Part of the
Brainfeeder collective that counts
Flying Lotus and
Samiyam among its members, Los Angeles'
Teebs crafts a more atmospheric version of the beat music exemplified by the label. The producer's ear for arranging warm samples and relaxed atmospheres was highlighted on work like 2014 album
Estara.
Born Mtendere Mandowa to parents from Malawi and Barbados,
Teebs and his family hopped from the Bronx to Georgia and Hartford, Connecticut before landing in Chino Hills, a suburb of Los Angeles. He established himself as a musical and visual artist in the mid-2000s, taking up painting and shaping samples and beats into carefully layered songs with Fruity Loops. Working on his own and as a part of the My Hollow Drum collective, he also connected with Dublab, L.A.'s non-profit public Internet radio station. In 2008,
Teebs participated in that year's Red Bull Music Academy in Barcelona, which caught the attention of
Flying Lotus; eventually, the pair became neighbors and collaborators.
Teebs issued several short-form releases in 2010, including the
Jackhigh/
BNJMN collaboration The Tropics; Los Angeles 6/10, which featured
Daedelus; and his
Brainfeeder debut, Why Like This? While working on his debut album, he endured a series of personal hardships, including his brother's illness and the death of his father, that informed
Ardour (also released in 2010) with a flowing poignancy. The following year,
Teebs returned with the library music-inspired compilation Collections 01, which featured performances by harpist
Rebeka Raff and
Austin Peralta. However, aside from
Sons of the Morning, a collaboration with
Prefuse 73 that resulted in 2013's Speak Soon, Vol. 1,
Teebs focused on his visual artwork for a few years. His Ante Vos project, for example, found him reworking the covers of albums he found in the trash. When he returned to making music, the results were 2014's more purposeful-sounding
Estara, a collection of songs named after
Teebs' house and featuring cameos from
Prefuse 73 and
Jonti. It would be five years before he returned with new music, but 2019 album Anicca was a vibrant return. The album was another focused collection of swimmy beats and samples and featured guest vocalists from Panda Bear, Sudan Archives, Anna Wise and others. ~ Heather Phares