THE STORY
AUREO
Ricky B and Papa Dante met by chance in April 2014 while working on an original song for a mutual colleague. Dante as the recording engineer and Ricky as the co-writer/producer. There was instant chemistry. Ricky started sending rough musical ideas for Dante to play around with, and in turn, Dante dusted off a few languishing ideas of his own. The first song was really just a "hey, lets see what happens" sort of thing.
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Most of the music is crafted by Ricky, who brings a wealth of style and experience from working in numerous projects throughout the years (Discogs).
Dante had originally intended to be a rapper, but was constantly singing all the vocal parts. As time went on, they started to focus more on those melodic vocals as well as a more soulful sound.
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Their self-described "neo-retro" music combines influences from old-school Hip-Hop, Rap, Dance, Reggae, Funk, Soul, and R&B. The lyrics have a strong personal meaning and are from the heart, if occasionally tongue-in-cheek. Collaborating on numerous songs, they constantly surprise each other with the approach and direction they take to each piece of music. With their first album "The R&D Project" they hope to showcase their unique "neo-retro" sound.
BIOS
PAPA DANTE
I started at age 4 playing the violin. Growing up on classical music (Mozart, Bach, Beethoven), as well as my parent's "hippie music" (Beatles, Moody Blues, Cat Stevens) my first obsession with popular music came in the form of Michael Jackson's video for "Thriller". We had to rent the VHS, and I watched the video at least a hundred times.
Mainstream music exposure came during the 80's. (Huey Lewis and the News, Madonna, Bon Jovi, Eurythmics). And then came Hip-Hop and Rap. (DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, Young M.C., Beastie Boys). Maestro Fresh-Wes was a huge influence. Little did I know, a few decades later, I would be working with one of the guys who helped take the Toronto Hip-Hop scene international.
RICKY B
With over 30 years of experience composing and producing music for radio and television (Cash Cab, Uh Oh!, Beyblade), I am always searching for the next great sound. Having worked with acts like Dream Warriors, Maestro Fresh-Wes & Michie Mee, I am able to provide a classic Hip-Hop/Soul vibe to the music as well as wisdom and guidance from my years in the biz.