Ghouls Conversation

by itchysilk | Mar 23, 2026 | MUSIC | 0 comments

On an overcast, rainy Sunday afternoon—February 1, 2026—at MINIWAX, a vinyl record store in the coeur of Paris (11 Av. de la République, 75011), Bastien Keb, Mark Millington, and Malik Ameer Crumpler gave the first live performance of their 2025 album, GHOULS. With Mark on saxophone, Malik reading from the limited edition GHOULS artbook, and Bastien Keb on keyboard and sound design, the air was thick with collaboration.

Malik recorded their performance on his vintage iPhone; afterward, having signed several vinyl and hung out with the audience, the trio headed to the basement while Matt DJ’d upstairs. There, they kept digging through the crates of classics down there. After marveling over first edition Mingus’s, Alice Coltranes, Funkadelic, Sun Ra, Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Sly and the Family Stone vinyls they discussed the gig and how “listening” was the most important instrument they (and the audience) collectively played. They delved into their creative process, their influences, their experience as veteran artists, and the film they shot the day before with Charbon—marking the first time Malik and Mark had ever met, and the first time all three played together live.

While that film and recording are coming soon, here are excerpts from the live set and the conversation that followed: three artists listening to one another, discussing the vital need for deep listening—not just in music, but in a world that desperately needs it amidst today’s artistic and geopolitical challenges.

MALIK Crumpler (MC): So what made you come up with the album, Keb?

Bastien Keb (BK): Yeah, I think that the start of it was probably string arrangements. Honestly, I would say I wanted to make these big, like, Philadelphia soul style lush… You know, like Jazz, like minor 7, major 7, sort of big string arrangements, so it’s all lush and stuff like that. And then there’s always this, like that entering into the city, you know, that’s what it’s all about. It’s always running on the, it’s always on the train, it’s always like trains and on the buses.

M: Who you?

BK: Yeah, just after- after dark and stuff like that, you’re looking out across the city. So it’s that, crossed with the strings. And that was the formation of it. And then it was like, every record I would try and pull something new in. So this was the first sort of record, like, the one before I

had Harpist, someone playing harps. So with this one, I wanted some harps, some strings. But then I wanted- this was the first record that Mark is playing on. So I wanted the sax to be wildin’.

And then, and then I needed my, I needed a spiritual guide through the record.

MC: Here we go.

BK: That’s when, that’s when you stepped in.

MC: But how’d you come up with that narrative? ‘Cause when, when I hollered at you, you was just like, I’m going to send you some tracks. Do what you do. It was a lot of freedom. Most people will hit you up with a thing like, do this, do that, do that, do this.

Bk: Yeah, I think for this one, it was, it was the past few records I’ve been trying to, trying to get into my, my psyche, trying to get into, you know, anxiety and paranoia and stuff like that. And I was like, for this record.

MC: Midlife journey.

BK: Yeah. And for this one, I was like, I need, I need a guide. I need a guide. I need someone to come, come through. And yeah. Right.

MC: Right, on some Dante shit. That’s how I interpreted it.

BK: Yeah. So that’s basically it really. And then when I gave you a shout, you fuckin’ came at me with a lot of, a lot of stuff, man. It was all dope. It was a lot of it. And it just worked perfectly. I think initially I used all of it. Took like probably 25 minutes or something-

MC: Right, ‘cause I kept redoing the tracks.

BK: Yeah, there was a lot.

MC: ‘cause I overwrote it. That’s my thing. I overwrite shit. And then I edit back.

BK: I think initially I used all of it. And then I think maybe you or something, I think you and someone else both told me, like, maybe dial it back. He can’t be on every single track. So I dialled it back. But I only dialled it back a bit. I mean, you’re obviously on it.

MC: So then, Mark, when you got it, what was the deal? He just sent you some tracks or how was the setup?

Mark Millington (MM): Yeah, Seb just sent me a few tracks and then just said, look, what can you do with this? So at my place, I just put some, just listened to it and got the vibe and then put down what I thought worked. And in fact, I tried to sort it, because I know Seb’s, you know, off kilter on, you know. I don’t mean that, but no, it’s very, an original artist’s style. And, you know, my way of thinking on a lot of things is maybe, you know, you play in a certain way. But then, you know, you’re trying to, with Seb’s stuff, you’re trying to, you know, in my mind anyway, it’s like trying to be, you know, more original playing, the style of playing. So, yeah, it works great. Because, you know, you don’t really give a lot of directions, do you? Because you leave it up to the artist, the performer.

