POSTS TAGGED : Fold

ROTATION ROUND-UP #4

Time is becoming increasingly precious and difficult to obtain these days but I still have a grá on me for blogging.

So, this is an attempt cover more of what I am listening to on a regular basis, with a relatively quick roundup of what has been on rotation over the past week or two.

Enjoy!

Adwaith – ‘ETO’

Welsh outfit Adwaith – Hollie Singer, Gwenllian Anthony & Heledd Owen – will release the follow-up to their wonderful and Welsh Music Prize winning debut with new album Bato Mato on July 1st via Libertino Records. The new record is led by ‘ETO’, a soaring evocative guitar driven adventure brimming with confidence and ideas. It is shimmering, evocative, life-affirming and moving, and bursting with open-hearted soaring melody’s and lyrical vulnerability – instantly sweeping us along with this stirring anthem. This is Adwaith at their finest; you will be replaying, again and again, and again.

Many Voices Speak – ‘Within Reach’

Many Voices Speak – the project of Swedish musician Matilda Mård – has announced her return with second album Gestures, released on 29th April 2022 via Strangers Candy.

A master of misty-eyed, melancholic and hazy indie-pop, Many Voices Speak has always found its power in its ability to capture an eternity in an expression; found in abundance on her debut and lead single ‘Within Reach’. A six-minute long reflective slow burn that just brims with beauty, as Mård’s elegant, yearning dream-pop makes the world seem to slow down around it, where time stretches out, and you become totally immersed in it. ‘Within Reach’ showcases Mård’s continued growth as a songwriter, one more comfortable in her own skin.

Komla MC vs Fold – ‘Victoria Falls’

Komla MC vs Fold is the unlikely combination of two expats in Leeds, UK. Hailing from Accra and New York respectively, Rob (Komla MC) and Seth (of the band Fold) were brought together by having kids at the same school and united in their undying love of hip hop. Given that Seth’s work with Hip-Hop/Trip Hop outfit Fold has a rep for funky, groovy and cool sounds, it is no surprise that this delivers a healthy dose of all three pitted with a fun and cheeky sensibility. Hopefully there is more to come from this collab – top marks!

The AM – ‘On Joy Road’

The AM – AKA Ann-Marie Teasley – is a DJ with a penchant for Techno and Electro that started out as a classical violinist in Detroit. The AM is releasing her debut EP Black Majik on March 11, and comes fronted by ‘On Joy Road’; an Electro-influenced jam named after the long, dual-carriageway street that connects the centre of Detroit to Nankin Lake and the enclaves on the city’s west side. It is urgent and intense while simultaneously elegant as a hypnotic spell is spun by frantic up-tempo snappy beats, claps, rippling electronics and winding synths, while a warped vocal sample and woozy flourishes fade in and out of view. A mesmerising and thumping dancefloor ready banger.

Clwb Fuzz – ‘Sertraline’

Cardiff outfit Clwb Fuzz return with new single ‘Sertraline’; a magnificent blaze of fuzzed-up spiralling psychedelic-rock. Burning guitars fuzz, ominous eerie synths and swaying, pendulumic percussion, set the swirling stage for Emily Kocan’s haunting vocals, regaling vivid and sometimes far too real dreams, occurring as a side-effect of taking antidepressants. Unsettling paranoid introspection has never sounded so glorious.

Fold – ‘Concrete Things’

With every given opportunity, Leeds-based Hip-Hop/Trip Hop outfit Foldhave excelled themselves, and proving to be a more than reliable source of incredible music – two LPs, Fold (2015) & We’re The Ones (2019), and a string of singles and EPS are testament to.

Fold are back with a brand new single ‘Concrete Things’; a tribute to African-American playwright Lorraine Hansberry (the first African-American to have a play performed on Broadway back in 1959). ‘Concrete Things’ comes “in defiance of these dark times…in case it might bring joy to anyone,” and sure we all know a wee bit of joy wouldn’t go amiss right now.Featuring vocal samples of Hansberry, ‘Concrete Things’shuffles along seductive union of infectious funky groove and pillowy soft beats amid a lavish blend of glistening strings, warm brass and smooth, soulful vibes. It is bursting with warmth, richness and joyful vibes and it casts one hell of spell upon our ears. Never afraid to speak their minds, they blend a powerful social consciousness with an enviable creativity to mold something thoroughly powerful, unique and memorable; and the new single is no different – simply magnificent!

You can listen to ‘Concrete Things’ below now. And…. Fold’s  back catalogue comes highly recommend so, if you haven’t done so already, you can check that out here.

Fold – ‘Stronger Than the Evils’

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Over the past few years, Leeds-based Hip-Hop/Trip Hop outfit Fold have proven themselves a reliable source of incredible music.

