Strange Famous is proud to present CANCEL THE GUILLOTINE, the new EP from SFR veterans Seez Mics and Aupheus!
The 5-song collection is available to download at StrangeFamous.com and at the SFR Bandcamp.
7-Inch Records and Cassettes are also available to pre-order here.
CTG Is also available to stream on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Tidal, and wherever you listen to music.
Both Seez and Aupheus have made their mark in the SFR universe over the years, dropping solo projects like Seez’s “Live Long Enough To Learn” and Aupheus’ “Megalith” (both in 2018), as well as appearing on multiple releases from other members of the SFR crew. The pair commenced their cross-oceanic collaboration when they learned that they’d both cemented their longtime association with Strange Famous as members of the inaugural slate of artists signed to the Strange Famous Digital imprint.
Here is their story, and the story of “Cancel The Guillotine,” in their own words:
SEEZ MICS
I couldn’t tell you what Aupheus looks like.
Aupheus couldn’t tell you what I smell like.
However, after listening to our new album “Cancel The Guillotine,” I think you’ll agree that we sound uncancellable.
Aupheus and I joined SFdigi during the initial roster roll-out in September 2016. We began exchanging emails about how excited we were to be on the same label because we were already fans of each other, and we made plans to collaborate on songs for our respective albums.
I remember the time frame very clearly because less than a month later, I was listening to early mixes of our first song “Macro Mirror” during my honeymoon. I kept telling my new bride about the effortless chemistry I had with this producer from London, and how magical an experience it was to instantly connect with someone I hoped to collaborate with in the future. The irony was not lost on my wife. I’m a very romantic person.
In 2018, Aupheus and I doubled down on our burgeoning alliance when we repeated the magic with our second song “My Pincode To Everything.” Like “Macro Mirror,” the industrially dystopian beat and specifically abstract rhymes blended seamlessly to form a song that was uniquely hip-hop but also uniquely something… else.
Aupheus and I began discussing doing an entire album together in 2019. As life would have it, my free time rapidly declined due to a new baby, which led to a new job, which led to a new worldview, all of which led to a new approach to time management.
I’ve always been a deliberate, meticulous writer. I won’t even listen to a new beat unless I’m sure I’ll have enough time to start writing immediately should the mood strike me. This was a fine process when I was single and responsible solely for my own needs and wants, but not so much once there were diapers to change and diaper-related bills to pay. Whenever Aupheus would email me about getting the album started, I’d have to politely kick the proverbial diaper down the road. (Sorry. It was a time full of diapers.)
As with most of the world, all of this changed in 2020. I was suddenly home a lot more and able to shuffle off to the basement once the wife and kids were occupied by things other than listening to my political rants or hawt sports takes.
So, I emailed Aupheus to say, “Bruh, enough waiting - let’s give the world what it needs right now!” (I think I actually said, “Hey, send me a beat and let’s see where it goes.”) The first beat he sent eventually became “et al.” I wrote and recorded it in one session, which is very unusual for me. I could tell our chemistry had not diminished during our time apart, so we kept working at a rapid pace until BOOM we had the five songs that comprise “Cancel The Guillotine.”
It was an honor to work with Aupheus. He is brilliant, diligent, and professional. I look forward to our next project.
As for the meaning of “Cancel The Guillotine”
I say more than enough on the record itself, so I’ll keep it brief here:
we should all
metaphorically and literally
cancel
metaphorical and literal
means
of cancellation
photo credit: Tef Wesley
*** *** *** *** *** ***
AUPHEUS
Since Seez already properly recounted the genesis of our union and detailed his writing process, I'm going to lean into the technical side of the album - as is fitting for the producer, I suppose.
'Cancel the Guillotine’ is a 5 track collaborative project between me and Seez Mics; Seez on the raps, me on the beats.
The whole project was done remotely through the pandemic, with Seez in the US and me in the UK. Seez recorded all of the vocals at his home studio and sent me the stems. We communicated entirely by email.
I was sending beats over at an early ‘sketch’ stage, rough and basic, from there we’d share ideas back-and-forth to develop them together. I can say for certain that the beats would have sounded different if I’d been working completely solo.
The beat that became the title track “Cancel the Guillotine” was originally slower than the final version, at about 80bpm. Seez suggested speeding it up to 100bpm which at the time I thought was a crazy idea as I’d envisioned it as a slow and brooding joint… but turned out it worked much better at the faster tempo!
There were lots of moments like this while working on the beats for this project; I was the one physically putting them together but in terms of ideas, the production on this record is a collaborative effort.
We initially decided to put together a 4 track project. Seez had the idea of sequencing the tracks in speed order, starting with the slowest track and finishing with the fastest (or vice versa). The first track we recorded was ‘et. al;’ that beat was originally a quick sketch I’d put together on the SP202. It was super slow at 65.5bpm so we decided to use that as the slowest extreme and increase from there.
Aside from the SP202 I also ran various sounds through an Emu EMAX I rack sampler for more old school crunch / beef / magic.
