Mayraki

At this moment, people needed air and cluttered the College Street’s sidewalk. But Mayraki lost no time reclaiming the stage, and calling back the crowd by beating their music behind the Buddha’s red doors. As veterans from last year’s ‘For the Love of Madness’, they greeted the audience like an old friend, music familiar like slap to the back. Behind the mic, Aloe humored the stragglers at the back, making sure everyone in the room knew that the stage was about to be set on fire. A roaring combination of rap, hip-hop, and funk, they commanded the Buddha, tricking the audience into build up’s which ended in snarky silences. When Rubix and Aloe jumped into the audience, they would wind everyone up, and leave crowd cyclones in their wake. Needless to say Mayraki was responsible for the first mosh pit of the night. But at the end of every song, everyone basked in pure happiness, even people in the back gave themselves away, their smiles white in the darkness as they laughed. - Demo Magazine

Mayraki doesn’t fit into any one genre of music. Inspired by genres like hip-hop, jazz, funk, rock and many others, they create a unique style that can keep a room jumping.

The band is comprised of drummer Michael Murad, guitarists Salvatore Paradise and Sean Trudeau-Tavara, bassist Fithawi Iman and vocalists Ishan Sharma and Ryerson sociology student Mohammed Yassin.

Paradise and Yassin met through student group Musicians@Ryerson while Paradise attended the university and the band formed through mutual connections with another group, Seed of Nature, in 2012.

“A few of us started jamming together and we realized we had a similar style. We just started our own band when they offered us a show,” Trudeau-Tavara said.

Without any songs or even a name, they were booked for their first show at the now defunct venue, The 460, on Spadina Avenue.

“We cooked up three songs in two weeks. Not even two weeks, two sessions,” Yassin said.

After spending the beginning of their three-year span under the name Beaudifulhors, they opted for the more marketable name Mayraki, based on the greek word Meraki, meaning the part of yourself that goes into your work.

Their song writing process is what Iman calls “almost perfectly democratic.” Someone will come in with an idea or a riff, and everybody else works off of that.

“There are no egos. In all our songs, everyone has their own touch,” Iman said.

Their latest recording, “Hors D’oeuvres,” was released in May, but the band says they will hopefully start recording again soon.

“Our music-making is miles ahead of what we have recorded. We have a fraction of our entire repertoire recorded,” Paradise said.

Apart from the recording contract they have with Toronto indie label Dungus Records, the band handles every other part of the work, from booking their own shows to managing their finances. Yassin says they take their music more seriously as a result.

“This way we know what we’re worth. We earn our dollar,” he said.

Trudeau-Tavara says that organizing shows with other local indie bands is a crucial part of remaining a part of the scene.

“We’re bringing out fans that see us, and we’re bringing out fans that see them ... It’s something you can’t do alone,” Paradise added.

The band says they’re planning on booking their shows more strategiclly to gain more exposure. But no matter how they go about it, they’re taking everything as it comes.

“Everything we’re doing, we’re in the middle of learning,” Paradise said. “We learn it by actually doing it, and fucking up.” - The Eyeopener

If there were one word to adequately describe the overall feel of the six-piece Hip Hop Fusion band Mayraki, I think co-frontman, Mohammed “Aloe” Yassin, would have to agree that their sound is undoubtedly: Mayraki. The Greek word “meraki” translates to “the essence of yourself that is put into your work”. Yassin clarifies the name choice, explaining, “I felt it perfectly described us. Our organic approach to music allows all of us to leave our mark in the music we make, and we love doing it. According to the definition, we make our music with meraki.”

The band’s debut EP, Hors D’oeuvres, contains songs with a sound comparable to an early Red Hot Chili Peppers,Beastie Boys, and A Tribe Called Quest. Track after track, you’ll be rocking out to a unique sound each time. When you first hear track number two, “Funktrap”, a sweet mix of hard-hitting funk infused rap, it will be hard to resist the urge to get up and dance. Warning: "Funktrap" should not be listened to in class (unless its dance class). “The Cutting Floor” breaks-it-down with a grooving soulful blues and contemplative lyrics focusing on issues of personal authenticity. With the addition of a Queen-esque reminiscent guitar solo, this track will inexplicably leave you feeling connected to the present moment.

The next moment you will hear, “in it to win it”, an R&B-inspired tune with a driving force and an intoxicating chorus featuring the voice of Sonia Zarei. This track masterfully combines a fun up-beat feel with a strong message of personal perseverance to provide listeners with an addictive sound that will echo in your brain long after its over. Complementary to the band’s expressive melodies, Yassin and co-frontman Ishan "Rubix" Sharma paint their lyrics with themes of positive self-development and self-determination that tie the album together. From intro to outro, this album incorporates a whole range of dynamic sounds designed specifically to stimulate a whole range of emotion. - CJRU | The Scope