Alex Asher Daniel Explained

Alex Asher Daniel
Birth Date:14 May 1973
Known For:Painting, drawing, music, film
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Origin:Southern California, Oakland, California, U.S.
Genre:Electronic • Ambient • R&B • Hip-HopExperimental

Alex Asher Daniel (born May 14, 1973) is an American contemporary artist and composer. He uses a broad variety of materials including painting, sound installations, photography, drawing and film. A Los Angeles native, he has since lived and worked between London, New York City, and the Bay Area.

Personal life

Born and raised in Pasadena, California, Daniel received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the California College of the Arts in the San Francisco Bay Area, and was a fixture in the Oakland, California underground Hip-Hop scene in the 1990s.[1]

In college Daniel was inspired to dive deeper into his studies of mysticism and the esoteric by his then English teacher beat poet Michael McClure.[2]

Career

As a visual artist Daniel has worked primarily in painting, portraiture, drawing, and collage.[3] Inspired by nature, mysticism and the human form, Daniel's work explores meaning within the unseen space around his subjects and their relationship between the inner and outer world.[4] [5] [6]

As a portraitist Daniel works specifically from live sittings spending time assessing the aura of the individual subject and incorporating the colors into his work.[7]

His works reside in numerous collections worldwide including the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and has painted notable figures in contemporary culture including Lenny Kravitz, Charles Rangel, Jon Batiste, Tarana Burke, Phylicia Rashad, and Dame Miriam Rothschild.[8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

As a music producer and composer he has collaborated and worked in various genres including Ambient, Rock, R&B and Electronica and remixed work for artists such as Maxwell, Warpaint, and UNKLE.[13]

He has frequently worked in musique concrete and sound installation using found sounds to compose works.[14] [15] In 2019 he released the instrumental Ambient album Anima Mundi based on the five classical elements with proceeds of the album sales going to Winona Laduke's Honor the Earth for Indigenous environmental justice.[15]

Daniel has produced tracks for various members of the hip hop collective Hieroglyphics and released his 2021 album Book of Spells on the Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings label. In 2013 he composed the original score and executive produced the Shomari Smith documentary Til Infinity: The Souls of Mischief. The film reflects on the 20-year anniversary of the band Souls of Mischief's debut album 93 'til Infinity and includes over 50 interviews with prominent MCs, DJs, and producers of the era.

In 2021 he released his first full-length album, titled Book of Spells, celebrating the power of nature and the divine feminine featuring an all female line-up of guest musicians. The album includes the single and video "Lover's Prayer" featuring Doris Pearson of the 1980s pop R&B band Five Star[16] and remixes by Stuart Matthewman of Sade, Domino, and Breakbeat Lou. His self-produced remix and video "Dakini" (God's Eye Mix) features Phesto and Tajai of Souls of Mischief, and Sunspot Jonz of Living Legends.

Discography

Albums

!Year!Title!Notes
2021Book of Spells

Released: November 2021

Label: Good Medicine, Hieroglyphics Imperium

All songs were produced by Alex Asher Daniel

"Incantations & Celebrations of Nature & The Divine Feminine"

EPs

!Year!Title!Notes
2019Anima Mundi

Released: November 2019

Instrumental compositions based on the 5 classic elements.

Singles

!Year!Title!Notes
2022"Talahalusi" (38.2740818°N, -122.3616431°W)[17] Released: September 2022

Label: Good Medicine

Collaboration with Adia Millet's Sound Dome for Di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art.
2022"Living The Art"Released: July 2022

Label: Good Medicine

Featuring Marzenka
2022"WarriorLoverHealerChild" (BBL’ed)Released: March 2022

Label: Good Medicine

Remix by Breakbeat LouFeat. Louie
2022"Solstice" (Love, Ecstasy, and Terror Mix)Released: January 2022

Label: Good Medicine

Remix by Adam Bravin, She Wants RevengeFeat. Sarah Walk.
2022"Solstice" (Cottonbelly Dub)Released: January 2022