Every track makes use of the turntables in some shape or form; I sampled a load of old records and used Serato to scratch Seez’ vocals. I also used an electric guitar run through a midi pedal and various effects to create sounds. The scratches on the title track I ran through a wah pedal. On the software side, everything is sequenced in Logic with a selection of 3rd party plugins.
The final track “They're All Lying To You, Some Are Just Honest About It” (“TALTY” for short) was the last track we put together. The beat originally was at a constant tempo and had the same spacey vibe throughout, but Seez had the idea to gradually increase the speed - I hadn’t heard anything like that recently (probably since "Alphabet Aerobics" - RIP Gift of Gab). I wasn’t sure quite how that was going to work, but I implemented the speed change and Seez came back with those intense vocal takes building to a climax. Once I heard that, it made sense to rework the music to crescendo around the vocals. That was quite a challenge to see how far I could push the dynamic intensity on that one, building multiple layers of sound without the mix getting too messy and ensuring that the vocals were still punchy and audible. It took a few days of trial and error before I got that working to my satisfaction. Hopefully the beat does the vocals justice. I think “TALTY” and “Cancel the Guillotine” are my two favourites from the record.
As a final note, I’m appreciative of Seez being open to giving and receiving constructive criticism without awkwardness or fear of causing offence, that’s the way I like it. If you’ve had experience working with people in any creative field then you’ll know that’s not always the case, ha. I think we had a great working dynamic in that respect. I’m hoping we’ll be able to work on more music in the near future.
To everyone who takes the time to check out the record - salute! Thanks for listening. - A
TRACKLISTING
1. et al. (3:46)
2. Cancel the Guillotine (2:42)
3. Big Bank Bang (2:31)
4. Solipsistic Human (3:59)
5. They're All Lying To You, Some Are Just Honest About It (3:50)
Total Running Time: 16:49
All vocals by Seez Mics
All music by Aupheus
Mixed & mastered by Aupheus
Artwork by Aupheus
CANCEL THE GUILLOTINE: THE COMPLETE LYRICS
1. et al.
We binge through - what we’ve been thru
Then we purge any urge to dwell
And hopefully it helps to buy like it hurts to sell
The search for self: a solo performance
Opening to rave reviews until the curtains fell
Now the audience is earth bound
Polarized, then reversed by the history we only learn
To learn how to claim to know how this turns out
But it turns out
We’re just building new lives from the ashes of the ones we just burned down
And guess what… it’s just your turn now
Simian impulse to violence- why’s it the wisest
Are seen as the weakest, who needs their silence?
Who benefits from the repetitive sedative of propaganda and the mileage of a mindless virus
I speak not of COVID 19 or Miley Cyrus
I speak of course of the perspective from power
They don’t see you as a friend
They don’t see you as a foe
They don’t see you at all
et al.
They don’t see you as a lover
They don’t see you as a hater
They don’t see you at all
et al.
So you see
They don’t see you, so
You are not a right, you are not a wrong
Quite simply, unless you are seen
You simply are not
Widgets fidget digits- zeroes and ones
Cowards and heroes succumb to mysterious hum
Appearing to come from ulterior drums
And some lump sum numb from - over exposure
Let go and hold your composure
The underbite looking over your shoulder’s
Screaming “Get over it, soldier!”
We only get older - associate sober - the ultimate poster
Child for “at least I’m not them”
So amen, yes a-gain… again and again
Been waiting to start for so long, wonder if it ever will end
You have no message to send unless it offends
So let’s just pretend reality is a sight for sore eyes
Most importantly - your eyes
Where beauty is beholden to an intangibly ephemeral golden
age
That has never, does not, and will not exist
This is not a commercial
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2. Cancel The Guillotine
I don’t look ahead - cause I don’t look the part
The past is no place to put your heart
The books’re smart, the streets’re smarter
Wonder why either would teach ya to be a martyr
Carve a - name into armour, arm a charmer
With karma to harm a flight risk
Don’t blink or you might miss - not overt as a sliced wrist
More like pairs of loose lips and tight fists -
Loose as a noose - tight as a vice grip
(Welcome to) the beginning of the enzyme
Vacant stares at stairs leading to a for rent sign
Space taken for granted like bottled water at bedtime
Skip to the head of the breadline wreaking of red wine
10, 9, 8 the gears grind like clockwork
Alarm goes off and your virtue is not worth
The yard sign it was signaled on
Now the mob’s on your lawn with pistols drawn, so sing along
When did the commercials go so commercial
The death toll expo, a heads roll reversal
It hurts so we seek out elixirs to fix us
The trick is the truth is a nuisance and flickers
In shadows and sun light we see through the hood
As a solemn reflection of the people we could
Be…
If it wasn’t for the guillotine
Cancel the guillotine
Your beliefs don’t believe what you believe em to mean
With an emphasis on Sisyphus, they killed the king of the hill
Over petty differences - simplistic image of privilege is synchronous with innocence until proven guilty by association
(Kill the vibe) vilified so they won’t debate him
They tried to object in the court of public opinion
But this sort of peasantry is unbecoming the kingdom
Immutable characteristics become heuristics
For the opportunistic - it’s film or be filmed
Now the nuance is little more than a proxy war
Ignore the blood - lock the door so we can mop the floor
The stocks’ll soar, the crowds’ll roar
Inflating a rotten core but we’ll still want more
Sure, the city slicker is a shitty tipper
Who differs only to beg for an arm and a leg to stay ahead of the grifter
Crypto klepto kept no coin that couldn’t be leveraged
As a threat if they couldn’t settle on severance
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3. Big Bank Bang
Money… who needs it, amiright?