BK: I always try and recruit. I don’t really recruit many people, but when I recruit them, I’m recruiting them because I like, I trust, I trust them. So, with you guys, I knew that there wouldn’t be an issue in terms of, I knew you weren’t going to do something that I didn’t really like. But, um so, yeah, yeah, it’s interesting- I mean, how are you coming up with the, how are you coming up with the writing? You just a stream of consciousness style things? Or do you… Edit and edit and how do you write?

MC: Naw, with your tracks, I listen back to, since you sent the demo versions, which I love cuz I always loved demo versions, because I be listening to like the old Sly Stone demos and shit all the time. And the old Stevie joints and blah, blah, blah. So I was writing to that and then I was like, OK, cool. And then I read it back and then I listened to your old albums and I was like… oh, I think he gets like beyond the keyboard shit. So I should probably prepare with, there’s probably going to be strings and shit. But I didn’t know if he was going to do that because I didn’t know what direction he was going in.

So I was like, fuck it, I’m going to write the strings so this shit could get epic
MALIK Crumpler

Because the first drafts wasn’t as epic as I wanted because life be on your ass and you don’t have time. And then I was listening to Killing of Eugene and your earlier shit and I was like, oh, OK. So that’s where I took it. I was like, fuck it, he’s probably going to go there. And that’s when I was like, yeah, I’m going to listen to this shit. While Ravel and Stravinsky and Miles and shit. Because at that time I

was listening to a lot of… I think my son was like one. So I was playing him all this Shostakovich just to see what happens because they’re like babies can’t listen. So, yeah, he was- he kept reading these Vivaldi books and shit and it was all this beautiful melody. And I was like, let me see if your bloodline is right. Like, I’m going to play some real off shit. And he was into it. So then we started- I started thinking like that. So I was like, I think that’ll work. But then when you told me Mark was going to be on it, I was like, let me look him up. So now I was like, oh, shit, we need to get some saxophone on this muhfugga. He’s been playing with everybody. Who was some of the people that you played with that stick with you?

MM: Um, Hugh Masekela, I suppose. But not just him.

MC: Did he used to give a lot of direction?

MM:Not really. He was just cool. He just played with the brass section. The thing is, you’re aware of someone like that. You’re standing next to them playing. So, you know, you’re listening to what they’re doing and seeing how they interact with the band. So all those sorts of things are great. You know, you’re doing these gigs watching Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers for two weeks every night. Going on in front of them. You know, but the thing is, at that time, that was years ago.

MC: Hold on, hold on, let me make that clear- let me make that clear real quick. Y’all was going on before Art Blakey and them? Yikes.

MM: We did a couple of weeks of Ronnie Scott’s. So I was in the band, the warm-up band. And uh, it’s interesting when you play there because you go into Ronnie Scott’s.

I haven’t been there for years, but you go in there. I’ve never been there. You’ve got all the famous American Jazz musicians through time. And you just think, oh my God, how am I going to… So if you’re not careful, if you’re not careful, the room plays you. The room plays you. Because you start and you think, oh, I’ve got to try and play like John Coltrane or someone. Which you can’t do. So you have to just… it takes a couple of nights and then you get used to that. You know, you have to be yourself. But then you look out in the audience or some of the band members say, oh, the guys from Earth, Wind & Fire are in tonight. Or Jaco Pastorius is in.

MC: Yikes.

MM: And he’s going to be sitting in with Art Blakey.

MC: Yikes.

MM: But it’s funny how you just get used to that. It’s like, oh, OK. And then you think that’s going to be your life. And then you do it once more and then you never, ever get to go back there.

MC: But you were there. You were on the moon in this muhfugga. You got to touch the moon.

MM: But Seb’s stuff is so cinematic. That’s the thing with his thought process and the way you do it. As I know, you’re very influenced by films and music scores for films and that sort of stuff. So that’s what I was saying about me when I came in. I was trying to think, how do I try and play like that more so than…

MC: That’s funny, too, because there was a period when I was working on it where I was like, the Brits, some saxophones. I should listen to the Alfie score.

