News
London-based producer and multi-instrumentalist Ben Marc has shared a new song “This Time Next Year,” the latest advance track from his forthcoming Glass Effect album (out April 22 from Innovative Leisure). The heady track digs into Marc’s talents as a producer and arranger, meticulously layering looped snippets of acoustic guitar melodies amidst pulsing synth pads and a swaggering beat. The song’s profusion of influences is illustrative of Marc’s singular vision - one that charts his own musical journey from studying classical music, to becoming a key collaborator in the burgeoning London jazz scene, to learning dance and hip hop production techniques, and on.
For a pre-order of Glass Effect, visit Ben Marc's Bancamp page here.
"Bonsai" was also named Clash's song of the day.
"New song 'Bonsai' is - appropriately, given the title - a microcosm of her work, with the billowing house elements carrying a unique physicality. Heady, other-worldly stuff, 'Bonsai' grows organically, the lush horn elements augmented by the percussive rattle." - CLASH
"a clubby departure for Argirò, trading in clever chord changes for a hypnotic beat and swelling synth pads." - The FADER
On Forest City, Maria finds a glistening thread between these movements: where jazz meets Kelly Lee Owens, Jon Hopkins and Radiohead. It’s a concept record, about the “duality of nature and city”, where organic sounds and textures seem to flow above the urban sprawl.
Maria had finished writing the album before the first lockdown but the enforced isolation helped to give the music a sense of urgency, a longing to be immersed in the natural world and the buzz of the city at the same time. The songs always start as something she can play acoustically, that would work without the bells and whistles, and then she layers the atmosphere around them.
Though the album has dark undertones, it’s not all doom and gloom: in her earthy metropolis, a certain optimism glows through. “It’s about being conscious of the world we live in and how careful we need to be,” Maria explains. “At the end of the day, there is hope”.
Her new, warm and house-inflected single “Bonsai” came spontaneously. Maria reveals, “The main theme and melodies came out of an improvisation I had on my Yamaha CS reface over the first rhythmic synth idea. I remember trying many different sounds playing on my laptop, on Ableton and some VST, focussing on having a playful time rather than being too worried and conscious of the outcome. I wanted to create a playful dance floor track, but I also needed a drastic and big drop to happen at a certain point, like a wake-up call: the trumpet sounded like the best choice to get this “shouting” moment and drop. Like falling.”
Forest City was recorded and self-produced between her bedroom and her studio with the precious help of her longtime collaborators and electronic producers, In a Sleeping Mood and mixing engineer Alex Killpartrick. And, crucially, she is singing for the first time, too – her airy, otherworldly vocals on “Blossom” and “Clouds” especially resemble Emiliana Torrini or a singer in a smoky, late-night club, alone under the spotlight on the stage.
Opening track “Home” sets up the shadowy textural claustrophobia of the city, its melancholic piano evoking raindrops on crowded pavement; then the album evolves into a mesmeric journey spanning downbeat trip-hop, all skittering drums and warped trumpet (“Forest City”), dream-like, folkier songwriting (“Greenarp”, which was named after the arpeggios she created on her beloved Organelle synth), shoegazey alt-pop, punctured by poignant brass solos (“Blossom”) and beguiling jazztronica that wouldn’t sound out of place in a Jamie XX set (“Clouds”).
Forest City sees its release via Innovative Leisure on May 6th. To pre-order / pre-save the album, go here.
This month, Maria is wrapping up a UK tour with Emma-Jean Thackery - more dates to be announced.
London-based producer and multi-instrumentalist Ben Marc has shared another single from his forthcoming Glass Effect album (out this Spring from Innovative Leisure). “Sometimes Slow” pairs a virtuosic skittering drum performance with a circling xylophone pattern that opens up with layers of guitar, synths, and looping percussion. Alongside previous album singles “Mustard,” “Give Me Time,” and “The Way We Are,” the new song is illustrative of his singular vision, unifying a profusion of influences (that chart his personal journey from the concert hall, to the jazz club, to the dance club, and back) into a sublime whole, underscoring the evolution of his quest for a distinctive sound: lambent, low-key, and dizzyingly intricate. https://smarturl.it/BM_sometimesslow
See a recent piece on Edition where Ben Marc breaks down his top 5 most influential albums.
Multi-instrumentalist & jazz trained pianist Maria Chiara Agirò (pronounced ma-REE-ah key-AH-rah r-gee-ROW) has weaved her way throughout UK and Italy’s jazz, classical & electronic worlds for over a decade. She emerges with her first full venture into electronic production with a new studio album due later this spring.
Maria has been quietly weaving her way around the UK jazz, classical and electronic worlds since she moved to London from Rome 11 years ago. A pianist from the age of nine and a key player in the capital’s multi-national jazz scene, she’s lent her skills to indie band These New Puritans, lush jazz troupe Kinkajous and, more recently, collaborations with Jamie Leeming – their 2020 album Flow was nominated for one of the albums of the year in the Jazz Revelations Awards and was the Guardian’s jazz album of the month – and beat-driven duo Moonfish.
Maria recorded and self-produced “Clouds” between her bedroom and studio with the precious help of her longtime collaborators and electronic producers, In a Sleeping Mood and mixing engineer Alex Killpartrick. And, crucially, she is singing for the first time, too – her airy, otherworldly vocals on “Clouds” resemble Emiliana Torrini or a singer in a smoky, late-night club, alone under the spotlight on the stage.
Maria explains that “Clouds” is “a pure observation of the world I pictured where the clouds, sky and dreamy movement of the synths and vocal samples meet with the earth/roots of the electronic beat/drums and where all the elements evolve and come back, like in a circular movement. In order to create this effect and this mood, I needed to mix the acoustic drums with the electronic beats, having the trumpet improvising over the odd time signature and creating a circled sound effect on the chords and harmony of the prophet.”
Presented by Aquarium Drunkard, Maston plays a live session with L'Eclair at Ritmo Studios in Leysin, Switzerland. This version showcases tracks from the Maston discography.
Full tracklisting:
[00:00] 01. Rain Dance
[03:49] 02. Swans
[05:44] 03. Scenic
[08:00] 04. Souvenir
[09:49] 05. Les Monstres
[12:02] 06. Swiss Franc
And a link to the most recent record, Souvenir:
https://smarturl.it/maston_souvenir