Meantime (EP)
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''Meantime'' is the second EP by
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
record producer and musician
Kwes Kwesi Sey, professionally known as Kwes (; sometimes stylised as ''kwes'', ''kwes.'', ''Kwes.'' or '' =o'' ) is a British music producer, composer and artist from London, England. Kwes is also currently signed to Warp as a solo artist and rel ...
. It was released on 30 April 2012 on
Warp Records Warp Records is a British independent record label that specialises in Electronic music, electronic, indie rock and experimental music. It was founded in Sheffield in 1989 by Steve Beckett, Robert Mitchell and Robert Gordon. It has released recor ...
.


Background

The release is a follow-up to his debut EP release '' No Need To Run''. Early demos for ''Meantime'' were written and composed as far back as 2008, but were accidentally wiped off his computer.Dombal, Ryan. (7 March 2012)
Rising: Kwes – Features – Pitchfork
''Pitchfork''. Retrieved on 2012-07-31.
''Meantime'' was completed in January 2012 after finishing production work for DELS' '' GOB'',
Speech Debelle Corynne Elliot (born 17 March 1983), better known as Speech Debelle, is a British hip hop, British rapper formerly signed to the Big Dada record label. She was the winner of the 2009 Mercury Prize for her debut album ''Speech Therapy (album), Sp ...
's ''
Freedom of Speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...
'', Sunless '97's ''Making Waves'' and DRC Music's '' Kinshasa One Two''. Not being the first record to feature Kwes' vocals, the musical composition of ''Meantime'' is marked by Kwes accepting his ability to sing more prominently compared to his previous efforts. "Using my voice and writing about personal events is the most honest-- as well as the hardest-- way of expressing myself. If you caught me two, three, four years ago, I wouldn't have had the balls to do that." Kwes cited one of his musical heroes
Robert Wyatt Robert Wyatt (born Robert Wyatt-Ellidge, 28 January 1945) is an English retired musician. A founding member of the influential Canterbury scene bands Soft Machine and Matching Mole, he was initially a kit drummer and singer before becoming para ...
as someone whose music encouraged him to accept his ability to sing on ''Meantime''.(10 October 2011)
Blue Daisy Live In The Studio
''Red Bull''. Retrieved on 2012-07-31.
Svenn. 13 October 2011

''ROBERT WYATT AND STUFF''. Retrieved on 2012-08-01.
The record's title refers ambiguously to the location of Kwes' London hometown – and to the record itself as his EP before his planned debut studio album.
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...
and his tour DJ Mano sampled Kwes' song 'LGOYH' for
Pusha T Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as one half of the Virginia-based hip hop duo Clipse, which he formed with his older brother No Malice, Malice. M ...
's track "Who I Am", which features on Pusha T's debut album "
My Name Is My Name ''My Name Is My Name'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Pusha T. It was released on October 7, 2013, by GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings. While leading up to the album's announcement, Pusha T released the mixtape ''Fear of God'' and ...
".


Composition


Music and style

''Meantime'' has been described by
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
's Paul Lester and
The Quietus ''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics. Content ''The Quietu ...
' Kiran Acharya as a meticulous record with a subtle ability to constantly shift between pop to
prog-rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed "progressive pop", the ...
and
house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
to R&B.
Electronics Electronics is a scientific and engineering discipline that studies and applies the principles of physics to design, create, and operate devices that manipulate electrons and other Electric charge, electrically charged particles. It is a subfield ...
and
computers A computer is a machine that can be programmed to automatically carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations ('' computation''). Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as ''programs'', ...
are used but not intentionally to exude an 'electronic' or cold feel that is said by Lester to be quite commonplace in synth music. "It '' eantime' is as far from cold synth music as you can get – there's a warmth to it, a playfulness and forlorn exuberance that makes it sound as human as any acoustic singer-songwriter record."


Lyrical themes

Kwes explains that the songs' themes are hopeful in mood, as opposed to being melancholy, because of his acceptance of the idea of imperfection and embracing maturity. "Imperfection is a massive part of me, and now I'm embracing that whole side to everything. Maybe that's why I am a lot happier."Acharya, Kiran. (27 April 2012
The Quietus – Features – Escape Velocity – Positivity In Pop: An Interview With Kwes.
''The Quietus''. Retrieved on 2012-08-01.
Kwes has also cited
Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...
and
Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (June 20, 1942 – June 11, 2025) was an American musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often Brian Wilson is a genius, called a genius for his novel approaches to pop compositio ...
to be direct lyrical influences. Mike Diver of
BBC Music BBC Music is the arm of the BBC responsible for the music played across its services. The current director of music is Lorna Clarke. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio operational division; however, its remit also includes music used i ...
complimented Meantime's closer 'LGOYH' for its lasting impression, "marked by some memorable, heartfelt lines, for example: 'worthwhile love is a handful'". Diver also positively compares Kwes' songwriting to
Bloc Party Bloc Party are an English Rock music, rock band that was formed in London, England, London in 1999 by co-founders Kele Okereke (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, piano, sampler) and Russell Lissack (lead guitar). Their first four albums all featur ...
's
Kele Okereke Rowland Kelechukwu "Kele" Okereke (born 13 October 1981), also known :wikt:mononym, mononymously as Kele, is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the indie rock band Bloc Part ...
and the up-tempo pop sensibilities of 'Bashful' to
Hot Chip Hot Chip is an English synth-pop band formed in London in 2000. The group consists of multi-instrumentalists Alexis Taylor, Joe Goddard (musician), Joe Goddard, Al Doyle, Owen Clarke, and Felix Martin. They are occasionally joined by former memb ...
.Diver, Mike. (30 April 2012)
BBC – Music – Review of Kwes – Meantime
''BBC''. Retrieved on 2012-08-01.
The theme of unrequited love in 'Honey' takes direct inspiration from the
Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by thei ...
' song
Vegetables Vegetables are edible parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. This original meaning is still commonly used, and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including flowers, fruits, ...
, which was written by Brian Wilson. "'Honey' is me literally writing from the perspective of a cabbage. I'm looking up to the cupboard and the jar of honey."


Track listing


Personnel

Credits taken from
Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...
.Discogs
Kwes – Meantime (Vinyl) at Discogs
''
Discogs.com Discogs ( ; short for "discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''The N ...
''. Retrieved on 2012-08-01
*Kwes. – Writer, producer, performer, designer *Kevin Metcalfe – mastering *Sinem Erkas –
typography Typography is the art and technique of Typesetting, arranging type to make written language legibility, legible, readability, readable and beauty, appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, Point (typogra ...


References


External links


Kwes' Meantime EP on Warp
2012 EPs Kwes albums Warp Records EPs {{Portal, Record production Albums produced by Kwes