MM: Oh you’re on about Sonny Rollins.

MC: Because I was reading Sonny Rollins’ big-ass tome, that book and shit. And I was heavy in the book. And I was like, damn, I didn’t realise you made Alfie, Sonny. You know what I’m saying? And then I was like, oh. And then I was listening to you. And I was like, yo, he got some Sonny vibes, B. So I was wondering what would happen. And by Sonny vibes, I mean narrative, emotion, not trying to fucking prove to Zeus that you can throw lightning, too. You know what I’m saying?

MM: You have to play, I mean, you have to try to play to the song. I think the idea is to try and add to the song. What you don’t want to do is just try and be egotistical self and start trying to play everything you think you can play. The idea is to be part of the ensemble.

BK: Yeah, completely man. Yeah.

MM: So for me, when we were playing earlier on, I’m listening to you. I’m listening to trying-

MC: Listening.

MM: I’m listening to your voice and trying to voice what you’re doing, trying to be quiet, trying to you know be, because the music’s soft there.

BK: Yeah, man. I mean, there was so little editing I had to do when I got the vocals and I got the sax. Just honestly, just drop it in. I mean, it just worked. You know what I mean? And that’s a testament to both what you’ve been doing. You knew the assignment, you know what I mean? That’s, that’s the thing. Otherwise, it would be a hard process.

MC: Oh, it’d be awful. It’d be awful. And then you’d be trying to move the shit to hit a rhythm that they’d never hit and all that.

MM: Well, it’s like you said earlier. You know you said people have said to you, oh, can you be like this? But then you think, well, why are you hiring me then if you want me to be like someone else? You want that person, whoever you get in, it’s because you like what they do. You’re trying to change the way they are.

BK: Yeah, yeah.

MM: I think we’ve all got enough experience.

MC: Yeah, trust the experience. When did you find out it was going to be called Ghouls?

MM: I don’t know. I think we didn’t discuss that because I just.

MC: Exactly, you didn’t get it either, right.

MM: Cause I just played on your stuff, the stuff.

BK: No, yeah, I wanted to. I don’t know if this will happen, but I was going to make a trilogy of albums. So Ghouls, the next one was going to be called Scares Easily.

MC: (Laughing to the point of coughing)

BK: Bastien Keb Scares Easily. And then the one after that was, Bastien Keb’s Still Scares Easily. And I was like, shit, man, maybe we’ll run with that one? But yeah, I don’t know, Ghouls, you can interpret it in many different ways.

MC: Yeah, but how’d it come to you? When did you know it was going to be called Ghouls?

BK: You know what like-

MC: -Were you already making that muhfugga when it was going to be called Ghouls? Or were you thinking like-

MM: You watch a lot of films, don’t you? It was in shape.

BK: It was kind of already in its shape.

MC: But like as a kid, you was like one day, if I ever get my way, I’ll make an album called Ghouls.

BK: You know what, it was initially… Its working title was actually Ghouls, Ghouls, Ghouls. And then I was like, I dropped two of the Ghouls.

MC: Like on some Girls, Girls, Girls type shit.

BK: Yeeeeeeeeuh-

MC: That’s some Beetlejuice shit.

BK: But yeah, man, once you’ve got a name for something. And then you sit with it for so long.

MC: Yep.

That’s the name.

BK: And you’re like, how the fuck am I going to change that into something else now man? That’s basically what it is. So it’s Ghouls during the mixing process. And then at the end, it was like the album is called Ghouls.

MM: I mean, you always come up with cool names and stuff.
Mark Millington

MM: And I think it goes back to like, you know, if you read a lot of books, and you can see why artists, you know, certain artists do, do that. They get so much information from that. Like, you know, films, watching loads of films, you know. I think when you’re composing, you know, you’re not like listening to music. You’re looking at films and going, ah, getting the inspiration from there. And that’s interesting, isn’t it? Because like, if you’re like a Jazz musician or someone, and all you do is listen to Jazz to get your inspiration, which is limiting, you know, because there’s a whole world of music and stuff and books and films.

