The blues-infused voice and classical piano training of Ashleigh Eymann is one of the key elements that help set the group apart from the mediocrity that hip hop music faces today. Playing piano since she was 5 years old, the keys are simply an extension of who she already is. She provides the team with soul-harnessed vocals, and skillful pieces on both keys and guitar, channeling an almost divine feminine presence into the music. A necessary ingredient, she gives colour and symmetry to the group's sound and breathes life into every song she graces.
The heart of The Current's production is courtesy of the ever-inspired DJ MURGE. From producer to DJ to engineer, he is not afraid to wear many different hats that the group requires him to wear. He is best known for his compilation album “Search and Rescue†(Battle Axe Records) which features an underground heavy weight line up with everyone from Atmosphere to Swollen Members to the Grouch. Constantly striving to find the perfect sound, DJ Murge unifies his band members over sophisticated beats that take new direction on almost every track. Drawing his inspiration from rock and roll, jazz, electronic and world music the famed DJ challenges vocalists to reinvent themselves again and again with each new piece. Dj Murge and Just B have worked together for nearly a decade. They were founding members of Canada’s longest running hip hop night “Stirfryâ€. The weekly night featured such guests as Nelly Furtado, Dj Z Trip and Fishbone.
Just B supplies a developed and growing range of skills from emceeing to production to turntablism. Also an avid freestyle rapper with many knock-outs in the "off the top" battle arena, he’s been known to shift from humble to exceptionally vicious with out hesitation. In the field of studio recording, his honesty and genuine talent for writing songs is a definite asset. His push towards positive change is balanced by his knowledge of the streets and his often unspoken history in them. He has the ability to adapt musically in many situations. One example of his diversity is his rare performance with Daniel Lapp, a violin section and a southern style choir for the Canada day celebration in Victoria, BC in front of 40 000 people. He continues to push the boundaries of his own potential and repertoire.
Ishkan, an emcee's emcee in both intensity and form, is perhaps most noted for his low, grimy voice and unusual rhyme style. Connecting somewhere between slang and rhythm, his lyrics create a language some may find strange, yet reveals his appreciation for the poetic nature of words. Ishkan has long established himself amongst the musically left-field. He is a member of the City Planners; a crew who have been making waves in the underground year after year. Ishkan completed two albums with crew member and mentor Moka Only under their group name, "Nowfolk". Both these albums garnered Ishkan a healthy underground fanbase, however, the last album record by “Nowfolk†entitled "The Moon" continues to show up on Hip Hop radars worldwide and has proven to be the most listened-to version of Ishkan’s music to date. With a total of some seven independent releases under his belt and counting, the man some locals still call "The Captain" continues to write for freedom and artistic licence.
Adding to an already varied mix, THE CURRENT continuously works with other musicians, rappers and singers. Guests on their songs include everyone from the multi-Juno Award winning Swollen Members, to Vancouver Island’s local jazz legend Daniel Lapp, to the indy rock band The Set’s lead singer Martin Macphail. The Current knows no collaborative boundaries.
The Current’s live show is where they are most in their element. Coming together to create a charge and fire that leaves the listeners heart banging in his or her chest as if it wanted to break free. If any underlying them exists to the The Current’s artistic direction, it would simply be exceeding their own limitations to produce music that supersedes the norm in a world hungry for the truth in stereo…