Recently, Quilla recorded an interview with @wallywallacesax on his awesome podcast, Off the Beat. Links below! They talk about music entrepreneurship and being a studio artist. A really fun conversation about work, life and inspiration. Quilla gives career advice to emerging artists, such as learning about publishing rights, understanding your skillsets and goals as an artist, etc.
Link: https://bit.ly/2CzgedX
Apple Music / iTunes: https://apple.co/2Vc6XzH
Johanna Breed‘s solo debut EP Is It Too Late? (Ritual Fire Records) was released worldwide on November 9th, 2018. It was written and performed by Johanna Breed and produced by Quilla, whose background in vocal production helped put Breed’s vocal skills and unique lyrical style front-and-center.
Themes of confidence, joy, and control are expressed through Breed’s lyrics and the upbeat, danceable tracks are balanced by others that are more introspective. Breed delivers gems such as “Mister,” an anthem for warrior queens from the future, as well as the title track “Is It Too Late?” which explores anxiety in the age of accomplishment.
PRESS REVIEWS
“With minimalist neo-soul production, gospel-tinged piano, layered vocal harmonies, fingersnap backbeats and a warmth to Breed’s singing, the record has a slinky exuberance. It’s a mellow future-funk statement of optimism and uplift. ” – John Adamian, YES! Weekly
“The results are impressive. The title cut from her debut EP (…) is saturated with funk interrupted by intervals of churchy organ riffs. Breed channels ’70s-era sax soul…” – Go Triad
More On the Artist
Johanna Breed is a neo-soul pop artist from Greensboro, North Carolina. She blends analog and electronic elements to create a fresh sound that she calls “future soul.” As showcased on her debut EP “Is It Too Late?” (Ritual Fire Records, 2018), her songs include beats, horns, synths, and layered vocals textured with talkbox. A multi-faceted performer whose strength lies in her powerful, expressive voice, Breed strives to create a sonic world that is uplifting and unexpected with vocal stylings inspired by her love of Soul, R&B, and Hip-hop.
April Harris, founder of Gate City Live podcast, interviews Quilla and bassist Keith Miller on healing, spirituality through musical expression, and much more. A compelling listen that includes live performances by the artists. Quilla sings “Eye to Eye” from her latest album You Got It. Keith Miller plays “Hope” from his 2012 instrumental album Live at Unity Chapel.
Artists at Work is a podcast from Artstitution, which is dedicated to building the arts through storytelling. Thomas Breeden interviewed Quilla for this series and notes, “she weaves her love of music, language, and visual aesthetics to define her musical identity”. They discuss creativity, time management, and not falling into self-indulgence.
The podcast can also be found on Apple iTunes Podcasts.
Quilla performed at Castella: The Enchanted Music Fest at Castle McCulloch in Jamestown, NC, in August 2018. All photos are stills from videography by Brian Dowtin.
Johanna Breed’s debut neo-soul album delivers fun musical gems, notably “Mister” and “Is It Too Late?”. The album showcases Breed’s vocal skills and uplifting songwriting style, as well as catchy arrangements by Quilla. The album will be released on November 9th, 2018 on Quilla’s label, Ritual Fire Records. Listen to two tracks here.
Quilla has begun teaching workshops at her studio in Greensboro NC to help women and femmes become more self-reliant with their music technology and production skills. All production levels welcome. This is a safe space with no judgment about any hurdles or technical problems you may experience when trying to produce your own music.
Sunday Sept 30th, 2018. 1-3pm. Electronic Music Production Workshop for Women. We will cover introductory concepts about electronic music production, talk about gear, digital workflow and file management, reflect on mixing techniques and have group discussion about the hurdles and challenges that arise from composing and producing electronically.
Weds Oct 3rd, 2018. 1-3pm: Vocal Production Workshop for Women. We are going to talk extensively about the human voice, as well as how to record vocals, how to EQ, how to compress, how to get the most out of your recording equipment, approaches to mixing vocals with other instruments, etc. We will do a little bit of vocal test recording so we can discuss best practices.
Weds, Nov 21st, 2018. – details TBD
Weds, Nov 28th, 2018. – details TBD
For more information, email: moonwheel@gmail.com
Join us for First Friday festivities in downtown Greensboro, NC, with live electronic music and vocals by Quilla.
Venue: GreenHill Center for North Carolina Arts
Address: 200 N Davie St, Greensboro, NC 27401. (First floor gallery)
Date & time: Friday April 6th, from 6:30 – 7:30 PM.
On Feb. 17th, 2018, Quilla performed an original ambient electronic set at the Altria Theater in Richmond VA, setting the stage for tech entrepreneur / futurist Peter Diamandis. She also sang the national anthem.
The event was part of a monthly series, The Richmond Forum, whose mission is to bring leaders from the world stage to expand horizons, stimulate conversation, and inspire the Richmond community.
Diamandis’ talk was entitled, “FUTURE TECH: EXPONENTIAL CHANGE, INFINITE POSSIBILITIES”, and program synopsis was poignant: “Rapidly accelerating exponential technologies such as infinite computing, artificial intelligence, robotics, 3D printing, sensors, networks, and synthetic biology are transforming how humans will live and work in the future — in ways that are both disruptive and exciting. From human longevity, to the future of work, to the Singularity, Peter Diamandis will provide a tour of the future.”
Photos courtesy of the Richmond Forum photo stream.
Quilla’s new music video for “The Collector” was directed and produced by Brazilian visual artist Paula Damasceno, and was premiered by Amplifier Zine recently! This video features archival footage from North Carolina in the 1930s, used with permission from the H. Lee Waters Film Collection, housed at Duke University. “The Collector is a video made in Greensboro that weaves a modern and haunted electronic sound with a throwback to MTV visual styles from the ’90s.” Read more on the Amplifier Zine article.