BK: I was, for this one, man, I always watch the Warriors. When I start a project, I’m like, I’m going to watch the Warriors. It’s just that New York, wet, dark.

MM: Yeah, you can see that in your stuff.

BK: And then like Twin Peaks as well. I was watching, re-watched Twin Peaks, man. And it was like, I’ve got a little list of films that are always my go-to. Just the warm-up, you know what I mean? Just like dialling in. Everyone’s got their own process.

MC: What was you gonna say?

MM: No, it’s just expanding your mind, isn’t it? You know, if you’re just down one lane, you know that’s when you- if you write stuff. It’s going to be like that, man. It’s going to be that one way. You need to, if you want to try and draw from other things, you have to read books or look at films or go to the art gallery and get inspired by colours and stuff like that.

MC: Colours and stuff.

BK: Malik goes in the graveyard.

MM: That’s what music is.

MC: I be in the grave- I be in. I be in the graveyard and I be in museums. I used to be in museums more because, you know, the way a visual artist gets out of boxes but can stay in a box. That shit used to crack me up, rite.

BK & MM: Yeah.

MC: Like… it’s a square, it’s a rectangle, it’s out. Is it out or is it in? That shit.

MM/ But you can only see that if you have that thought process in your head.

MC: Listening! When did you realise it was all about listening?

MM: When did I?

MC: Yeah yeah, yeah. You remember? Was it an epiphany or were you always like, listen up?

MM: Uh, I don’t think I was aware of trying to. I mean, it’s just experience, isn’t it. It’s time and it’s like, you know, you become more spiritual with you’re playing as you get older, I think. And then you try to be, you know, it’s not all about how fast you can play, you know. It’s to do with the, can I say colours? Yeah, yeah. You know, music for me is all about colours, the light and shade and that’s the chords.

BK: Yeah, yeah man.

MM: That’s what always attracts me. So it’s like, you know, how can I, you know, hit that sweet spot.

MC: Is it the same vibe with your compositions? When you’re editing your compositions and arrangements?

MM: This is what I mean, it’s like, it’s very, you know, it takes years and years to get what you want to get, out of yourself. You know, some people can just do it.

BK: Yeah, yeah. You’ve got to find your voice, man. I think- I think to some extent, I mean, it takes a long time to find your voice man.

MM: Yeah, that’s experience, that’s working at it for years and years. You know, like being able to- just like upstairs- when there’s like 20 people just sitting around listening to you. I mean, years ago that would have been like, oh my God, how am I going to do this? I’d be aware of everyone. But then now you’re so calm because it’s just like, you know, everyone’s there to see us and, you know, it’s all nice and it’s all, you know, everyone’s supporting you.

BK & MC: Yeah, definitely.

You’re not even, you know, you’re sort of above all that, people even watching you. You’re above that, so it’s you’re in the moment. And that’s what’s so great about music, isn’t it? Especially playing live, because you are in the moment, you can’t think about anything else. You can’t think, oh, did I leave the washing machine on?

MC: That shit.

MM: Is the cooker on? Is, you know, did I do this? You’re in the moment. And that’s what’s so appealing about art, you know, Art. All art is the same, you know, writing, painting, music. We all want to escape. We all want to escape from reality.

MC: So when you get into doing your compositions and arrangements, particularly with this joint, you start with that rough draft, then you build it out, it’s a lot of revision or what? Like when you decided to bring the strings in and the bells and…

BK: Well, a huge amount. I mean, it’s got a lot. I do strongly believe in that. I mean, you know, you speak to some people, I think it’s like Leonard Cohen was talking about something, and he was saying how long it took him to write a song.

MC: Yeah.

BK: Then he hung out with Bob Dylan, and Bob Dylan basically was writing multiple songs a day. Leonard Cohen was like spending months. And Leonard Cohen’s music is obviously so particular. And I respect people that can do that, but for me, I’m like, I know when it’s, it’s got to be right instantly.

MC: Rite?

