At 10 a.m. Friday, Maine rapper Spose will put his musical talent and creativity on the clock, for all the world to see.

The Wells-based musician has challenged himself to make an entire eight- to 10-song album in just 24 hours, and plans to stream some of the process on Facebook and Instagram so fans can watch. Not only will he be drastically shrinking the time he usually spends on an album – eight months or so – but he says he wants this 24-hour job to be as good as any album he’s made in his 10-year career. He plans to release the one-day-wonder album a week later, Oct. 13, on the internet.

“The only thing on my side in this is the ridiculous confidence I have in myself,” said Spose, 32. “I’ve never before done more than two songs from scratch in a day. And now I’m going to be trying to do eight, and they can’t suck.”

Spose, whose real name is Ryan Peters, has booked The Halo Studio, a recording facility in Windham, for his project. He plans on working on the album 24 hours straight then taking a long nap Saturday morning at the Halo as soon he’s done. He’s also invited some 15 to 20 Maine musicians and music producers to come help him create the album, including Rustic Overtones singer Dave Gutter and the Motet’s lead singer Lyle Divinsky. Most of the musicians are donating their time, but Spose says he’ll probably still spend about $2,000 on the project.

Though he plans on making a rap album – he is a rapper, after all – Spose said he’s open to whatever kind of songs he and his assembled group come up with. If a guitarist comes up with a punk song “we’re all stoked about,” so be it, he said.

Spose said the idea for a 24-hour album sprang out of “my fantasy of being Kanye West.” West made an album called “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” in 2009, sequestered in a studio for several months with a large cast of helpers. Spose said he liked the idea of filling a studio with musicians and producers and “hopping around” to work on different tracks with different people.

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As for the 24-hour time limit, Spose said that’s the marketer in him. He puts out his own albums and runs his own business, so he’s always looking for new marketing twists. He figured that doing a 24-hour album would gain attention, for the same reason people watch a reality TV show. People would want to see whether he could do it or would fall flat on his face.

He announced his intention to make a one-day album in February, on social media. He was a little bummed to find out that his idea wasn’t completely original. Jazz bassist Esperanza Spalding made an album in September in 77 hours, streaming the process live on Facebook and garnering national attention. It’s also easy to find other examples online of other bands, mostly lesser-known ones, experimenting with 24-hour albums.

Spose first gained fame, in and outside of Maine, in 2010 when he had a local radio hit called “I’m Awesome.” The song led to a record deal with Universal Republic and about $190,000 in his pocket. The recording deal didn’t work out but Spose used the money to launch his own company and career. He’s been recording and touring ever since.

Spose says he is not prepared for the recording session, other than knowing the equipment is set up. He doesn’t have any songs written or even ideas for songs. He wants to start from scratch. And he wants to be inspired.

“I hope this will stand up to the rest of my catalog, that it’s as strong as the rest of my work,” said Spose, who has released six albums of original material and seven other recordings. “I hope 20 years from now this not an eyesore compared with the rest of my work.”

Ray Routhier can be contacted at 791-6454 or at:

rrouthier@pressherald.com

Twitter: @RayRouthier


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