The Mule (2026)

"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.

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Led by JUNO-nominated and 10X Global Music Award-winning pianist and composer Nick Maclean, the Toronto-based SNAGGLE feat. ALI BROS delivers an all-original electric-jazz experience that moves from haunting introspection to explosive intensity. Drawing upon the exploratory traditions of Weather Report, the Brecker Brothers, and Snarky Puppy, the ensemble now undertakes its most ambitious project yet: FOUNDATION, a new album of electrifying works inspired by Isaac Asimov’s legendary saga, bringing one of science fiction’s greatest & most enduring literary universes vividly to life through sound. FOUNDATION is due for release in October, 2026 on Browntasauras Records.
 
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. Renowned Latin percussion master Luisito Orbegoso also makes a guest appearance.

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Composed by Nick Maclean and performed by SNAGGLE feat. ALI BROS during their recording sessions at Revolution Recording on Tue-Dec-02 & Wed-Dec-03, 2025.

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"The Mule" was released on July 31, 2026. This is a single that appears on the album FOUNDATION (Browntasauras Records, 2026)

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:: Nick Maclean - keys/synth
:: Brownman Ali - electric trumpet
:: Marcus Ali - electric tenor sax
:: Jay Yoo - electric guitar
:: Matt Gruebner - electric bass
:: Adam Mansfield - drums
:: special guest: Luisito Orbegoso - campana, claves, shaker, triangle

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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
:: 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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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.