BK: Because I’ve worked on a lot of tracks through the years, where I’m like, there’s something I like about this, but it’s not quite right. And I’ve worked on it for weeks, and somehow it gets worse. So with all of this stuff that we’re doing, it’s like I have a little idea of how I want to do it, and then if that idea doesn’t work, I might change it up and do one other idea. But by that point, if that ain’t workin’, it’s like I know I need to change direction and go and work on something else. So I feel, yeah, that’s how I work. I mean, when you’re writing stuff, you know instantly, don’t you? Or do you revise and revise and revise?

MC: Um… I revise like hell, on writing? But if it’s– certain pieces on the album they’re freestyled, ‘cause I wasn’t- some of the shit was not doing what it’s supposed to do.

BK: And with the freestyle shit, did you revise it, or was it how it came out?

MC: In the recording, I think I would move, I got rid of a couple words when I’d throw it in the Luna. I chopped some shit up.

BK: Light revision.

MC: Yeah, light revision, if it’s freestyle. ‘Cause the only time I freestyle is when the ghoul or the ghost comes in the room and is like, get out the way. But that’s the listening part. I think a lot of this listening shit is one: listening to everybody else and getting the fuck out the way, and then (two:) figuring out if that thing is there that’ll come through you. ‘Cause once you said the album was ghouls, I was like, okay, shit, too bad I can’t go redo some shit. If I’d have known it was gonna be ghouls, I’d have got real fucked up. And then I listened back to it, I was like, yeah, but you are fucked up though, in general… Uh, so how was yesterday?

MM: It was, yeah, to me it was just like, everything slotted in.

BK: For me it was, I had a lot of faith in us, so I was like, this is gonna work. But at the same time I knew that the first time we did a little soundcheck, I knew that, not that everything had to be on point, but I knew that tonally, timbre-wise, your sax, it does have to sound right instantly and within a couple of bars it was like, oh boy, this is the palette. You know what I mean? So once that was working, it was just a matter of- just a matter of getting a little bit of structure to it. But that was it, man. I was hyped on it, it was how I imagined it was gonna sound. And yeah, man, I thought it was wicked. And um, yeah we didn’t practise for it.

MC: Yeah, but you practise in your head. I think there’s that.

MM: We’ve done it.

MC: Yeah, there’s that.

MM: And it’s being in the moment, that’s the thing. It’s like you don’t know, I was saying to you, sometimes before you actually go and play, you don’t know how you’re gonna do it. Because you’re like, how do I… do this? Even though you’ve done it thousands of times. Because you have to reinvent yourself every time you perform.

MC: Yeah, if you know how, some of these people don’t know how. That’s their journey.

MM: Yeah, so it’s all good.

BK: Just always remember, man, don’t let the room play you.

Yeah, exactly. That’s not my saying, that’s someone else’s. BK: Yeah, do your thing.

MM: The other one is don’t let the song play you. So if you play a song like Giant Steps, the Coltrane Song, if you’re not careful, you’ll be trying to play in the style of- And that’s not the idea, the idea is not to play like John Coltrance but you get forced, you know, forced into it.

MC: What uh, when you first saw the album cover layouts and all that, did you see the vibe? How did you figure out that vibe?

BK: Yeah, I knew what I wanted for this. So this was actually done by my friend. He’s done a couple of album covers and stuff, but I actually approached him with this. It’s a different album cover, but it was so low res that he was like, you can’t run with that.

And I was like, awwww shit. But it’s alright, if you can send me, if you’ve got any other images which are similar to it, and I’ll manipulate them. So I sent him a couple of bits.

MC: You feel like you’re in the GlitchArt and all that?

BK: Yeah, maybe a bit man.

MC: I mean, the album is glitching all this–-

BK: It had to be what it was, man. And it took a bit. I had the image initially, and I was like, yeah, that’s it. And you just knew. It was like, yeah, so uh.

MC: What are we? What are missing? What’s a question we should cover?

BK: Shit, well I mean people always want to know what’s next, don’t they?

MM: Oh yeah.

BK: But I don’t really know what we’ve got.

MC: I don’t know what’s next either but…

Malik Ameer Crumpler

Networking Coach École de guerre

Advanced English Creative Writing Professor SciencesPo

English Professor Pôle Universitaire Léonard de Vinci

Creative Writing Adjunct Faculty Paris College Of Arts

Editor-At-Large The Opiate

Poet, Writing Consultant, Copy Editor & Publisher Satori Ideas