Cities Aviv

Wilbert Gavin Mays (born 1989), better known by his stage name Cities Aviv, is an American rapper and record producer from Memphis, Tennessee. He is also the
founder of the independent record label Total Works (also known as D.O.T.)

Early life

Gavin Mays was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. He attended Overton High School and Cordova High School. In middle school he started listening to Non Phixion and Necro but also At the Drive-In and Deadsy. At the age of 20, he dropped out of the University of Memphis, where he studied journalism.

Career

Prior to his career as a rapper, Mays was the lead singer of a hardcore punk band, Copwatch, as well as a roadie for his friend's bands. During his involvement with the band, he began experimenting with hip hop music, eventually making the full leap into the genre. In 2011, he released his debut mixtape, '' Digital Lows'', which received positive reviews from music publications such as ''Pitchfork'' and '' Spin''.

In 2012 he relocated to New York and released his follow-up mixtape, ''Black Pleasure'', through streetwear company Mishka NYC's record label before signing to Young One Records. Mays describes his initial intent behind the album as "trying to make a pop record" as well as being inspired by My Bloody Valentines 1991 album Loveless to bury his vocals in the mix.

After releasing the "URL IRL" single in 2013, he released his debut studio album, '' Come to Life'', on Young One Records in 2014. Shortly thereafter the label ceased operations.

He subsequently released his sophomore album ''Your Discretion Is Trust'' on Collect Records in 2015. This same record was later given an official release by Ormolycka.

In 2018 he released ''Raised for a Better View'', which forged his canonical outre punk approach together with a new solemn & angular sound . This album was the 1st edition on Total Works (also known as D.O.T. ivision of Total. Since then all of Cities Aviv's output as well as an eclectic array of other artist's projects has been distribuoted by the label.

Since 2019, Mays has also released music through a side project, entitled African-American Sound Recordings. The work under this project takes more of an experimental instrumental style, utilizing a variety of samples, including original field recordings. The style is a blend of hip-hop and more experimental genres such as noise and ambient.

Mays released three full-length albums (''Accompanied by a Blazing Solo'', ''Gum'', and ''Immortal Flame'') in 2020. These albums are commonly referred to as "The Triad". In a 2021 interview he states, these records were completely improvised in full. He mentions John Frusciante's album '' Smile from the Streets You Hold'' as a minimal inspiration on the recording atmosphere.

In 2021 Mays released ''The Crashing Sound Of How It Goes'' via D.O.T. The album has been described as "an hour-long meditation". Compared to its predecessors, ''The Crashing Sound'' saw Mays focus more on writing again. A limited run of cassettes designed by Geng PTP was sold after the initial release.

In 2022, Mays put out both ''Man Plays The Horn'' and ''Working Title For The Album Secret Waters''. ''Secret Waters'' was in large parts inspired by a four-day therapy retreat he attended in early 2022.

Musical style and influences

Cities Aviv is known for his eclectic production style. His songs merge varying stylistic decisions. His early influences partly include Boris, Jay Dee, Die Tödliche Doris, 8Ball & MJG, Black Moon, James Brown, Throbbing Gristle, and noise music. Critics also noted post-punk influences on his works, accompanied by lyrical references to Joy Division and Psychic TV.

Discography

As Cities Aviv:

Studio albums

* '' Come to Life'' (2014)
* ''Your Discretion Is Trust'' (2015)
* ''Immortal Flame'' (2020)
* ''Gum'' (2020)
* ''Accompanied by a Blazing Solo'' (2020)
* ''The Crashing Sound of How It Goes'' (2021)
* ''Man Plays the Horn'' (2022)
* ''Working Title for the Album Secret Waters'' (2022)
* ''Archive & Practice 001'' (2024)
* ''Cafe Tom Tom'' (2024)

EPs

* ''Bernadette Leak'' (2024)

Mixtapes

* '' Digital Lows'' (2011)
* ''Black Pleasure'' (2012)
* ''Raised for a Better View'' (2018)

Singles

* "Coastin" (2011)
* "Wet Dream" (2011)
* "Flex Your Gold" (2012)
* "I Want All" (2012)
* " URL IRL" (2013)
* "Melanin Drop" (2016)
* "If I Could Hold Your Soul" (2017)
* "Black on Earth / Thorns" (2018)
* "Say No More" (2018)
* "Get up with Time" (2018)
* "Accompanied by a Blazing Solo" (2020)
* "love. fool. revue." (2021)
* "Episodes" (2021)
* "WAYS OF THE WORLD" (2021)
* "CINEMA CLUB" (2022)

Guest appearances

Production Credits

As African-American Sound Recordings:

Albums:

* AND EYE (Seen What I Saw) (2019)
* Outreach Ministries (2020)
* Erasure Poetry (2021)
* Tamika's Lodge (2022)
* Free Flower (2023)
* The Private World of Correspondence (2023)
* Share Spirit (2023)
* Be Somewhere Twice (2025)
* Hits of Ash (2025)

References

External links

*

Cities Aviv
at Bandcamp
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aviv, Cities
1989 births
Living people
Rappers from Memphis, Tennessee
Musicians from Memphis, Tennessee
African-American male rappers
21st-century American male rappers
20th-century American male rappers
African-American record producers
American hip-hop record producers
Alternative hip-hop musicians
American punk rock singers
African-American rock musicians
21st-century American rappers
21st-century American male musicians
21st-century African-American musicians
20th-century African-American musicians
Cloud rappers