Imran Mandani - Abstract Brown

Website Address:

htp://www.RhymeDilation.com

 

Music Style:

Hip Hop, Electronica, Pop, Dance

City:

 

Chicago

State:

IL

 

Country:

United States of America

Band Description

Hip Hop Songwriter from Chicago blends vocal effects, singing, and rhythmic rapping together with upbeat high tempo music that melodically fits the Genres of Synth Pop, Electronica, EDM, Trip Hop, Hip House, Electro Pop, Dance, and Indietronica.   

Additional Band Websites

 

Artist Biography

IMRAN MANDANI

Rhyme Dilation: "Don't keep it real, be Ethereal"

 

A mainstream Asian-Indian Rapper? Unheard of, so you'll quickly realize that Imran Mandani is faced with the challenge of getting more listeners to check him out. Though it might be a good thing for your music marketing efforts to have had someone of your own ethnicity pave the way for you in the Genre you're aiming for, it might actually be better if you're the first of your kind to do something and do it big. These days, Imran Mandani is thinking in the latter even though there had always been stereotypes for him that popped up during freestyle battles back in college in the early 2000s.  "Everyone I battled with on stage had the same 7:11-on-the-dot punchlines for me" Imran explains, and although he went on to win many freestyle competitions, wowing people along the way, he became discouraged.  "People loved me for my lyrical abilities, But I was still Indian, I wanted to graduate college, I wasn't from the "Hood", I didn't have a tattoo, I didn't fake a black accent. I wore clothes from Express and GAP instead of Coogi or Sean John, so I simply didn't fit in. My culture had different expectations of me so Hip Hop just became a pastime to me, a hobby at best." He elaborates further; optimistic and understanding now what he didn't back then: that people should follow their passion in order to be happy in life.  For Imran, the passion for Hip Hop started in Eighth grade during an end of the year field trip to Springfield Illinois; back when Discman CD players were equivalent to today's iPods and touch screen smartphones.  A mundane three hour bus ride to the State Capitol gave him the opportunity to browse through a friend's CD collection.  It was then that he discovered Hip Hop.  It wasn't long before he started writing rhymes of his own, honing his craft till the break-through moment in High School when he realized he could suddenly free-style.  And then it was college; years that seemed to have flown by in a blur for a nostalgic Imran Mandani recalls moments free-styling for groups of people outside of Resident Hall lobbies, off campus taverns, open mic nights and fashion shows.  "I wish I could have video-taped everything.  I remember the time I was at a Frat house and the DJ put on Trance music that he made and I closed my eyes and free-styled to that, and when I opened my eyes ten minutes later, there were about 50 people gathered around me, they came out of nowhere and no one interrupted, not even once." Boasts Imran, who would later put Hip Hop to the side after college to own and operate a family restaurant with his father.  After a hiatus, friends encouraged him to create an online presence and record a mixtape. After recording five songs toward a mixtape, Imran decided to shift gears and record original music as well. After having gone to several producers beforehand, he finally found a producer who understood his vision.   "I was on the way [to the recording studio] and my exhaust system was falling apart, but I still made our first meeting.  I clicked with Justin and even though he didn't particularly cater to Hip Hop music, I felt he was the producer for me."  Imran finished his first two songs "You Should Dance" and "Beneath the Ocean Tide"; lyrically thick Hip Hop/Dance songs with an Electronic/Pop/Top 40 feel that contain elements of the Trip Hop, Hip House, Dream Pop and EDM Genres. The songs caught the attention of DJ Keith "Two Sweet" Calderon, a 14 year veteran of House music with connections to prominent legendary Chicago DJs.  Keith contacted Imran and asked him to perform live at the September 2013 Midwest DJ Festival. After Imran accepted the opportunity, DJ Keith introduced him to Curtis McClain, a Chicago House music legend (who was the vocalist behind Marshall Jefferson's 1986 song '"Move your Body": a song credited for being the first track to make House music go internationally viral and a song remixed by superstar Benny Benassi) and had Curtis introduce Imran Mandani on stage.  Curtis even told the audience that 'the brother got some hot stuff'. The performance was streamed live on internet radio, filmed and uploaded on YouTube. "I push myself to go beyond just making mixtapes where I'm free-styling over other artists' instrumentals about life as an Asian-Indian growing up in America, to becoming a professional Singer/Songwriter as well" says Imran, whose currently working on a track featuring Curtis McClain.  It will be the third song on his debut album, Abstract Brown.  What's next for Imran?  After winning the Microsoft Surface Remix Project in November 2013, he'll be working on high quality remixes as well as professionally recorded mixtape material.  His first professionally recorded mixtape song, a hybrid of a mixtape track and a remix, is a Hip Hop remix to Linkin Park and Steve Aoki's song "A Light that Never Comes" called "The Inner Light".  Plans of making a television show appearance on a musical label influential to classic Chicago House music, DJ International, is on the way. He says he's story boarding for an animated music video as well. Hopefully, his exhaust system stays in one piece on the way to the Recording Studio from now on.  

 
Website: www.RhymeDilation.com

Press Releases: http://www.rhymedilation.com/press-reléase

Artist One Sheet: http://www.rhymedilation.com/one-sheet

Mobile Press Kit: http://www.rhymedilation.com/presskit

Press Room: http://www.rhymedilation.com/press

Mobile App: http://www.reverbnation.com/imranmandani/App