Kamaal Williams


Kamaal Williams is a British musician and record producer. Williams rose to prominence alongside drummer Yussef Dayes in 2016 as one half of the short-lived London-based jazz group Yussef Kamaal following the release of the duo's debut album, Black Focus, which earned them the 'Breakthrough Act' award at the 2017 Jazz FM awards. In addition to live instrumentation, Williams also releases electronic music under his given name Henry Wu.

Early life

Williams was born as Henry Williams in Peckham, South London to a Taiwanese mother and British father. Growing up, Williams took an interest in learning Mandarin and Chinese calligraphy. From an early age, Williams was involved with a number of creative pursuits. His interest in calligraphy, as well as his parents' involvement with graphic design, contributed to an interest in street art and graffiti culture, an influence which is reflected in the album art of later projects such as Black Focus and The Return.
Williams took an early interest in music. In primary school, he learnt drums and percussion which he played in the school band. It was during this time that Williams cultivated a formative grounding in jazz, funk and house music. His father introduced him to jazz with songs by Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Alongside an interest in jazz, Williams also developed a taste for garage and grime music, citing the 2001 release Execute by fellow South Londoners Oxide & Neutrino as a major influence.
Williams mainly played drums during his youth, and was initially primarily influenced in producing hip hop in the style of 90s boom bap.

Career

After high school, Williams attended the Bermondsey Centre of Southwark College, where he studied music production and learned to play the keyboard. Around this time, Williams began gigging regularly around London, eventually landing a place in the band of Katy B alongside drummer Joshua McKenzie. In 2008, Williams put on a show with the then fourteen-year-old drummer Yussef Dayes, with whom he would later form Yussef Kamaal. Williams remained with Katy B for two years before leaving the band to focus on his own music.
From 2012 onward, Williams released a number of short, broken-beat and house releases under the name Henry Wu, including 2014's Natural Complexion, which featured former bandmate and fellow London musician, Ed 'Tenderlonious' Cawthorne. In 2013, Williams assisted Cawthorne in establishing 22a, a London-based, artist run record label. Amidst this period, Williams almost quit music. In 2012, he sold what he approximates to be 80% of his musical equipment, citing "disillusionment" as the main contributing factor.

Yussef Kamaal

In 2016, Williams recruited both Dayes and Cawthorne to perform at the 2016 Worldwide Awards hosted by London DJ and broadcaster Gilles Peterson. Williams and Dayes were subsequently signed to Peterson's independent label, Brownswood Recordings.
The duo released their debut album, Black Focus, under the name Yussef Kamaal in November 2016. The album was met with critical acclaim. Clash Music described the sound as "exceptional, vital" and "enthralling"; whilst Canadian magazine Exclaim! described it simply as "dope". The album was widely praised for its unique blend of sounds traditionally associated with jazz, hip hop and breakbeat music. Williams revealed that large amounts of the album were improvised in the studio, and emphasised the importance of musical dialogue between the musicians in structuring the performances. The album was engineered by Malcolm Catto of The Heliocentrics and recorded at his studio in London. Williams praised his "old school" approach to recording and crediting him with mixing two of the tracks on the album.
Williams and Dayes collaborated for a brief and tumultuous period following the album's release. Shortly before embarking on a tour of the United States, the band were refused entry to the country after Dayes' visa was revoked in accordance with an executive immigration order implemented by the Trump Administration. Several weeks later, the duo announced their split. Williams has since been reticent regarding the incident, but has maintained that he continues to admire and support Dayes in his solo ventures. On his split with Dayes, Williams commented: "Nothing has really ended; it travelled into something new and fresh now."

''The Return'' and Black Focus Records

In the years following, Williams established his own label, Black Focus Records. Less than two years after the release of Black Focus, Williams enlisted the services of former bandmate and drummer Josh 'MckNasty' McKenzie and bassist Pete Martin to produce his solo bandleader debut, The Return. The album was recorded in the South London house Williams grew up in. The album was recorded over the course of a week. Recording engineer Richard Samuels remarked that, despite having the opportunity to record in professional studios, the performance of the musicians in a familiar and comfortable environment was conducive to a "free flowing album".
The Return was received as a "sequel" to Black Focus and charted in the UK at number 63. The album holds an aggregated score of 76 on Metacritic, indicating "generally favourable" reviews. The album was praised for its blend of genres, a sound Williams has called "a London thing". Pitchfork praised the album for its sonic palette, and offered light criticism with respect to the brevity of some of the tracks. The album peaked at sixty-three on the UK charts. The release of The Return prompted Williams' first global tour, spanning across the UK, Europe, Australian and New Zealand, with former bandmate Mansur Brown as support. Brown would also be the second artist under Black Focus Records.
The album was supported by the release of a music video for Salaam, the album's opening track. The video was directed by Greg Barnes and was shot in Marrakesh, Morocco, which according to Williams, "is a special place for me, a huge inspiration for my work." Williams dedicated the album to the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire of 2017.
Following the album's release, The Return was remixed by Snips with vocal samples from the Wu-Tang Clan.
The Return was nominated for 'Independent Album of the Year' at the 2018 AIM Independent Music Awards.

Career as Henry Wu

Williams hosts a monthly radio show on NTS Radio as Henry Wu, playing a selection of music from his influences and associated acts in the London scene.
In 2015, Williams collaborated with fellow London based producer, K15, to produce an EP entitled WU15.

Musical style

Williams has emphasised the importance of rhythm in his music. Having previously been a drummer, Williams aims to bring a percussive approach to the keyboard.
Williams' sound on Black Focus and The Return has been called a blend of several genres, among them jazz, funk, hip hop, grime, garage and broken beat.
Despite citing influences such as Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Herbie Hancock, Williams has frequently rejected the term 'jazz' being applied to his music, rejecting the "elitist" and traditionalist connotations it evokes. He has instead opted to create music under the eponymous genre of 'Wu funk'. Piotor Orlov of NPR said that " 'jazz' is grounded in post-Mwandishi Herbie Hancock, Bob James' "Nautilus" and J Dilla productions." Williams has also listed Jamiroquai, Roy Ayers and Donald Byrd as influences. Williams has frequently stressed the influence that his home city, London, has had on his music. Speaking on The Return, Williams emphasised the fact that the album represents all of London, in that the various contributors came from a diverse cross-section of the city's areas.
When playing live, Williams said that he with his own band "completely improvise with the base of the song. On the night we don’t know how it’s going to sound. Spontaneous and loose in the structure, it allows us to express ourselves. We just let it roll out."

Instruments

On his album The Return, Williams has used a Nord Electro keyboard, a Roland Juno 106 and a Wurlitzer piano.

Personal life

Williams adopted the name Kamaal upon converting to Islam in 2011. According to a 2018 interview, religion has played a key role in Williams' approach to his career, reminding him to remain humble and grateful in the face of success. The doctrinal principles of Islam are the "foundations" of Williams' beliefs, and, according to the artist, "translate into his music". In a 2018 interview, Williams said on the topic of changing his name: "...as a creative it just allows you to express yourself in a different way. Henry Wu is my ethnic background, and Kamaal is my spiritual background."
Speaking of public recognition, Williams said that "being in the limelight is something that I’m very conscious of." Further stating: "I’m just in this for the music and to provide my family.”

Discography

As Henry Wu

WU15