This week, I traveled back to Jersey to see MoRuf perform live at downtown Newark’s SEED Gallery. It was an intimate space. I walked in with Billlzegypt and was greeted by lo-fi tunes, mixed-media art work being hung on the walls. The environment was so appropriate for the in-house live performance by soul-hop musician, MoRuf, of whom I had only met at his last show in the area at Coffee Cave back in February. As the night progressed, more familiar faces popped up and took to the dance floor to vibe and grove out to Iman Omari‘s set, the Compton native spun sounds of beats and loops over silky samples. I spent some time conversing with him, gathering his perspective on music, mixing/mashing, producing and overall attitude about eclectic music, kicking it on some casual tip with one of the most innovative souls in production behind a DJ booth, rocking out to soulful ambient tracks, looped with a care that spoke volumes on the sort of respect he has for his predecessors in the way he utilizes samples, 808’s and other engineering tools to create great music. Catching moments in motion on camera was a nice change.

Thereafter, Moo took to the floor and came out rocking with his signature energy, first performing “Fallen”, then subsequently track for track off his latest record, Shades.Of.Moo. The experience this time around was something like a predictable faith – you knew he was gonna kill it, but was more excited for crowd members whose first time it was witnessing his deep love for his community. Playing personal favorites like “Homie.Lover.Friend,” “Neighborhood,” “Soulhop,” “DYV” as well as “Tangerine” and “her”, of which he brought out Billlzegypt for a special guest feature, Moo’s set was nothing short of extraordinary. Post-performance, MoRuf + friends took the party up to the upper floor of the gallery and ended the evening on a cool note. From NJ Rebels to Ho99o9, it seemed like everyone from Jersey was in attendance on Wednesday night. Per usual, this is the default aesthetic for Jersey artists – we all run together, and most importantly, support and build with each other.

For the 2-part extended visual recap of live performances by Moo, check out the videos above and/or on EARFLOAT TV™. Small gallery of SEED Gallery below as well.

Support your neighbors, build with your community.™