Fold’s 2015 self-titled debut was magnificent, pitting an enviable creativity with a powerful social consciousness to craft something thoroughly powerful, unique and memorable – as was their 2017 EP Written In The Sky.

After a four-year wait, Fold have returned with news of the follow up to their eponymous debut which is penned for release on April 13. Two new singles will precede the album’s release and Fold have shared the first ‘Stronger Than the Evils’, a brilliant and powerful track with Nottingham based MC / beatboxing champion MotorMouF. Fold have always stress a socially-conscious message and that continues as they rail against the many political and social issues, or evils if you prefer, that the world faces today. ‘Stronger Than the Evils’ is a funky-edged hip-hop tune with a irresistible groove and rhythm, laced with ominous blasts of synths, vocal samples and the blistering wordplay and beatbox work from Motormouf. An incredible and irresistible track – roll on April 13 and the new album.

Take a listen to ‘Stronger Than the Evils’ below now:

Fold Announce New EP ‘Written In the Sky’; Share Title-Track

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Experimental Hip-Hop/Trip Hop outfit Fold have solid credentials when it comes to producing incredible music.

Fold’s self-titled debut was magnificent; a stellar piece of work pitting an enviable creativity with a powerful social consciousness to craft something thoroughly powerful, unique and memorable. The Leeds-based outfit have returned with news of a brand new EP Written In the Sky, and as with previous efforts it, the forthcoming EP utilizes vocal samples from historical speeches to convey their messages, including Lorraine Hansberry and Fred Hampton. In addition to the vocal samples, the EP features live singing for the first time, with the band enlisting several guests vocalists, including Daisy Martey of Noonday Underground (and formerly Morcheeba), on title-track ‘Written In the Sky’. Ahead of the EPs release, the title-track offers a glimpse of what to expect, and it’s ever so good. Fast-paced drums, bass, keyboards and brass create a powerful, rich and intricate backdrop for the many voices to resonate in unison, both vocal and instrumental; a key recurring theme for both musical and symbolic purposes. Urgent, smooth and determined, Fold means business, as always.

Stream it below and pre-order Written In The Sky on their bandcamp.

Fold Return With New Single ‘Something Gives’

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Experimental Hip-Hop/Trip Hop outfit Fold have solid credentials when it comes to producing incredible music. Blending this enviable creativity with a social consciousness, they create something powerful and unique.

Fold have returned with their first new material since last year’s superb self-titled debut album. The new single is called ‘Something Gives’ and will be released on September 12 via Bandcamp. The Leeds based quartet felt compelled to respond, somehow, to the heavy sociopolitical escalations of late on both sides of the pond. This breezy, easy on the ears slice of fresh, jazzy hip-hop, is their way of bridging the distances & expressing universal solidarity as human beings. Essentially a vehicle for the eloquence of James Baldwin whose voice, along with that of Alice Walker, is the basis of the track; which is dedicated to the memory of James Baldwin and all that he articulated so beautifully. Fold don’t ever disappoint, and they ain’t about to start now. Absolutely stunning work from one of the most unique and exciting acts around.

‘Something Gives’ will be out on September 12 via Bandcamp. Until then, you can familiarise yourself with it below.

BarryGruff Albums of the Year (2015)

BGs Albums of the year 2015So it is that time of year again, lists, lists and more lists. Well, not be out done, here are my 41 (yes 41, and yes it’s a weird number) albums of 2015.

It has been such a good year for new albums, probably the best since I started the blog back in 2010. So much so that there is very little difference between the top 5, top 10, top 15 and so on. So without further ado, here are my favourite records from 2015:

There is also a Spotify playlist of the Top 20 albums, to save you time and hassle (it’s here).

41. Only Real – Jerk At The End of the Line’

40. Rozi Plain – ‘Friend’

39. Wildling – ‘Molecules To Moon’

38. The School – ‘Wasting Away And Wondering’

37. Sweet Baboo – ‘Boombox Ballads’

36. The Stammer – ‘Days In Between’

35. SexWitch – Sex Witch’

34. Faith Healer – ‘Cosmic Troubles’

33. Girl Band – ‘Holding Hands With Jamie’

32. Joanna Gruesome – ‘Peanut Butter’

31. Fort Romeau – ‘Insides

30. Soft Serve – ‘S/t’

29. Applescal – ‘For’

28. Zefur Wolves – ‘Zefur Wolves’

27. Hot Chip – ‘Why Make Sense?’

26. Drenge – ‘Undertow’

25. The Charlatans – ‘Modern Nature’

24. Gaz Coombes – ‘Matador’

23. Bill Ryder-Jones – ‘West Kirby County Primary’

22. Drinks – ‘Hermits on Holiday’

21. The Expert – Dynamic Drift

20. Boxed In – ‘Boxed In’

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2015 According to Seth Mowshowitz from Fold

One of my proudest achievements on the blog this year, or any year for that matter, is the release of GruffWuff; a 19 track compilation of new, previously unreleased and exclusive recordings from some of my very favourite acts over the past 5 years of blogging.

