A new musical excursion from Kepa Lehtinen …Face Plant is a six-track mini-album of original contemporary classical music written for piano, contrabass, and theremin. . The theremin is a century-old electronic instrument that’s played by hand gestures rather than direct contact.
Nobody uses theremin like I do. It is not a solo instrument anymore. Because theremin responds to even the slightest movement (even to the player’s breath) it has become the organic sonic cornerstone of my music. It is the element that makes the soundscape really come to life ”
Face Plant “I am 50 years old skateboarder. I have always loved the expression ”Face Plant” (an instance of falling face-first into or onto something.) If you skate on the limits of your skills you are going to fall at some point. It is going to hurt.”
Kontula Kontula (2018) is my most beloved composition. (740 000 streams on Spotify) ”Kontula ” is a new solo remake of the piano version of the theme.
”The mix of classical and retro electronic music makes ideas escape easily and appreciate the changing season. Beautiful, very, very beautiful.”
Mika Roth/desibeli.netNowhere”Kepa gives an original instrument a new voice and expression in a center stage manner that merges electronic with a future indie classic. ”
Ryan Martin/Jammerzine
Lockdown…Arpeggios on a broken piano – the sound of a pandemic.
It is ok to be a computer… Chiptune version of my track ”It is ok to be sad and dark” The last track on all my solo records is the Commodore 64 version of some previous song. The Spotify algorithm will punish me – lol.
Kepa Lehtinen has written music for many films, commercials, and TV productions. He plays the piano, synthesizers, theremin. He released his first solo album, Playing Theremin, in 2018. In 2019 he released Helsinki in November and 2020 It is ok to be sad and dark. Last year Kepa was chosen as the composer of the week on the prestigious moving classics tv.
About Kepa Lehtinen
The theremin comes to life under the direction of the rising Finnish composer, Kepa Lehtinen on his new dark andante Nowhere.
‘The way I use the theremin is quite unique. Together with double bass, the theremin completes the piano like cello and violin does in a classical piano trio.” The theremin is an electronic instrument that produces sound when your hands interact with the electromagnetic field it emits without actually touching the device itself. It was invented in the labs of KGB by Russian engineer Leon Theremin in the early 1920s.’
‘Strumming through the invisible electronic waves the Tonality play is unnoticeable. While harmonies are modern and complex; the overall feel seems to be nonetheless easily approachable and primitively hypnotic. Insight to the world of the Theremin from Kepa….On the sound ”Retro but ultra HiFi sound has been my goal at the studio. Sound of sadness and past.’
Everybody wonders at my instrument,” ”but after all, it is the most organic musical instrument there is. The sound is in direct contact with my breathing and the slightest movements of my body. I played the theremin part with a sore hand that I had hurt in a small skate accident I can feel the pain in my hand every time I listen to this track – lol.’
Kepa Lehtinen is a native of Helsinki, Finland. He began to study music as a child and eventually went on to study Sound Design at Finland’s Aalto University and has since written music for many films, commercials, and TV productions. He plays the piano, synthesizers, theremin, After college Kepa continued his work as a composer, sound editor, and sound designer. His music has appeared in award-winning Finnish titles such as Kimmo (TV series), Almost 18 (feature film), and A Stone LeftUnturned (short film).
He released his first solo album, Playing Theremin, in 2018. In 2019 he released Helsinki in November and 2020 It is ok to be sad and dark. Kepa is also an avid skateboarder and also runs a sound studio for film and tv. This fall Kepa was chosen as the composer of the week on the prestigious moving classics tv.
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/kepalehtinenartist
https://twitter.com/KepaLehtinen
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Bromide – Magic Coins
British noise-pop outfit Bromide has announced their new single ‘Magic Coins’, an infectious track accompanied by ‘Always Now’ as its b-side. ‘Magic Coins’ is an unexpected rhythm track that is seemingly drum and bass-inspired, written collectively by all three band members.
Bromide is Simon Berridge on vocals and guitar, Ed Lush on drums, and Hugo Wilkinson on bass. These songbirds worship at the altars of Husker Du, Teenage Fanclub, The Replacements, Guided By Voices, Dinosaur Jr., The Only Ones, Buffalo Tom and other melodic rockers equally obsessed by songs, songwriting and the euphoria associated with playing music through amplified electronic equipment.
Hailing from London, their sound has been described as “Grant Hart fronting Sebadoh” and “Elvis Costello fronting Dinosaur Jr.” Vive Le Rock noted that they mix “the best bits of The Lemonheads and Dinosaur Jr. replete with melancholic melodies and J Mascis-ish guitar lines”.
“Magic Coins is a good example of how being in a band can take things off in directions you’d never expect. I’d been trawling youtube one night and on my travels come across Susan Boyle’s gobsmacking debut performance on ‘X Factor’ and a thumping AC/DC gig from Oakland Coliseum, California in ’79. Both had made me think about the nature of performance and invisible energy release and so I put this into a new song I was writing “I wanna stand in their shoes. Tell me what it is I have to do,” says Simon Berridge.
