Dressed in swanky Hugo Boss suits, a duo known as The Black Europeans is starting to make inroads on the musical side of Canadian advertising. Known as Rumble and Maximum, respectively, The Black Europeans see themselves somewhat as musical visionaries and say they are anxious to apply to spots the wealth of musical knowledge they have amassed over the years.

Named for the fact that Rumble and Maximum are both black men born in England, The Black Europeans came together professionally about a year ago, having known each other since they were 15 years old. Individually they have impressive track records in the music industry, with Maximum having served as producer for several Canadian hip-hop acts (he has produced records for The Dream Warriors and Maestro Fresh Wes) and Rumble having been a rap artist. As individuals they have been responsible for many musical projects, and together as The Black Europeans they foresee even more success in the music biz with a project know as Slan, and now advertising.

According to Rumble, since he and Maximum hooked up, a chain reaction has been set off that keeps them incredibly busy.

While in the midst of trying to set up a publishing deal for their music, The Black Europeans were brought into the production world by animation house Nelvana to score its new Corduroy Bear children’s series for pbs in the u.s.

‘We were approached to score the series because they liked what we were doing – the different styles of music that we do. From there we got into advertising,’ says Rumble.

The Black Europeans have put music down for two television ads, both for Kellogg cereal brands. The first spot, for Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes, features Toronto Raptors basketball star Vince Carter. The second, for Vector, features a very dramatic score to a visual of an athlete running in slow motion, having been fueled by the nutrients of Vector cereal. The score, a gradual mix of classical, contemporary and electronic music, fuses together so dramatically it almost gives the feel of the last 30 seconds of a feature film or documentary about the runner.

The confident musicians agree their style and know-how of putting music together in-studio will benefit advertisers looking to bring their product’s image into the 21st century.

‘The advertising world is looking for a new, different type of sound to help sell product,’ says Rumble. ‘We want to help enhance advertising through music because there is a different generation that has a different ear, a different feel, and [advertisers] need someone to do something fresh they can relate to. A lot of the music in advertising right now is very standard and very dated, so a lot of advertisers are looking for this new thing, and that is The Black Europeans.’

Maximum, who refers to himself and his partner as ‘craftsmen,’ says he personally looks forward to the creativity, and in some ways the power, involved in creating music for the commercial industry.

‘For a musician advertising is a great way to be totally creative and not have any boundaries as far as what you think up and want to put into an ad,’ says Maximum. ‘It’s all about subliminal massaging of the viewer, from an audio perspective and a visual perspective, and it is satisfying. It is satisfying when your music can help influence somebody else to purchase a product.’

All production done by The Black Europeans is digitally recorded and manufactured. In the ’80s, says Rumble, while rock ‘n’ roll was hot, there were a few like himself and Maximum who could see the direction music was headed. While rock guitarists were working on their chops, looking to be the next Eddie Van Halen, The Black Europeans were conquering drum machines and musical computer programs.

According to Rumble, individually the two know a great deal about electronic music and even more as a team. They say they are familiar with the most basic systems and sampling units from the ’80s all the way up to the very advanced high-tech gear of today and can apply it to many different styles and musical genres. They feel their knowledge of the technology will benefit commercial producers, agencies and clients.

‘Like any type of work, the more experience you have the more capable you are of fulfilling the kind of work people want from you,’ says Rumble. ‘This is what I’m learning as I get older. Time teaches you and nothing beats experience.’ *