CONTROL & GRACIAS | コントロール＆ありがとう
- Posted by: Freeman
This season CTRL the powerhouse! created an exclusive capsule collection with the finnish-congolese rapper GRACIAS who nowadays goes under a shorter, more tactical name - GRCS - which is pretty much the same story as how we lost the letters O, N & O from CONTROL along the way to become CTRL - a shorter, kind of boring, very generic and way too keyboard - but, it's easy to remember and sounds really funny when the Japanese buyers are trying to spell it at tradeshows.
OK - one thing in common between CTRL and GRCS ?
Being late is one for sure.
Or you could call it the will to do things with radical honesty and with fullest quality to achieve perfectionism, besides, being late is now called a disease, or a disorder, it's just like an eating disorder, except you're not eating, you're just late - like some Jim Dunbar who has been "late for work, holidays, meals with friends, left women waiting on first dates and even had to sneak into funerals long after they’ve begun." The point is that like the upcoming GRCS ELENGI album, the CTRL GRCS collection took some time to brew but like in beer it's usually a good thing and we're proud to present the collection at our webstore for your pleasure.
May the god of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in the unisex CTRL GRCS capsule collection that has that perfect blend of aristocratic chill, modern wearability, rap wisdom and excellent suggested retail price point.
Here's a natural hyperlink to the CTRL GRCS look book shot by Mikko Ryhänen.
And here's a miniature bio of GRCS (who speaks fluent finnish, french, lingala and english)
"Gracias (formerly known as Luminate) released his unofficial debut mixtape ”Listenin Comprehension’” in 2007.
Gracias’ official debut EP, ”Gracias EP”, saw daylight in 2010, followed by his latest release “Gracias x JTT Globe” in 2012.
The artist has won titles like: Best new act, Most promising domestic act, Song of the year (Mon€y) and Best debut album.
Gracias is getting ready for his international breakthrough, while hitting the studio to work on his next release (due 2014)."
Yes that's a wrap.
Interview coming soon.
Um-allah-um.
www.gracias.fi
www.cocoamusic.fi
Here's some more random audio/visual/typo GRCS stuff:
Gracias feat. Ekow - Mon€y (editors note: these looks should be the standard volume CTRL puff in any video from now on thanks)
Here's a rare chance to hear GRACIAS rapping in finnish with some other suominational heavy-weights.
JVG - Mist Sä Tuut Ft. Gracias, Paperi T, Juno, Stepa, MC Särre...
FINLANDIA SUOMI AS HELL.
TWWTH & Gracias - High Mountain
Gracias x JTT - 40k volts feat. Eboi
Gracias - Elengi EPISODE 01
Gracias - Elengi EPISODE 02
Gracias - Elengi EPISODE 03
PRESS RELEASE FOR THE NEW HOT OF THE PRESS SINGLE:
ARTIST: GRACIAS
TITLE: LEVELS (STREAM FAST, DIE YOUNG)’
LABEL: COCOA MUSIC
FORMAT: DIGITAL/CD
Gracias is proud to announce the release of his new single, ‘Levels (Stream Fast, Die Young)’ on 28th April. via the Helsinki based label, Cocoa Music.
‘Levels (Stream Fast, Die Young)’ is a dark, atmospheric affair. Opening with eerie, unsettling synths and a thumping drum beat, this track is clearly not for the faint hearted. Pairing these potent beats with equally fierce vocals and lyrics, Gracias has produced a track with a ferociously powerful sound.
Gracias aka Deogracias Masomi, is a Congolese-Finnish rapper who is now settled and living in Helsinki. Having moved to Finland at the tender age of four to escape the building war in his home country, Gracias’ story is a fascinating one. His 90’s influenced debut EP, ‘HKI,’ received widespread adulation and praise – resulting in Gracias being chosen as the most promising act for 2012 by a panel of Finnish music journalists.
More success was to follow - his track ‘Mon£y’ earned him “Song Of The Year” at the annual Funky Awards, whilst debut LP, ‘Globe’, featuring guest performances from Wildcookie singer Anthony Mills, beatboxer Felix Zenger, and Swedish rapper Eboi, earned unanimously rave reviews.
Gracias has clearly built on these previous successes, and ‘Levels (Stream Fast, Die Young)' looks set to propel the young rapper from underground sensation to mainstream star. The production on the track is masterful and assured, providing the perfect background for Gracias to work his magic and spin his lyrical webs.
Gracias is adamant that this latest offering has a clear and defined focus, saying: "Stream Fast, Die Young is the current era where information is accessible to all. Stream Fast, Die Young is the infinite stream of free data around us, still we only choose to use a fragment of it while the rest becomes pollution to the mind”.
Having also starred in two Finnish feature length films, Gracias is clearly a man of many talents. Music is, however, his primary focus and this new single marks a clear move towards darker and more electronic grounds. 'Levels (Stream Fast, Die Young)' will be released on Finnish label Cocoa Music on the 28th April.