adept
But it’s been three days
Since I last slept
But somehow someway
I have kept
Kept on trudging on
Even though it feels like
I’ve got nothing on
Ima catch my death
But I struggle on
Cuz the voice in my head
It nudged me on
The heart in my chest
Is still thumpin strong
So I know that I’m blessed
And loved along
The way so no way
Am I budgin on
The matter that I have to keep
Chuggin on
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