A RICH MUSICAL MIX
Ottawa music artist Aspects wears many hats exploring every dimension of sound
The first full-length album in five years by local musician Daniel Kibelenko, also known as Aspects, draws on wide influences and displays the artist's versatility. “My name is Aspects and that's because I do all aspects of music,” he says.
Impossible, the powerful new album by Ottawa's hip-hop troubadour, Aspects, captures the energy of a musician who is at home in front of any audience, whether it's a crew of hardcore rap fans, a group of bikers, or a bunch of hippie moms who just want to dance.
The album's 12 songs cover the spectrum of his influences, from the soulful love song, Beautiful, to the fiery call for Indigenous rights on Do or Die.
You'll hear some disco on In the End, some gospel on Mercy (featuring Ottawa singer Nambi) and an anguished flurry of electric guitar on Told Me. Also included are punchy tracks like Roll On (featuring another Ottawa singer, Kaija) and At Times that show his ability to mix a melodic hook with hip-hop verses.
It's the artist's first full-length album in more than five years and a far more diverse effort than his 2014 Snowgoons release, Grind Over Matter, which featured guest spots from rap heavyweights such as Wu Tang Clan's Ghostface Killah and Raekwon, and the late Hussein Fatal, a friend of Aspects' who had been a member of Tupac Shakur's legendary group The Outlawz.
But ask how long the new one has been in the works and the answer is: “Pretty much my whole life.”
The son of an Indigenous mother and Ukrainian-Canadian father, the B.C.-born Aspects (real name: Daniel Kibelenko) said he set out to showcase the breadth of his musical talent in a positive way.
“My name is Aspects and that's because I do all aspects of music. I can sing and do blues, and rock jazz festivals. I've done folk festivals. I have a banjo, too, and I play bluegrass,” he said . “I just really love music and do everything, so I just wanted to be me and do what I felt was good. And then I tried to be a little more conscious with my lyrics because of my daughter. I wanted it to be thoughtful and invoke feelings.”
His daughter, 11-year-old Illiyah Rose, is already a dynamic singer who often accompanies her father in concert and is working on her own music.
She's featured on the new album, singing harmony on a catchy song called Down For Whatever that finds Aspects, who was a single dad for most of his life, expressing his devotion to her.
Getting to that level of emotion in his music was a challenge for Aspects, who said he used to feel he had to be “hard” to be heard.
“For the longest time, because I was so involved in the hip-hop culture, I thought singing all pretty and playing guitar made me not hard for some reason,” he said, relating a story about being in the studio with Ghostface Killah that changed his approach.
“I started strumming while he was writing in the corner and he looked over at me. I thought I was interrupting him, and I went to set the guitar down. He's like, `If I could do what you just did, you'd never hear me rap again.' That gave me the dopest boost of confidence, so I decided to try and own it.”
Aspects worked with several producers on the new songs, including Ottawa engineers 613Tino and Dean Watson, and Toronto's David Strickland.
He's also working on another project with Strickland based on songs crafted with Hussein Fatal before the rapper's death in 2015. With Naughty By Nature's Treach involved, too, the long-lost record, titled Outlaw By Nature, is expected this year; proceeds will go to Fatal's daughters.
In the meantime, with gigs and recording sessions delayed because of the pandemic, Aspects is working on his personal development as well as music.
“Because of COVID, I feel as though I had no choice but to shift from the outside perception to the inside perception. I've had a lot of time to do self-development, mentally and spiritually,” he said.
“With the music, I'm just trying to keep it moving and be genuine and organic. A lot of people come across like they're trying too hard. It's inauthentic. That's the last thing I want to do.”
My name is Aspects and that's because I do all aspects of music. I can sing and do blues, and rock jazz festivals. I've done folk festivals.