It was a truly fantastic way to mark 5 years of BarryGruff and I am incredibly grateful to everyone involved and the overwhelmingly positive and enthusiastic response. As 2015 draws to a close, I have enlisted help from people who made the compilation what it was, to chat about their favourite moments and sounds from year, and up next is Seth Mowshowitz, from Fold.

Leeds based Trip Hop / Breakbeat / Hip-Hop outfit Fold have the propensity for producing the magnificent. The inventive and experimental quartet pride themselves on live production, ceating incredible music while blending their enviable creativity with a social consciousness. In a similar sort of vein to Public Service Broadcasting, spoken word samples are set to real drums, bass, guitar and a blend of triggered samples, together they combine for an utterly stunning sound of funk, groove, urgency and cool. Long-standing BarryGruff favourites, Fold are one of the most unique and exciting acts around.

Before we take a look at his 2015 sound selections, you should check out Fold’s superb self-titled debut album, and their GruffWuff inclusion, ‘That’s It’ – of which you can download here for FREE.

Continue reading →

BarryGruff Playlist October 2015

October 2015

A now regular monthly feature, whereby we round up all the blog action with a nice, neat and handy playlist of tracks featured during the month.

October was another busy month. We we’re introduced to Primitive World, Soft Serve, Auramics, Jade Statues, New Pope, Mesa Luna & Silver Matter. There were excellent new singles from Totalitarian, The Statics, Cuinciu, Juice, Martha Ffion & Queen of Jeans. And we had tunes from Field Music, Nancy Leticia & Fold ahead of their respective, new and forthcoming albums. There as also the not so small matter of an interview with Super Furry Animals’ resident electronic and keyboard wizard, Cian Ciaran – read it here.

Oh, and there were two new episodes of ‘Millions Like Us’, Justin Beats & I’s new music podcast extravaganza for 604now (if you missed them, why not check out episodes #3 & #4 here). You can also subscribe to ‘Millions Like Us’ on iTunes & Podcast Republic or find us on Facebook & Twitter.

Well then, that’s that for another month – listen to BarryGruff’s October 2015 playlist below. Enjoy!

 

Fold – ‘A Victim’s Mentality’

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Leeds based Trip Hop / Breakbeat / Hip-Hop outfit Fold are gearing up to release their long-awaited and much anticipated debut album, released on November 3rd.

Long-standing BarryGruff favourites, the inventive and experimental quartet have the propensity for the magnificent, producing incredible music blending their enviable creativity with a social consciousness. Prior to their self-titled debut album, Fold have released lead single ‘A Victim’s Mentality’, which exhibits their pre-eminence in compelling fashion. A smooth, lavish and carefully weaved blend of mellow hip hop and trip hop grooves – peppered with brass above and a muffled, dreamy bassline running beneath it – accentuating the natural spoken rhythms of Mr Gee’s eloquent and thought provoking, poetic lyricisms. Absolutely stunning work from one of the most unique and exciting acts around. 

You can listen to ‘A Victim’s Mentality’ below and it is out now. Fold’s self-titled debut album meanwhile, is released on November 3rd – you can pre-order it here.

Oh, and, Fold featured on GruffWuff – a 19 Track Compilation to celebrate 5 years of BarryGruff  – you check out their inclusion ‘That’s It’ here, and download the entire album for FREE too.

 

Millions Like Us Podcast: Episode #3

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Delighted to share ‘Episode #3′ of ‘Millions Like Us’ – a music podcast hosted by myself & craft beer, pastie and fast-food safari enthusiast, Justin Beats – in conjunction with Vancouver news & culture site 604now.

A bi-weekly digest of music from metro Vancouver and BEYOND. The third installment is a mix of new tunes, musings and general chit-chat, with an eclectic mix of musical styles too. Obviously these are still early days but we’re hoping you’re enjoying them so far and we’re looking forward to developing it further and further, over the coming weeks and months. Not much else to say really, aside from thanks to 604now and we hope you enjoy the show. You can read more on it here and listen to episode #2 below, and the tracklist (with links) is after the jump.

You can follow us on SoundCloud | Mixcloud | Twitter

Episode #3:

Zoo Strategies – ‘An Anthem For Angry Country Kids’

Mesa Luna – ‘Don’t Let Go’

Gwenno – ‘Patriarchaeth’

Mourning Coup – ‘I Will Never Die’

Jade Statues – ‘She Don’t Evn Smoke’

Rozmosis – ‘Rain ft Azrael’

Fold – ‘She’

Turn To Crime – ‘Can’t Love’

The Stammer – ‘Kate & Chris’

Other Jesus – ‘Repetition’

Bloody Knees – Daydream

Girl Band – ‘Paul’