The classic funk of the 70’s & early 80’s is the music that taught me how to play and is the foundation that my sound will be built upon.

This EP is my celebration of that music.

I’ve been a musician for a very long time. I’ve performed on stages as a bass player, a saxophone player, a dancer and a rapper. I’ve written songs for other artists.

The classic funk of the 70’s & early 80’s is the music that taught me how to play and is the foundation that my sound will be built upon.

This EP is my celebration of that music.

I’ve been a musician for a very long time. I’ve performed on stages as a bass player, a saxophone player, a dancer and a rapper. I’ve written songs for other artists. I’ve even ghostwritten verses for a few rappers. However, even as I’ve worn all these musical hats, I have always viewed myself primarily as a producer. From the late 80’s into the early 2000’s much of my creative energy went into honing my production skills while making beats for rappers. Even during the years when I was actively rapping, I really didn’t see myself as an artist. In my mind, the end game was always to get production work.

A few years ago, I began a paradigm shift in how I see myself as a musician. I decided it was time to step out as an artist. (I also wrote about this in the liner notes of “A Child of The 80’s Vol. 1”)

To be honest, the mental shift has been more difficult than I anticipated. I guess, it really is hard for old dawgs to learn new tricks. But it ain’t impossible. And by God’s grace I’m still going.

The biggest challenge I continue to face as an artist is deciding what my sound will be. As a producer, I am a life-long dabbler. I have always created tracks in a variety of styles – and still do - just because I love to make music. But as an artist, I know I can’t do that. In the music industry, the nature of being an artist demands that I narrow my focus a bit.

Last year I created a track that I immediately recognized was the perfect starting point for my sound. I called it “After All These Years” because even though this journey has been long, in some ways I feel like I am just getting started.

After all these years, this leg of my musical journey is finally underway. I hope you enjoy it.

Produced, Written & Arranged by Waynebo Recorded & Mixed by Waynebo All instruments performed by Waynebo All Vocals performed by Waynebo

Tracks 2 & 4 mastered by Mike Smith at Analog Mastering Track 3 mastered by Soundlab Mastering Tracks 1, 5 & 6 mastered with Landr Mastering

© & ℗ 2022 Exodus Music

Buy it on BANDCAMP >> https://waynebo.bandcamp.com/album/a-child-of-the-80s-vol-1 Stream it on your favorite service >> https://lnk.to/AChildOfThe80sV1

The title of this EP describes me. I went to middle school, high school, and college in the 80’s. Everything I learned about being cool, I learned in the 80’s. My taste in music was

Buy it on BANDCAMP >> https://waynebo.bandcamp.com/album/a-child-of-the-80s-vol-1 Stream it on your favorite service >> https://lnk.to/AChildOfThe80sV1

The title of this EP describes me. I went to middle school, high school, and college in the 80’s. Everything I learned about being cool, I learned in the 80’s. My taste in music was firmly established in the 80’s. And, most importantly, I began writing and producing my own music in the 80’s.

I am a child of the 80’s.

As you know, over the last few years 80’s music has seen a bit of resurgence in popularity. Synthwave has gotten the lion’s share of that attention. So much so that when you say “80’s music”, that’s the immediate sonic reference that people get. I always enjoyed that style, but it isn’t what influenced me. My biggest influence was the pop funk that came out of Minneapolis in the early 80’s. It shapes my musical tastes to this day and this EP is my tribute to what those cats did back then.

This EP also has a deeper, more personal significance for me as well. Most of my musical life I have viewed myself exclusively as a producer. Everything I created and/or released during the 90’s and 00’s was done with production and remix work as the endgame. In December of 2016 I decided to make the transition from producer to artist. Mentally, it was a life-changing paradigm shift. The biggest decision I had to make – and am still wrestling with – is “What does Waynebo the artist sound like”? I have always been eclectic in my musical tastes, but when I began creating music in July of 1983, that music was funk. So I decided the world needed some more good ‘ol 80’s funk and I knew I had a ton of it inside of me. Waynebo would be a funk artist! So I thought…

I recorded and mixed this EP in December of 2016 with the intent of releasing it in the spring of 2017. Unfortunately, my lack of diligence with backing up my computer got exposed. Right after I completed this project, my hard drive crashed. It took several months before I was able to recover any of my files. I lost everything I had been working on since 2013!! I was devastated and angry with myself. I knew better, but I got caught slippin’. After receiving a very poorly executed data restoration - almost miraculously - I was able to wade through over 50,000 wav files and find the 4 files containing these songs. In the fall of 2017, I started over from scratch creating music. By this time, there were some other things a bit too personal to share here that happened in my life that completely derailed my musical efforts for the rest of that year so the EP was pushed back yet again.