“When we next got to practice, we hadn’t played together for a while and I remember starting playing the riff and Ed literally running to get behind the drum kit. He started playing this frenetic almost drum and bass beat and the song exploded. It ended up totally not where I was expecting.”
This single follows the album ‘I Woke Up’, released in the summer of 2018, and the ‘I Remember’ album previous to that. In that time, they have won over news fans including Gideon Coe at BBC 6 Music, who has called their music ‘Fantastic’ and says their latest single ‘Two Song Slot’ is ‘a mighty fine tune’, playing these tracks numerous times over several months.
Legendary producer, Brian O’Shaughnessy (Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine) recorded, mixed and produced these tracks at Bark Studios in Walthamstow, London. Seamlessly welding their pop onto their rock, together they achieved Bromide’s sublime college-rock sound. The band also wrote some of the music in the studio while recording, including the confessional album opener ‘Tale To Tell’ while album closer ‘I Woke Up’ sees them begin to stretch their wings a bit as a Glenn Branca / Krautrock groove builds to an an epic conclusion complete with thunder, rain, autoharp and anything else lying around the studio.
“We’ve recorded the most recent two Bromide albums with Brian because he knows how to make you focus on what you’re trying to achieve, plus he knows how to make it sound great,” says Simon Berridge.
The ‘Magic Coins’ single will be released digitally and plans also include a 7″ on limited edition vinyl. The ‘I Woke Up’ album is available across online stores and streaming platforms, as well as on limited edition vinyl and CD. It can be obtained from Scratchy Records through Cargo Records.
LINKS:
http://www.theinternetatemysoul.co.uk/bromide.htm
https://www.facebook.com/bromidebanduk
https://twitter.com/bromide_band
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7l4GWNPAIsXLRFSaCvC6pb
https://itunes.apple.com/cy/artist/bromide/285841264 -
Testament – Live @ Hellfest Festival 2019
Testament is an emblematic group of thrash metal and the movement of the Bay Area in particular.
About Hellfest
Founded in 2006 on the ashes of FURYFEST, the HELLFEST festival was conceived and imagined by Benjamin Barbaud (founder) and Yoann Le Neve (Co-Founder).Established for 13 years in the small town of Clisson (44 – Nantes), the HELLFEST has quickly established itself as one of the leaders of European festivals that offer extreme music.
Each year, more than 160 bands come to perform on the six scenes of the HELLFEST, each representing a current of extreme music: MAIN STAGE 1 & MAIN STAGE 2 (hard rock / thrash) – TEMPLE STAGE (doom / pagan metal / black metal) – ALTAR STAGE (death metal / grind) – VALLEY STAGE (sludge / stoner) – WARZONE STAGE (punk / HxC).
During this decade, big names in Metal have been programmed: RAMMSTEIN, IRON MAIDEN, AEROSMITH, DEF LEPPARD, BLACK SABBATH, SLAYER, MOTORHEAD, MOTLEY CRUE, MANOWAR, SCORPIONS, KISS, ALICE COOPER, ZZ TOP, MARYLIN MANSON, DEEP PURPLE, MEGADETH, KORN, SLIPKNOT, GUNS’N’ROSES, LYNYRD SKYNYRD, JUDAS PRIEST, DEFTONES, TWISTED SISTER, EUROPE, EMPEROR, TURBONEGRO, NOFX, BODY COUNT, STATUS QUO etc …
Mixing the giants of the genre, the rising formations or nuggets extracted from the underground milieu, the HELLFEST has won the trust of its public by offering each year an original and eclectic poster in the world of extreme music!
Welcoming more than 150,000 festival-goers over 3 days, the HELLFEST has distinguished itself by offering new installations year after year to guarantee the comfort of its fans, but also by offering an original immersion in an atypical setting. (Sculptures, ornaments, dressings, skate park, Ferris wheel ….) The scenography is worked in the smallest detail and has never been equaled: titanic light show, pyrotechnics, show and performances, set in daytime and night atmosphere, fire fireworks. The festival has surrounded itself over the years with artists and visual artists who participated in the creation of his own universe.
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The World I Knew – Piecefull
Cincinnati-based The World I Knew bring a distinct and unapologetic vibe to the metalcore scene. Fusing together elements of electro, hip-hop and chest-pounding breakdowns, the quintet has released their latest single and music video “Piecefull.”
“‘Piecefull’ is about pretenders,” says vocalist Wesley Merritt. “Those that will pretend to be there for you and have your back as long as things are going well for them, and what happens to them once they’ve been exposed. We take loyalty very seriously, loyalty is everything.”
“Piecefull” starts with Merritt acting as his own hype man before launching into a full-on lyrical beatdown. The video was directed by Josh Emerick and Ross Thiesen, shot in a Columbus, OH at The Continent.
The World I Knew has been striving to create music without boundaries or limitations since their formation in 2014 and the release of their debut single “Fuck a 9-5.” The group’s uncanny ability to seamlessly engage with audiences across the punk/metal/rap/rock scene makes them an attractive group to follow in 2019.
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/TheWorldIKnewOfficial
https://www.instagram.com/theworldiknewofficial