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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Where We Sleep – The Desert
London-based dark and dynamic pop project Where We Sleep has announced their debut EP ‘Experiments In The Dark’. Ahead of that, they present the lead single ‘The Desert’, a jaded and winding psych-infused track traversing similar addictive territory as PJ Harvey, Curve, and Garbage.
At Where We Sleep’s core is Beth Rettig, perhaps best known as the vocalist of alt-pop darlings Blindness. But this project also involves collaborations with various other artists. ‘The Desert’ sees Rettig collaborate with Axel Ray of United Ghosts (and also The Black Windmill and Cadet A) on lead guitar.
Dark and rough around the edges, this EP combines synth and live elements. This release also features contributions from Ben Pritchard, formerly of The Fall and currently in Manc Floyd, and former Blindness bandmate Debbie Smith of Curve, Echobelly and SPC ECO fame (and also Snowpony with My Bloody Valentine’s Debbie Googe and Moonshake’s Katharine Gifford).
‘Experiments In The Dark’ is a five-track offering, recorded in studios between London and Manchester. This follows up Where We Sleep’s single ‘The First One’, released in August 2018, preceded by Where We Sleep’s debut single ‘Veins’ in June 2018, also featuring Debbie Smith, and b-side ‘Crawl’, mixed in Addis Ababa by Guy Fixsen.
Raised in Africa (Nigeria, Botswana and South Africa) and saying goodbye to the days of her Johannesburg band High, Beth Rettig returned to the UK in 2000 and eventually hooked up with Debbie Smith to form Blindness. They had a good run until playing their final gig in 2016, followed by ‘The Monsoon EP’ in 2007, their final release.
“When Blindness ended – solely down to a change in my personal life – I didn’t know if I was going to write again. Where We Sleep is the result of discovering that you don’t know how not to make music,” says Beth Rettig.
Rettig’s music is rooted in an array of influences, including Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Curve, EMA, Nine Inch Nails, Jesus and Mary Chain, Garbage, Kate Bush, Massive Attack, Patti Smith, PJ Harvey, Pete International Airport, White Rose Movement and The Fall.
About ‘The Desert’ video, Rettig explains, “The road footage in The Desert video was taken when Axel and myself took a road trip to the Mojave Desert in California, with trips to Pioneertown and Joshua Tree National Park. It seemed a shame not to use those visuals, albeit affected, for the song. As the song came first, it was a cool realization that two people who did a song about driving through the desert together were taking a road trip through the desert together.”
‘Experiments In The Dark’ is slated for release on May 31 and will be available across digital stores and streaming platforms. It can also be pre-ordered via Where We Sleep’s own Bandcamp site.
LINKS:
http://www.wherewesleep.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/wherewesleep
https://wherewesleep.bandcamp.com
https://twitter.com/wh3rewesleep
https://www.instagram.com/where.we.sleep
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb68iXZZOJKK7qV3sMnQo7Q
https://soundcloud.com/wherewesleep
https://open.spotify.com/artist/3FFR8UDRIgrRmnZIH3AB2L -
Mathis Grey – Lights
Mathis Grey
“Lights”
Directed By Sean Quillen
Starring Mathis Grey, Tasha Sunday, Jessica Abbott, Darrian LaDow and Mr & Mrs.Quillen.
Grab the single on iTunes today!
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/lights-single/id655239131“Lights” lyrics
Excuse me light of day, can I borrow you tonight
I’m gonna go to a place where the cold holds right
As I walk through the rain, I see an old old house
It says won’t you come in and oh yeah bring the light…and I say
Oh I guess I can
Oh I guess I CAN
Oh I guess I can spare the light
As I step through the door, all I see is confused eyes
And then a person says to me, what’s it like to know light
I said it’s hard to explain, it’s like being born for the second time
It’s kinda like being placed in a world where there’s no wrong
And they said
Do you think you can
Do you think you CAN
Do you think you can spare some light
As we all start to sway, twist and mend in the light
I can see every face their all like….like mine
As the night turns to day and the hurt turns to joy
We all walk to a place where the light holds right
And we say
Oh yes we can
Oh yes we CAN
Oh yes we can share the lightBa ba ba ba da ba ba ba x4
Copyrights Reserved, MathisGrey2013
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Otis Mensah – Sanctified
Otis Mensah is “a young story-teller-rapper-poet with a talent for drawing the poetic from the everyday happenings in his life.” The alternative hip-hop artist has risen from a new wave; age and era, embodying a contemporary, poetic take on hip-hop music. The music he creates sheds light on existential commonalities discovered through introspection with often off-kilter lyrics, accompanied by a sentimental vibe.
As an emerging artist, Otis has been independently releasing music, booking shows and has played around the UK & Europe including his debut performance at Glastonbury Music Festival on the BBC Introducing stage. Otis has also played as support for the likes of Killah Priest, Open Mike Eagle, Brother Ali, Lowkey, Milo, Arrested Development, The Sugarhill Gang, P.O.S, Abstract Orchestra, The Mouse Outfit, iTCH (The King Blues), and The Skints.
‘Sanctified is the stirring new release from experimental hip-hop prodigy Otis Mensah. It speaks of his restless striving to convey his truth through artistic self-expression, tempered by the burden of self-doubt and depression. Drawing deeply on the spiritual imagery of his youth, Mensah describes his obsessive yearning to realize his own potential, and face down his demons ‘in the lunar light dancing by the river.’ Produced by Elijah Bane, with music visuals from GRIT multimedia, Sanctified sees Mensah shift up another gear on his continual quest to connect with his audience through his vulnerable and honest form of experimental hip-hop’ Pink Wafer.
As an artist he perseveres in, connecting to an audience that relates to his writing and shares a mutual interest for thought-provoking lyricism and expressionism.
LINKS:
https://otismensah.bandcamp.com
https://twitter.com/otismensah
https://www.instagram.com/otismensah
https://soundcloud.com/otismensah/oh-jane-prod-the-intern
https://www.facebook.com/itsOtisMensah