Music
Before he plays Dekmantel with Ubiquity, we count the reasons why Roy Ayers is such a pivotal star.
If we say the name Roy Ayers, chances are it'll conjur up hazy, sun-dappled memories of listening to Everybody Loves The Sunshine. But the godfather of jazz-funk is so much more than the soundtrack to Café del Mar sunsets. The 75-year-old LA-born jazz-funketeer has had an influence on modern music wider than his epic vibraphone. He's mastered everything from singing to leading bands to songwriting. He's almost 90 records deep and still going strong. Ahead of Ayers' performance with Ubiquity on the Red Bull Music Academy Stage at Dekmantel, let's count the ways Mr Good Vibes has owned the music game.
He's, like, the most sampled musician… ever We don't have exact figures, but it's safe to say that Roy Ayers is one of the most sampled artists in the world of hip-hop. Kendrick Lamar sampled him on tracks including Good Kid, which borrows from We Live In Brooklyn, Baby. Other major players to borrow from the funk boss include Mary J Blige on her hit My Life(Everybody Loves The Sunshine), A Tribe Called Quest on Description Of A Fool (Running Away), and Biggie Smalls.
He's worked with more stars than you can wave a telescope at... If you think Tom Jones can drop some names, he should get in the ring with Ayers. In 1979 he headed over to Nigeria to work with Fela Kuti. They toured Nigeria for six weeks and the recorded result was Music Of Many Colours. As the 1980s got into their stride, Ayers was in the studio getting freaky with Rick James on Throwin' Down. He also provided John "Jellybean" Benitez with a solo for Whitney Houston's Love Will Save The Day.
He shows no signs of letting up, either... Everybody who’s anybody wants to work with Ayers – he's that rare thing, after all: a living legend who's still making music. In more recent years, he's collaborated with everyone from Pete Rock to The Roots, Robert Glasper and Guru. The noughties saw him dabble in house, with the likes of Kerri Chandler and Masters At Work. And never one to miss a culturally-relevant trick, Ayers is still working with new artists – listen out for his spot on Tyler, The Creator's brand-new tune Find Your Wings.
None other than Erykah Badu called him the "king of neo-soul" Ayers was never a purist. He's moved with cool aplomb between the worlds of jazz, funk, hip-hop and R 'n' B. This musical fluidity was what made him such an icon for the musicians coming out of Philadelphia in the mid-90s. His open-minded approach encouraged them to cherry-pick from genres with careless abandon. From The Roots to Jill Scott, everyone was chomping at the bit to cite him as an inspiration. And Erykah Badu famously crowned him as "the king".
He achieved the impossible by making the vibraphone cool... This massive instrument falls somewhere between an oversized xylophone and a glockenspiel with added panpipes. You can hear its unmistakable sunshine sounds all over Ayers' signature hits. Legend has it that the famous jazz percussionist Lionel Hampton handed Ayers his first set of vibraphone mallets when he went to see him in concert aged five. From that moment on, Ayers' fate was sealed.
Roy Ayers will be playing with his band Ubiquity at Dekmantel.
Visit Roy Ayers' website.
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