The Verse’s Jacqueline Opoku-Darkwa previews Mura Masa ahead of his show at Concorde 2 on the 27th September.
Born Alex Crossan from Guernsey, music was an integral part of Mura Masa’s upbringing. Introduced to Joni Mitchell and progressive rock by his parents, he quickly discovered that all genres of music were accessible to him.
Enjoying the same career trajectory as a number of up-and-coming British ‘bedroom musicians’, Mura Masa is set to follow the path of acts such as Disclosure and James Blake. It seems not being a part of a clearly defined music scene (such as the grime scene in London) when he started out has allowed him to explore “a wider set of influences”, he told BBC earlier this year. This can be heard in the complex oriental melodies weaved into his music.
Crossan has revelled in a steady following from his first track uploaded onto Soundcloud three years ago up to his latest album, Someday Somewhere. His experimental and heart-filled sounds have brought features with fellow BBC Sound of… shortlisters Nao and Shura, as well as Bonzai.
Described by BBC’s Annie Mac as “intimidatingly talented for someone of his age”, Crossan, aged 20, is set to release his third album.
Now returning to the city where he went to university, Mura Masa is playing to a sold-out Concorde 2, providing those very same sultry sounds that haven taken him from his bedroom to the forefront of the underground electronic music scene.
A self-proclaimed “beat slayer heart breaker”, Mura Masa is quickly taking the music world by storm one beat at a time.
Mura Masa comes to Brighton’s Concorde 2 on the 27th September 2016.
