Connor Newton is a young up-and-coming freelance jazz musician who is reintroducing himself through his debut hip hop album, How to Succeed at Nothing. Contrafact’s album, due out on August 31, 2017, promises to be one of the most honest and unique albums in the genre. The album is steeped in prairie references and Saskatchewan humor, while also maintaining a darkly self-reflective tone through Contrafact’s deeply personal lyrics. The nine-song album was recorded in Saskatoon, and features prominent young musicians from all over Canada. How to Succeed at Nothing, is a story of starting over and using all the tools at your disposal to make the best of it. The album was the product of five years of jazz education, two universities, three cities and countless mistakes along the way. The lyrics were all written by Contrafact, but the production was shared between four people, giving the album more depth and variety from track to track. As well as rapping and singing on all tracks, Contrafact demonstrates his skill as a jazz musician with a saxophone solo on the track “Wild West (Let’s Test It)” while also adding various riffs and licks throughout. The album was recorded over one year in Toronto and Saskatoon, then mixed and edited all by Newton. It features vocals from JJ White, Saskatoon soul superman, and Jess Smith, one of Calgary’s finest singers/songwriters and performers. Other special guests include Parker Weiss and Brad Eaton on trumpet, Anthony Rinaldi on saxophone, and Austin Jones on percussion, all from Toronto, while Kyle Krysa on drums and Mackenzie Mutch on violin lent a hand in Saskatoon.
www.soundcloud.com/contrafact306
