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Nanaimo rapper Sirreal to tease double album at the Queen’s

Sirreal said records reflect “both aspects” of his personality
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Nanaimo rapper Sirreal is performing at the Queen’s on Oct. 4. (Photo courtesy Darran Chaisson)

Nanaimo rapper Sirreal has recorded two albums worth of new material and he’ll be debuting some of those tunes next month at the Queen’s.

Sirreal, real name Matt Dunae, took a different approach to songwriting on his new albums, inviting greater input from the members of his band, Blue Satellite – guitarist Eric Bearclaw, bassist Nyck Machura, drummer Spencer Bowman and DJ Bloke 1.

“I was just basically like, ‘OK, here’s what I’ve got, what do you have? What kind of riff do you have? What kind of drums do you think would go good over this?’ and we just created it organically like that in the studio,” Sirreal said. “It was absolutely amazing. I would say it was very surreal [laughs]. It’s always amazing to see what you can create just by bringing a bunch of talented people together.”

Sirreal said the sessions were so productive that they ended up with enough songs for two separate albums.

Sirreal said the first record, due out later this year, will focus on relatable personal struggles, “like arguing with your spouse or feeling alone,” while the second album, set to be released early 2020, will be more upbeat.

“People really know my style as being introspective and talking about resiliency and anxiety and bullying and all this kind of sad stuff that people can relate to, but they don’t really get to throw down or party or rage to it,” he said. “So that’s why I wanted to create both aspects of my personality.”

Fans will get their first sample of those new tracks when Sirreal performs at the Queen’s on Oct. 4. The concert, put on by Where it’s At and Sirreal Entertainment, features a number of artists including headliner Snak the Ripper, fellow West Coast rapper Lil Windex and local comic Peter Hudson.

For those unable to attend the show, Sirreal is releasing one new single every two weeks for the next four months before putting out the albums back-to-back.

“So once people are like, ‘Wow … we’ve got the full album,’ and then I’ll just be like, ‘Blam. Here’s another album,’” he said.

WHAT’S ON … Snak The Ripper, Sirreal and guests perform at the Queen’s, 34 Victoria Cres., on Oct. 4 starting at 10 p.m. Tickets $45 at the door, $40 in advance from Funk Your Fashion, Sunrise Records, Fascinating Rhythm, the Smokezone, Mambo’s Pizza and online.



arts@nanaimobulletin.com

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