In early 2018, I released a 3-song EP “2 Stankin’ Minutes (The Prequel)” with the intent to follow it up in the spring with this release. I will spare you the rest of the details about 2018, but this time life blocked my plans in some ways that were beyond my control. Pushed back again… In 2019, I released some music under my Electric Maestro and The King Midas Project Monikers but wavered in my commitment to fully embracing the role of an artist. Truth is, I enjoy being a faceless entity that creates music. When you’re an artist you have to really put yourself out there and share who you are. Producing and composing is more natural for me.

So here we are. I’m finally releasing this EP and opening a new chapter in my musical life. To be honest, I am just as relieved as I am excited. I planned to get this to you a bit earlier this year, but I think it’s fitting that circumstances pushed me into dropping this on my 52nd birthday. It’s a nice birthday present for me and I hope you feel the energy I poured into creating this.

As the work to develop my sound continues, I’ve decided to take you guys on that journey with me. You can expect to see several singles over the next few months with different types of vibes. Please feel free to hit me up on social media or chime in here with some feedback.

And let me know if you want to hear Vol. 2.

Thank you for your support.

p.s. Yes, that's me in 1983 on the cover.

released September 24, 2020

Produced, Arranged, Composed, and Performed by Waynebo Mixed by Waynebo at The Exodus Lab

Mastered on eMastered.com

Buy it on BANDCAMP >> https://waynebo.bandcamp.com/album/2-stankin-minutes-the-prequel

“2 Stankin Minutes (The Prequel)” is an EP of 3 distinctly different grooves – each roughly 2 minutes long - inspired by the funk & pop of the early 80’s.

Those who follow me know I’ve been focused on house and electronic styles for the past few years.

Buy it on BANDCAMP >> https://waynebo.bandcamp.com/album/2-stankin-minutes-the-prequel

“2 Stankin Minutes (The Prequel)” is an EP of 3 distinctly different grooves – each roughly 2 minutes long - inspired by the funk & pop of the early 80’s.

Those who follow me know I’ve been focused on house and electronic styles for the past few years. But if you’ll lend me 2 Stankin Minutes of your time, I’d like to introduce you to another side of me as a musician.

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, 80’s music is back in style. Soon I will join the party with my EP “A Child Of The 80’s Vol. 1”. 4 tracks of 80’s-flavored instrumental funk-pop. But before I drop that EP, I wanted to introduce y’all to my funk side. I’ve been making music since the 80’s, so everything has come full-circle for me. This is just the warm-up.

“2 Stankin Minutes (The Prequel)” is an EP of 3 distinctly different grooves – each roughly 2 minutes long - inspired by the funk & pop of the early 80’s. In contrast to the fully developed compositions on “A Child Of The 80’s Vol. 1”, 2 Stankin Minutes just hits you with the grooves. The Minneapolis influence is obvious and intentional. I had a lot of fun doing these tracks and I hope the energy makes you feel as good as it makes me feel.

Produced, Mixed and Mastered by Waynebo for Exodus Music All instruments played by Waynebo

Buy it >> https://waynebo.bandcamp.com/album/2-stankin-minutes-the-prequel

Stream it on your favorite service >> https://lnk.to/2StankinMinutes

Buy it exclusively on BANDCAMP: https://waynebo.bandcamp.com/album/that-first-sunrise-waynebos-backbeat-mix

In May of 2019 I released “That First Sunrise” as a house track under my The King Midas Project moniker. While I was recording that track, inspiration interrupted. I muted the drums and bass synth. I programmed a nice backbeat-style drum

Buy it exclusively on BANDCAMP: https://waynebo.bandcamp.com/album/that-first-sunrise-waynebos-backbeat-mix

In May of 2019 I released “That First Sunrise” as a house track under my The King Midas Project moniker. While I was recording that track, inspiration interrupted. I muted the drums and bass synth. I programmed a nice backbeat-style drum pattern, picked up my bass guitar and started funkin’. I really liked the results, but I didn’t think it fit with the vibe of the release so I kept it for the archives.

This is a song that’s dripping with positive vibes. I often listen to this track to lift my spirits on stressful days. So after 18 months of bumpin’ this in my car with my son humming along, I decided the energy of this one was too good to just leave it in the archives. I hope you love it like I do.