Label: Good Medicine

Remixed by Stuart Matthewman, SadeFeat. Sarah Walk.
2021"Solstice"Released: December 2021

Label: Good Medicine

Featuring Sarah WalkFrom the album Book Of Spells
2021"Dakini" (Domino's Raise My Soul Remix)"Released: December 2021

Label: Good Medicine

Produced by Domino, HieroglyphicsFeat. Yesh
2021"Dakini" (God's Eye Mix)Released: December 2021

Label: Good Medicine

Produced by Alex Asher DanielFeat. Sunspot Jonz, Phesto D, Tajai, Souls Of Mischief
2021"Dakini"Released: November 2021

Label: Good Medicine

Featuring YeshFrom the album Book Of Spells
2021"Lover’s Prayer" (Clay Mix)Released: October 2021

Label: Good Medicine

Drum N Bass remix produced by Clay Matthewman
2021"Lover’s Prayer" (Are & Be Mix)Released: October 2021

Label: Good Medicine

Remix produced by Alex Asher DanielFeaturing Doris Pearson
2021"Lover’s Prayer"Released: September 2021

Label: Good Medicine

Featuring Doris PearsonFrom the album Book Of Spells
2020"Chant"Released: December 2020

Label:Good Medicine

Featuring Theresa WaymanAudio installation and video "Psychedelic Ceremony and Spiritual Harmony"
2020"Ocean Song"Released: July 202033:33 minute composition created for World Oceans DayFeaturing Sarah Walk & Manjit Devgun

Notes and References

  1. Web site: root . January 21, 2014 . FvF Mixtape #67 . October 14, 2022 . Friends of Friends / Freunde von Freunden (FvF) . en-US.
  2. Web site: Josh . February 28, 2012 . Hi, 5 with Alex Asher Daniel . October 14, 2022 . Broken City Lab . en-US.
  3. Web site: Alex Asher Daniel - 14 Artworks, Bio & Shows on Artsy . October 14, 2022 . www.artsy.net.
  4. Web site: Alex Asher Daniel PLANET° . October 14, 2022 . en.
  5. Web site: Adia Millett . October 14, 2022 . Galerie du Monde . en.
  6. Web site: Alex Asher Daniel & Adia Millett at KP Projects . December 2, 2022 . curate.la.
  7. Web site: Magazine . Smithsonian . Smith . Ryan P. . Check Out These Thought-Provoking Additions to the National Portrait Gallery . October 14, 2022 . Smithsonian Magazine . en.
  8. Web site: October 29, 2018 . National Portrait Gallery adds 28 famous faces . October 14, 2022 . WTOP News . en.
  9. Web site: Untitled (A Portrait of Miriam Louisa Rothschild, 1908–2005) Art UK . October 14, 2022 . artuk.org . en.
  10. Web site: About Us - Our New York Hotel History - The Lexington Hotel . October 14, 2022 . The Lexington Hotel New York City . en.
  11. Web site: Charles Rangel National Portrait Gallery . December 2, 2022 . npg.si.edu.
  12. Web site: Magazine . Smithsonian . Smith . Ryan P. . Check Out These Thought-Provoking Additions to the National Portrait Gallery . December 2, 2022 . Smithsonian Magazine . en.
  13. Web site: Mixcloud . October 14, 2022 . www.mixcloud.com.
  14. Web site: Tag: outdoor }} di Rosa ]. October 14, 2022 . www.dirosaart.org.
  15. Web site: Anima Mundi, by Alex Asher Daniel . October 14, 2022 . Alex Asher Daniel . en.
  16. News: Pop . Retro . September 25, 2021 . Five Star's Doris Pearson releases new track 'Lover's Prayer' . October 14, 2022 . Retropop - Fashionably Nostalgic . en-GB.
  17. Web site: Alex Asher Daniel on Apple Music . November 30, 2022 . Apple Music . en-US.