Supreme Beings of Leisure

Words by Erez Reuveni
Image by Carpel Group

The Los Angeles based duo, The Supreme Beings of Leisure, make multifaceted music that you can relax to on a rainy day or cruise to with the windows down and volume blaring on your way to the club. Their sound is a unique blend of electronica, instrumentation, vocals, and smart production. While their talent is unequivocable, their origins border more on the accidental than intentional.

The Supreme Beings of Leisure coalesced as a group quite serendipitously. In 1995, the members of a group called Oversoul 7 including keyboardist Ramin Sakurai asked lyricist Geri Soriano-Lightwood to sing the vocals on "Nothin' Like Tomorrow," a track being considered as the theme for a James Bond film. The track didn't make it to the big-screen, but the collaboration on the Bond track led to the birth of the Supreme Beings of Leisure.

The group debuted their eponymously first album in 2000, a sublime fusion of slow, mellow grooves, sexy and haunting melodies, and seductive, sultry vocals. The group's origins, spanning the globe from Japan and Iran, to Ireland and their Los Angeles home, form a variety of influences on their musical styles.

Supreme Beings followed through with their sophomore effort, Divine Operating System, in 2002, two members lighter, and awash in critical acclaim. Sakurai and Soriano-Lightwood infuse their second album with the same smooth grooves and infectious melodies as their first release. However, the Supreme Beings have also evolved their style the second time around. The lyrics are more playful while the music is built upon the foundation of a danceable sensibility.

Palm Records, the group's record label, allows the Supreme Beings creative control over most of what they do. "Well, we can't make a death metal album, but they give us a lot of free range." In fact, the combination of creative control and budgetary shortfalls led the group to record most of the album at Ramin's apartment using Macintosh computers. "Ninety-five percent of the album was done out of my apartment on my computer. The first half was done on a 9600, then I had it upgraded to a G3, using Pro Tool's mixplus system. Later, I upgraded to a G4 733."

Using a personal computer and recording most of the album at home actually influenced the soulful sentiment the album exudes. Ramin notes that "we recorded some vocals at studios, but ended up using most of the vocals we did at my place, because for some reason the performance was better and more relaxed. There was no pressure, no clock ticking, no costs tacked on." Ramin actually endorsed the at-home recording process, saying it captures "the vibe more easily, as opposed to living in a studio for six months, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars, trying to catch the right moment."
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The Supreme Being's music is difficult to classify. Incorporating elements of trip-hop, drum n' bass, disco, soundtrack, lounge, soul, house and electronica, the group defies categorization. The duo inhabits the same area of the musical universe as groups like Portishead and Morcheeba, who they have often been compared to. "The problem is, we have the same kinds of influences, but its unfair to compare us all together. It's like when rock and roll first came out and people comparing the Beatles to the Stones when their music sounds totally different." These groups occupy a fairly new place in music, their sound still in its infancy when compared to the longevity of such genres as jazz or soul. But Ramin does offer one key piece of advice when attempting to differentiate the Supreme Beings from their European counterparts. "As Geri likes to say, the difference between our music and theirs is the weather. We're a little more sunny and bright, and they're a little more foggy."

In an age of musical piracy and digital download bonanzas, many musicians eschew the Internet and its cottage industry of free music. But many other groups savor the Internet as a means of getting exposure in a music world still ruled by excessively powerful musical corporations. The Supreme Beings have mixed feelings on MP3s. "MP3s promote the hell out of your music. If you're not concerned with record sales, it's a beautiful thing. We've been looking at our records sales and they've been down a bit. It's affected the whole market." In truth, many people use MP3s to preview bands before they buy cds. Others prefer Cds because they are audiophiles and MP3s are inferior in quality. But even so, "there are ways to crack everything," Ramin notes. "To be honest, I don't think they'll find a way to eliminate piracy."

In the future, the Supreme Beings plan to pursue the same musical style, while tinkering with their editing and programming techniques. "I kind of fell in love with Australia. I figured I'd take a portable system out there and write and come back with some ideas and at the same time send MP3s to Geri to write to, so when I get back I can tear it out with her." As for the rapid advance of computer technology, Ramin notes that, "it's hard to keep up with. There's always something new that comes out that creates inspiration. Technology has soul. There are people that'll say otherwise, but I think that anything that creates inspiration has soul." So does a Macintosh have soul? "I look at it like that," says Ramin with a laugh. Technology and talent have propelled the Supreme Beings to success. They continue to create lilting, sexy music and promise to do so in the years to come.