Topic: The SUN - Miles Bonny a musician/DJ/producer of many faces
- Apr 1, 2009 05:25pm by MILES - [url]http://www.MilesBonny.com/[/url] Location: KCK
[img:e4ee35acb8]http://innatesounds.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/photo.jpg[/img:e4ee35acb8]
[b:e4ee35acb8] Miles Bonny a musician/DJ/producer of many faces [/b:e4ee35acb8]
Entertainment
Written by Kurt Kloeblen
Wednesday, 01 April 2009 00:00
Miles Bonny has a knack for helping people.
In the music world, he has played producer, DJ, trumpet player, singer and created the Innate Sounds Crew. As a profession, he has been a social worker helping at-risk youth.
So it comes as no surprise that Bonny finds himself organizing full time for the collective of singers, rappers, DJs and producers who make up Innate Sounds, and is transitioning from his job as a social worker.
“In music, you don’t get a paycheck every other week,†Bonny, a Kansas City resident, said. “I’ve had a lot of part-time jobs and full-time jobs. … I really want to do something I feel like I can put all my creativity and ideas and genuine interest in, benefitting others to work without restriction.â€
Bonny has been a part of, if not at the center of, the hip-hop scene in Lawrence and Kansas City for nearly a decade, and is involved with key players in the hip-hop, DJ and jazz scenes in Kansas City.
Bonny came to the area to attend the University of Kansas, and as a freshman quickly started making music with other dorm mates and Lawrence-area rappers. Eventually he met rapper Joe Good and they formed the group Sounds Good, which gained popularity in the Kansas City and Lawrence hip-hop scenes with Good as the rapper and Bonny as the DJ. They made two albums, but during that time Bonny had made a number of beats and continued to work with other artists in various projects.
Since moving to Kansas City, Bonny has gotten married, had a daughter and moved his career beyond just a DJ for a hip-hop group. Bonny started singing and has recorded records for a German label, and toured Europe last fall. Bonny has only performed as a singer a few times in Kansas City, but said that is going to change.
“I’m going to start performing more, which for me means singing,†Bonny said. “I’ve done it on records, I just don’t really do it around here. … The last performances I did were with Sounds Good and that was as a backup performer. I enjoyed it because I could just have fun and support someone else. Now I have to remember the lyrics, enjoy it myself and then try to find some little package for others to enjoy while I’m up there.â€
Bonny said a recent trip to watch R&B singer Raphael Saadiq perform at the VooDoo Lounge served as an inspiration for him as an artist.
“There was hardly anybody there, but there were sparkles in his eyes,†Bonny said. “I was just, ‘Man, he is the truth.’ I just personally like to get as close as I can to an authentic presentation of an individuals spirit. … I just saw in him the years he’s been doing it, where he is and where his mind is, really. It was inspirational to see. I’ve seen a lot of performances and I like a lot of artists, but there is something about the timing in my life and seeing that show, that kind of hit home for me.â€
As the organizer of Innate Sounds, Bonny said he is trying to craft the group into what a label would look like, without all the red tape. He has organized a digital distribution deal, helped get releases ready for each artist and produced entire albums or tracks for them.
“There were all these other groups around me that are great and I wanted to connect with them,†Bonny said. “So I just said, ‘Hey, rather than us all negotiating how we’re going to be compensated for appearing on this track, let’s become professional, let’s work together. For the good of everyone, let’s connect.â€
Bonny said he has made a few musical connections between artists in Innate Sounds, but most of the artists are eager to work together already. Bonny said the crew is made up of people with similar interests.
“I want people that are genuine and not presenting something that they’re not,†Bonny said. “But at the same time, they have to have a good ear for what I would feel is worth hearing and has a good feel to it.â€
If all this work was not enough, Bonny also does regular DJ gigs at venues around town. Bonny said he spins everything from jazz to hip-hop, and often teams with friends and Innate Sounds members. With the DJ gigs comes finding venues for Innate Sounds artists to play.
“We’re trying to get events,†Bonny said. “We used to do ‘Hip-Hop and Hot Wings’ at the Peanut, which was really good. We need a new venue for that. But we need to find more places or venues that work for us.â€
Bonny also hosts “The Miles Bonny Show†at www.themilesbonnyshow.com, where he interviews Kansas City rappers, DJs, journalists and even family members.
Bonny said he would rather work too much than be bored.
“I feel like I have lived past lives,†Bonny said. “I feel like my current life is to not sit around and watch the TV. It’s not to eat Cheetos. I like Cheetos and I like television and I like to hang out, but I gotta do.â€
To hear more of Miles Bonny and the Innate Sounds Crew visit www.innatesoundscrew.com, www.milesbonny.com, www.myspace.com/milesbonny or follow him on Twitter @milesbonny.
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