Money is not real
Unlike loved ones and a hot meal
I say this as a man doing all that I can
To keep my family fed
Pardon the paradox, I hope you understand what I meant
When I said the revolution will not be live streamed
The swiped screen is just another victimless crime scene
While the power changes hands in a Byzantine pipe dream
Legislators and agitators are reshooting the fight scenes
Pushed to the brink of pulling a weapon out
Cause a lack of leadership ensures followers never count
Some reach into their pockets for the fresh amounts
The rest are living check to checking out- so check it out
Don’t spend more than you make
Do make more than you spend
You’ll be excited by stability
When they grow bored of the trend
The horde will descend, however
Your ascent is not prophesized
Mobility is priceless
Especially when your movement is now monetized
I’ll subscribe to any theory provided there’s no pay wall
Or lottery lobotomy propping me on an eight ball
Or robbery of property by case law and chain saw
Selling to be sold is civilization’s trade off
Listen all a ya’ll, it’s self-sabotage
We built an insane asylum where the padded walls
Are made from dominoes of debt and the last to fall
Will be the first to collapse it all
We’re all little banks
When big bank
Has a Big Bang
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4. Solipsistic Human
The solipsistic human
Left all of this in ruins
I’m older than I look - I’m younger than I act
I even once wrote a book about covering my tracks
But I could never just relax, so I never wrote it down
So it’s somewhere in my head where I watch it float around
I take no pride in my process, the ultimate “is what it is”
Since man first took what wasn’t his, I’ve been hunting with
The intent of gathering for distribution
A little problem, a big solution, less intuition, more institution
Introducing the solipsistic human
Left all of this in ruins
I gotta tell you- those politicians knew what they were doing,
recruiting the solipsistic human
Known to exist solely on a feedback loop of
Extremely unlikely and somewhat satisfied
Finding the courage to tell you he’s courageous in the face of unrelenting cowardice
While ignoring the mirror’s insistence that the face
Is his own
I’m the type of dipshit
To use words like solipsistic
My worldview is so holistic
Unless I need to be optimistic
Pessimistic, half full of myself
But I’ll readily drink your cup of tea
Everyone will just agree (with me) if you leave it up to me
The fucks are free
But I charge for the blanket and pills
While you sit in a cage made of minimum wage
As the pendulum sways and I’m getting a raise
To be a cog in the wheel that is crushing you
See, the time and the place for opining on race
Is when I’m in a space for defining what’s safe
So when I get a taste of the violence you face
I escape through policy that abandons you
Climate change my mind - climate keep the change
I think outside the box, but no thoughts outside Tiananmen Square
Stare - drifting through my ipad
Where my amygdala gets hijacked
Til I take on personas so do me the honor
Of applying my performative eye black
Limiting opportunity - to guarantee an outcome
Karl Friedman, Milton Marx alchemizing
Until one intolerant and intolerable jackass is given the press room
Eagerly selling fear as a precursor to… protection
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5. They're All Lying To You, Some Are Just Honest About It
Seeking out a challenge for the thrill, the kill
The credit - it’s not worth it, I get it
But I let it get to me and I wanna fix your facelift (face it, you’re faceless)
Conservatives’ll shapeshift, liberals’ll race grift
A stasis of plaintiffs content to watch the paint drip
No longer satisfied with the product or its placement
Makeshift patriarch- the dad shop is out of stock
For all our mommy issues, we’re all ticks without a tock
Can’t be out of time if you die around the clock
Can’t be out of line if the line’s around the block
In the blink of an eye, the link will be live
It’ll sync to your mind as you wink your disguise
You may think you decide, but when you think of divide
Do you think of your side… (or the other side?)
There are no sides to a circle, yet we have an Earthfull
Of tribes who collide when supplied with a virtue
To signal, the symbol of simian circuitry
No longer serving its role in survival
The truth will set you on fire, the lie will set you to sleep
So when you see everything burning returning the promises
They couldn’t keep
To the lenders who send us a bill for belief
In the building of bridges, the business of
Sheltering trolls underneath an emotional speech
Given while swimming in guilt then spilled
In the tide now brimming with regrets we inherit
Where we hide our misgivings in the dead that we’ve buried
And reside in the prison of the debt that we carry
Til we lie for a living like a press secretary
It’s a what, it’s a what- it’s a newscycle scam
And it gets its ideas from the truth when it can
When it can’t, it’s a fig leaf cut from whole cloth
At no cost to the audience it blows off
Rolls off the tongue to rise from the grave
The election was stolen, the laptop was fake
The bias to buy us is harmless without it
They’re all lying to you
Some are just honest about it
Pride will kill more heroes than villains
Cause villains know pride isn’t real
By the time the hero comes to their senses
The defense has filed an emotional appeal