Writing has taken the back seat a little as a new obsession takes hold. I am totally obsessed with booking gigs now! I mean, it’s not the worst obsession in the world – but it’s a very tricky one to control. I’m addicted.. as soon as one is pencilled in, I begin squirrelling away on the next one. What began in February as a toe-dipping exercise has managed to somehow fester and develop to the point where I’m booking shows in for November 2022 already. God, I love this new direction. Who knows where it will all lead but it’s my new obsession and I’m going to have to go along with it now!
To distract from the world of gig contracts, incessant emailing and probing – we made a patio and new bridge in the garden. 2022 has started productively and hopefully this productive vein will continute. Here is another episode of the ‘Post Lockdown Mixtape’ – perfect for warm weather relaxing and feet-up behaviour.
Route 500 – Cartoon
This is not a gig plug. You may have noticed Route 500 are playing a gig alongside the wonderful Samuel Nicholson at The Finsbury on April 5th and also again alongside Someone and Emmélin at St Pancras Old Church on June 29th. It’s fair to say Route 500 are my current favourite act and seeing this project across The Sound Sniffer’s 2022 line-ups is no surprise. I’ve been binging on early single ‘The Slowest Sting’ for the last few months – everything about the song haunts me in the very best way possible! (if that makes sense) Textures whistling around everywhere creating an eerie base and then combined with the most emotive of lyrics.
There is a new track out now called ‘Cartoon’ and it’s slotted into the predicted place as being my new musical obsession. I can’t commend Route 500 enough – darkness and melancholy served together with the deftest, most chiselled skill and craftmanship. The song was mastered by Jamie Moore, one of the projects founding members.
Ross K & Noé Solange – Time
Two musicians with close ties to The Sound Sniffer have jumped into the studio together and come out with an outrageously soft and delicate single. Canadian electronic producer Ross K is no newbie to the world of downtempo electronica. He performed a memorable set showcasing his musical portfolio when he graced the stage for us at The Finsbury last year. His music has been used by the likes of Mercedes Benz and in film scores, which is no surprise given the high tariff melodies, arrangements and beats he creates.
Noé Solange is one of the blogs earliest discoveries – Her debut single ‘Nocturnal Lady’ got me hooked and I’ve been following ever since. She is a founding member of Community Sessions, our gig night for the homeless – where she has dedicated her time to make a difference to those in need.
Their collaborative track ‘Time’ is out now and will bring you into a total state of dreamy bliss. Soft, meandering and tranquil – a match that works perfectly.
Mehro – Like Your God
One of 2021’s emerging stars Mehro has literally taken the music industry by the horns since bursting on the scene over lockdown. I remember featuring his early single ‘Chance With You’, which was sent to me by Beth at Danger Village, and thinking: holy shit, this kid is good. Fast forward a year and he is back with another infectious single titled ‘Like Your God’ and now has over 100 million streams backing him up. What a rise… What an artist..
He has just began touring and will be with us for a long time to come.
Il:lo – Soldiner
French duo il:lo have just signed to Nettwerk with Soldiner being their label debut. Taking us on a journey through the realms of Lawrence Hart, Bicep, Bonobo, Lane 8 and other electronic leaders, this duo have a polished and vibrant acidic style on par with each of the aforementioned. For me, these kinds of acid journey tracks are best enjoyed on a nice sunny day after a hard days work gardening (digging, planting, rooting) has been completed.
I would then take a nice cool one from the fridge (non-alcoholic for me nowadays), turn up the volume and just bask in the movement and sway induced by the music. Soldiner chimes away in the background nicely and will be chiming away in the background more often as the summer approaches.
Alexander Carson – The Museum
Norwich based Alexander Carson is one of the UK’s finest contemporary pianists. My mother is an accomplished operator in this sphere which has through sheer osmosis rather than right, made me a pretty picky bugger when it comes to piano based music. Carson, when he is not busy helping the world’s biggest acts as St Pancras Old Church’s technical director, tours the country performing his own music which is both captivating and assured.
Recently he released a quite beautiful single called ‘The Museum’ which has been on my radar to write about (and has been playing on my playlists) for a few months now. If you are into the sound of Alexander Carson is making, he will be performing a show for Community Sessions on June 19th (Father’s Day) alongside the exciting much anticipated & yet-to-be-released artist Daisy Wolf.
– About ‘The Sound Sniffer’ –
The Sound Sniffer is a music blog that’s still only a baby – Founded in early 2019 by Kevin Coakley, a music writer and ghostwriter. ‘The Sound Sniffer’ also runs gigs and showcases in London since Oct 2019. The showcases are picked from artists found in the blog’s submission inbox.
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