Enter the Trippy World of BlackGummy

The story behind the discovery of BlackGummy is borderline mythical: While on a trip in the Middle East and Asia in 2013, Marouf discovered the enigmatic BlackGummy idol and quickly formed a devoted bond. Since then, the two have remained inseparable, with Marouf serving as the musical medium in which BlackGummy communicates to our world. Not much is known about the BlackGummy origin. All we have to archive this seemingly alien creature is a short but impactful discography defined by the unbreakable bond between Marouf and BlackGummy.

BlackGummy’s latest communiqué to the world comes in the form of the newly released Monolith EP, out now on mau5trap. It’s the third release in a series of connected EPs, which kicked off February 2016 with Singularity, followed by Impactor in September 2016. The storyline that threads the three releases reads like a sci-fi thriller. Singularity is inspired by the concept of technological singularity, a theory describing the hypothetical moment when artificial intelligence and technology become so advanced, human civilization as we know it changes forevermore. The follow-up, Impactor, was inspired by the KT Impactor asteroid, which destroyed dinosaur life, and explores the relationship between history and time, including pre-human existence. Now Monolith, the third and final release in the EP series, explores the relationship between humans and “the symbols to which they ascribe meaning,” per press materials.

That’s pretty deep stuff for a bear, so we linked up with Marouf himself to better explain everything, including his relationship with BlackGummy, the new Monolith EP, and their future plans.

How did you come to discover the BlackGummy idol?
The story behind BlackGummy is quite a long one. We’re gonna be slowly releasing parts of the story with the up-and-coming releases, but for the most part, BlackGummy is this unstoppable force that has a really long story behind it. I can’t give it all away right now.

Is BlackGummy from planet Earth?
There are signs of it on planet Earth. That’s one of its locations, for sure—in the Middle East. That was one of the first times I encountered it.

What were your first impressions when you came across BlackGummy?
One of the main things was going to different parts of the world and seeing the same styles of megalithic structures—the fact that so long ago, without the technology we have today, people were able to build such amazing structures. And the mystery behind that—everybody is wondering, how were such things built at that time? There are so many different stories behind it, from people claiming there was access to technology, like sound waves that were able to levitate really heavy objects, and this unknown force or knowledge that has been lost throughout time.

Trippy shit.
Trippy shit, man—but real shit that we’ve just forgotten about, because so much time has gone by.

Are Iman Marouf and BlackGummy separate entities, or are they one and the same?
BlackGummy is its own; it’s just been around. There have been signs about it around the world and throughout different time periods.

And does he speak to you through music, or through words, or some sort of language?
There’s only so much I can say about it, but I do kinda speak for it, and I am its voice here on Earth.

What can you tell me about the Monolith EP?
It’s a slightly different approach from what people might be used to from the past two EPs, but it’s definitely exploring another realm of sound design and the same style I’ve been doing—definitely a more minimal approach. It has some dark vibes to it, also some light.

The Monolith EP is the third entry in the series. How are they all connected?
Singularity is after machines have taken over and artificial intelligence has become so powerful that we can’t go back to the way things were. Impactor was before all of that, so before humans were around—kind of what created the setting where humans could become humans. Now with this Monolith EP, it’s in the middle of that. It’s directly in the middle, when humans started building and establishing civilization and what we have now.

How did you and/or BlackGummy come up with this complex ongoing thread of stories?
These three are painting a picture so that I could start introducing the next phase of this. If you have this core understanding of it, it’ll help make the rest of it make more sense.

Will any music that comes after Monolith be part of this same storyline? Or will it be part of a new story arc?
There might be a second phase of Monolith, but there’s still no news about it.

You’re part of the mau5trap family, which is home to a lot of artists who have a deep love and understanding of sound design and a very technical approach to music. Is that what drew you to mau5trap?
I definitely had a strong appreciation for the sound design and the knowledge of music production and all of that, for sure.

When you listen to deadmau5, you can hear this trippy, cerebral approach to music.
There’s a level of mastery there you don’t see with all artists. [It’s] sometimes unappreciated, but it’s definitely an art of its own.

You have tracks with other mau5trap artists. How do you adapt your approach to music to theirs when collaborating?
It’s very open-minded; we just get into a studio together. It’s not the same every time; it’s a very organic process. Either somebody presents something, and then one of us has an idea, and we take it from there. Or we get into a studio where there are no rules, or we set a guideline of what direction we want to head in, and we just jam.

Now that Monolith is out, what’s next for BlackGummy?
Lots of shows coming up, for sure. We’re working on a lot of new visuals to expand on the visual experience of it, and also the music, obviously. We’re slowly incorporating this live setup, and crossing into projection mapping, and adopting the new technology, and really trying to take it to the next level.

The Monolith EP from BlackGummy is available now on mau5trap.

John Ochoa does not eat black gummy bears. Follow him on Twitter.

Follow BlackGummy on Facebook | Twitter
Follow mau5trap on Facebook | Twitter | SoundCloud

Share

Tags

You might also like