Meet Andreas Farmakalidis –

“Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite” is the debut album of American R’n’b and neo soul musician Maxwell that was released in 1996. By listening to this album I was completely blown away by the albums impressive, atmospheric and “silky” sounds, the funky instrumentation, which was decorated with a horn section, wah-wah guitar, Rhodes, piano and of course lastly the Deep, Eloquent and Lucid bass lines!

Along with D’Angelos “Brown Sugar”, and Erykah Badu’s Baduizm “Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite” has been recognized by music writers for providing commercial visibility to neo soul. It has been cited by critics as Maxwell’s greatest work and remains as his best-selling release with domestic sales of over two million copies.

The tracks “Ascension”, “Dancewitme” as well as “Welcome” really influenced my bass playing. I hope that these bass lines will inspire and motivate you in the same way that they inspired me.

The following transcriptions are the basic grooves of Ascension, Dancewitme and Welcome.

Enjoy!