For Those Who Know Part I arrives October 20th, and Part II arrives March 2018.
The last year has been quite impressive for Brasstracks, a Manhattan-based pair that went from creating tracks for Soundcloud to becoming Grammy winning producers for Best Rap Album and Best Rap Performance with Chance the Rapper’s Coloring Book and the hit song “No Problem” featuring Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz.
While Ivan Jackson of Manhattan and Conor Rayne of New Jersey have known each other for the last six years, they’ve only been close for the last four. Prior to becoming a duo, Jackson was independently producing songs but still felt like something was missing. “They weren’t fire. They weren’t hot,” he says laughingly. He heard Rayne’s work through his roommate and became inspired. They decided to collaborate on a whim and with the combination of Jackson’s trumpets with Rayne’s drums, their debut track, “Say U Will”, was born and the band’s name came after. Just as Brasstracks’ sound showcases a unique blend of live music with soul and electronics, Jackson and Rayne seem to organically mesh into a musical pairing made for the ages.
The two always knew they wanted to make a career out of music. “I don’t know if we knew just how good of a living we could make from it,” Jackson explains, “We were self-deprecating jazz kids…but people around us were encouraging.” Rayne, a self-proclaimed “stubborn kid with a one-track mind,” believes that “putting in a lot of time and hours, following our gut, our intuition, following our heart, and taking a risk and hoping it pays off” is the key to making a reality of his dream.
Despite their accomplishments, the two are so down to earth that chatting with them immediately felt like catching up with old friends. Even discussing their Grammy wins months after the fact still “feels unreal”, Jackson recalls. “We felt so out of place…like teenagers in suits.” If that’s not endearing, how about the fact that he brought his mom as his Grammy date. “Really?” I ask. “Hell yeah!” Jackson replies, “she partied harder than I did!”
Jackson and Rayne recording at their new home in East Village.
Jackson and Rayne are excited to announce they are releasing a two-part project that will be entitled “For Those Who Know”. Part I is due to be released October 20th this year and Part II is slated for March 2018. If that’s not enough, they will also be headlining their first tour early next year.
“We’re really excited,” Jackson says. “It’s a lot more music, it’s a lot more personal. It’s a confessional for those who know us and what we’ve gone though over the last couple of years.”
“It’s a coming of age,” Rayne adds. “The sound is more mature. We relied on our roots and trusted our instincts more. We were way less concerned about following new trends and just focused on the music.”
Their first single from the For Those Who Know project, “Favorite” featuring Vanjess, is available now on Spotify and Apple Music.