In his music, connect_icut (real name Samuel Macklin) aims to remove the distinctions between instinct and intellect, chaos and order, organic and synthetic, analog and digital. This work may be deemed ‘glitch’ or ‘post-digital’, but one thing is for sure – this is a mixture of melodic elements and rarefied abstraction with intense modulations that flare up between the cracks of mysterious geometrical passages.
Releasing music since 2005, some of it has met with significant success. The Wire Magazine commented that it was “always involving – and easily rewarding enough to make getting up and turning the record over an anticipatory pleasure”. Thurston Moore and Byron Coley (via Arthur Magazine) also noted this music “takes a lot of standard ‘pretty’ electronic practices and flops them over on their sides… There’s pop crafting here, but it’s subtle and allowed to evolve in its own darkly idiosyncratic way”.
connect_icut released ‘Crow & Kittiwakes Wheel and Come Again’ (2013) and ‘Small Town by the Sea’ (2014), both via Aagoo Records, to wide acclaim, followed by ‘Rage Coma’ (2017). While those albums were mostly created using computer software, this new EP is essentially a test recording for a new all-hardware set-up.
Whereas other electronic music producers making the software/hardware switch have simultaneously adopted an analog-only approach, connect_icut remains firmly rooted in the digital realm. The six extended tracks collected here delve into the granular synthesis techniques developed by computer music pioneers like Curtis Roads, Barry Truax, and Guy Reibel – only without using a computer, as such.
This music also differs from that of the aforementioned pioneers in its rawness and spontaneity. The source sounds were created with whatever was at hand, which usually turned out to be a Casio SK-1 toy sampler. The finished tracks are both proof-of-concept test runs and seat-of-the-pants improvisations. Somewhere along the line, this resulted in surprisingly beautiful music.
It anchors all manner of chaotic abstraction in a solid foundation that is fundamentally grounded in hands-on performance and spontaneous composition. Live connect_icut appearances have included support slots for a number of notable electronic artists including Oneohtrix Point Never and Loscil.
In support of this new release, connect_icut also presents the video for ‘Simonson’, emphasizing radiant pixels and glowing digital abstraction.
‘Music for Granular Synthesizer’ will be released via Aagoo Records on November 24 on triple cassette and can be ordered on Aagoo’s website and also digitally via Bandcamp.
LINKS:
http://connect-icut.com
http://twitter.com/vinylscrobbler
http://soundcloud.com/connect_icut
http://www.youtube.com/user/CSAFrecords
http://connect-icut.tumblr.com
http://csaf-records.bandcamp.com
http://open.spotify.com/artist/1GWsn2g4Fy23GGTDtj882N
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Drew Davies – Mrs Taylor
Last week we brought you the review for Drew Davies’ new single titled ‘Mrs Taylor’ and told you how special the meaning behind the music is. This time around we concentrate on the video, which just dropped.
The video perfectly encapsulates said meaning with a symbolic journey via car and foot through what I think is one of the more beautiful countrysides in this world. The scenes are cut to the beat which punctuates the track and enhances the driving tone of the song as a whole. Topped by interesting guitar and chord changes that give soul and take score, ‘Mrs Taylor’ is one of those beat-centric anthems for the #indie scene.
ABOUT ‘MRS TAYLOR’
London-based rock soloist Drew Davies has announced his single ‘Mrs. Taylor’ set for release on 1 November. The track is lifted from his upcoming debut EP via AD1. The EP was mixed by Steve Honest (Oasis, Eurythmics) and mastered by John Webber (David Bowie, Super Furry Animals). Davies has been featured by the likes of Clash Magazine, Atwood Magazine and Music News amongst others. He has seen radio play from BBC Radio York’s Introducing with Jericho Keys, BBC Wales, Radio X, and as a previous member of The Mercy House, the band saw support from Kerrang, Classic Rock Magazine, Metal Hammer, MTV and BBC Radio 6 and Radio X. He has toured extensively in the UK and Europe, had music featured on the Rock Band video game, played Download Festival, London’s Scala and the iconic Troubadour.
ABOUT DREW DAVIES
Hailing from South Yorkshire, Davies comes from a long line of singers and musicians. He has spent the better part of the last decade treading the boards of venues and festivals across the UK and Europe with various bands, working in musical collaborations, writing for other artists and singing in session gigs to get by. Through successes, setbacks and everything in between, he has poured himself into his musical labors and has now produced his most personal work to date.
Pulling from a wide array of influences, Drew Davies is inspired by everything from 50’s rock n’ roll to electronica, citing acts such as The National, Scott Walker, Vangelis and Tom Petty. From this palette of familiar reference points, he has created a genre-bending and timeless sound that bears semblance to the likes of Sam Fender, Future Islands, and The War On Drugs.
On ‘Mrs Taylor’ Davies displays impressive vocal polish, bringing the lyrics colorfully to life against a full musical arrangement. Propelled by energetic instrumentals, the songwriting and hooks are brilliantly written and expertly executed. Thematically, the track traverses melancholic subject matter, but Davies tackles it with gusto and positivity choosing to highlight memory of life, rather than a reminder of our inevitable mortality.
Davies gives some background to the track:
Mrs Taylor is a song about childhood. Growing up in the South Yorkshire countryside it wasn’t always easy to get around. My oldest friend’s mother Mrs Taylor used to ferry us around a lot and take care of us if we ever got into scrapes. When I learned of her passing I immediately started writing lyrics and music; ‘Mrs Taylor’ was written then and there as an ode to childhood and to those who took care of me in those formative years.
LINKS:
https://www.drewdaviesmusic.com
https://www.facebook.com/drewdaviesmusic
https://www.twitter.com/drewdaviesmusic
https://www.instagram.com/drewdaviesmusic
https://drewdaviesmusic.bandcamp.com -
The Winachi Tribe – Transition
‘Since the formation of the band in 2015 opening for Ringo Star’s Son ‘Zak Starkey’ in London’s West End ‘The Winachi Tribe’ have not stopped for a second. Releasing a number of critically acclaimed singles (with two promotional videos starring acting greats Keith Allen & Tommy Flanagan…the second filmed with Tommy Flanagan at his Ranch in Malibu, California), collaborating with legendary producer’s ‘Howie.B’ ‘Danny Saber’ & ‘John X (Recording sessions with Danny Saber took place in the Hollywood Hills at his notorious Batcave studio & John X at the legendary Venice Beach Creation Centre) and gaining Global press / airplay in both the U.K & U.S…including rotation on national ‘BBC 6 Music’ ‘BBC Introducing’ & ‘KCRW’ plus features in major publications such as ‘L.A Times’ ‘NME’ & ‘Manchester Evening News’.
Festival / Gig-goers would of more than likely come across them at some point tearing up mainstages at some of the UK’s biggest music festivals including (Victorious Festival / Tramlines & Shiiine On Weekender / Sunflowerfest Belfast). Being booked as official tour support for ‘Happy Mondays’ & ‘Sugar Hill Gang’…also headlining two of their own national U.K tours. ‘The Winachi Tribe’ show no sign of slowing down.
March 2018 has seen the band head to America for their debut headline tour of the U.S (California) before heading out in the U.K for a 16 date summer tour to promote the release of single ‘Transition’ released April 24, 2018.
LINKS:
https://www.musicglue.com/thewinachitribe
http://www.facebook.com/thewinachitribe
https://twitter.com/winachitribe
http://dannysabermusic.com
https://twitter.com/dannysaber
