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SNAGGLE feat. ALI BROS

FOUNDATION (2026)

Inspired by ISAAC ASIMOV's iconic 15-novel opus magnus

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NEW SINGLE EVERY MONTH, FULL ALBUM in OCTOBER

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FOUNDATION is the most ambitious project SNAGGLE has ever undertaken: an original electric jazz suite inspired by Isaac Asimov's legendary Foundation universe.

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For more than seventy years, Asimov's Foundation saga has stood as one of science fiction's defining achievements. Spanning 15 interconnected novels, it traces the rise and fall of a galaxy-spanning civilization while exploring timeless questions of power, prediction, free will, social collapse, and humanity's future. Its influence extends far beyond literature, inspiring generations of scientists, writers, filmmakers, and dreamers.

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After immersing himself in Asimov's extraordinary universe, bandleader and composer Nick Maclean found those stories beginning to emerge in his own music. Rather than adapting the novels directly, FOUNDATION was conceived as an original musical interpretation of them. Each composition explores a character, event, place, or idea from Asimov's world, asking not "How can this story be retold?" but rather, "What does it sound like?"

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Performed by Toronto's SNAGGLE feat. ALI BROS, the music draws on the adventurous electric jazz tradition of Weather Report and the Brecker Brothers, as well as contemporary influences like Snarky Puppy. At the front line are the ALI BROS: trumpet virtuoso Brownman Ali (Guru’s Jazzmatazz, Jay-Z, Randy Brecker) and his brother, saxophone heavyweight Marcus Ali (Matt Dusk, Jason Wilson, Mr. Something Something). Behind them, an elite rhythm section of Toronto electric-jazz heavyweights drives the sound forward: Jay Yoo on guitar, Matt Gruebner on bass, and Adam Mansfield on drums. Strategically, Maclean has deliberately folded every member of BROWNMAN ELECTRYC TRIO into SNAGGLE, forming the ensemble’s core nucleus. The result is a collection of fearless, narrative-driven compositions that balance explosive improvisation with cinematic scope, deep groove, and emotional storytelling.

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FOUNDATION is more than a tribute to one of science fiction's greatest literary achievements. It is an invitation to experience Asimov's universe through another artistic language, where melody becomes character, rhythm becomes conflict, improvisation becomes discovery, and the vast ideas that have captivated readers for generations are brought vividly to life through sound.

SINGLE - The MULE

"The Mule" is a sonic portrait of power imposed through emotional domination. In science-fiction grandmaster Isaac Asimov’s FOUNDATION universe - spanning 15 novels in total - the Mule is a mutant conqueror whose ability to manipulate human emotion allows him to bend individuals, societies, and entire civilizations to his will. The composition simmers with paranoia & unease, steadily gathering force before erupting into a climax that feels less like violence than subjugation: an irresistible presence rewriting minds, loyalties, & history itself. Dark, volatile, & deeply unsettling, “The Mule” translates psychological conquest into sound.

FULL TRACK LISTING

1) (Trantor - Introduction)

2) TWILIGHT OF CIVILIZATION

3) (Adjusting - Interlude)

4) SECOND FOUNDATION

5) (We Are - Interlude)

6) GAIA's CALL

7) (Jehoshaphat - Interlude)

8) ELIJAH & GLADIA

9) (Magnificent - Interlude)

10) The MULE - VIDEO

11) (History - Interlude)

12) TEN THOUSAND GENERATIONS

13) (Protected - Interlude)

14) The ZEROTH LAW

15) (Thinking - Interlude)

16) LITTLE WANDA, BIG FUTURE

17) (Alone - Interlude)

18) LONELY MOON ROBOT

19) (No One - Interlude)

20) ARKADY

21) (Infinite - Epilogue)

CREDITS

​​:: Nick Maclean - keyboards/synth, compositions, sound design & vocals**
:: Brownman Ali - electric trumpet, sound design
:: Marcus Ali - electric tenor sax
:: Jay Yoo - electric guitar
:: Matt Gruebner - electric bass
:: Adam Mansfield - drums


:: special guest: Luisito Orbegoso - campana, claves, shaker, triangle, congas

:: special guest: Dinah Maclean - vocals**

:: special guest: Erin Brooks - vocals**

:: special guest: Olivia Brooks-Maclean - vocals**

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:: Brownman - producer (Browntasauras Records)

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:: Revolution Recording - recording studio (Kim Cooke, booker)
:: Stephen Koszler - head tracking engineer
:: Luke Schindler - assistant tracking engineer

:: Nick Maclean - editing engineer
:: Josh Bowman - mix engineer (Bowman Sound)
:: Josh Bowman - mastering engineer (Bowman Sound)

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:: Thom Varey - camera lead, director of photography
:: Brittany Farhat - camera crew
:: Matthew Fong - camera crew
:: Max Jones - still photography

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:: Toronto Arts Council - funding

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:: Browntasauras Records - record label
:: Noah Vig-Fernandes - assistant producer

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* appears on "The Mule", "The Zeroth Law", "Arkady", "Gaia's Call", & "Little Wanda, Big Future"

** appears on "The Zeroth Law"​

ABOUT ISAAC ASIMOV'S FOUNDATION UNIVERSE

Isaac Asimov’s FOUNDATION Universe took more than half a century to fully coalesce. Beginning with his robot stories in the 1940s (later collected in I, Robot), it expanded through the Robot Series (4 books), the Galactic Empire Series (3 books), and finally the Foundation Series (7 books). At its conceptual heart is psychohistory: a fictional mathematical science capable of predicting the behaviour of enormous populations and charting humanity’s path through the collapse of a galactic civilization. This extraordinary 15-book literary saga traces the rise and fall of a galaxy-spanning empire, exploring themes of power, prediction, social collapse, and human agency that remain strikingly relevant today.

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