Perhaps best known, so far, for his work in three-time JUNO Award-winning alternative rock band July Talk Peter Dreams (real name Peter Dreimanis) reappeared last year on the FME lineup. Chattered rolled through the small town of Rouyn-Noranda of Peter’s highly anticipated new record being previewed at the festival. The room filled with old fans and those curious about all the chatter most of whom inevitably left as new fans. At that time, only one or two songs were publicly available so this dramatic and shadowy performance felt quite special, to say the least. Over the next few months, Six Shooter Records released singles one by one leading up to the February 14th, Peter Dreams and MOONRIIVR, album release date.

Meanwhile, this record has been in regular rotation in this household, all this is to say that small rural festivals are not to be overlooked.

The February 26th, let’s call it album release party, took over Toronto’s Axis Club which erupted in unison to the first beats of “Do Like I Do”. The stage background is an old school window with a chiffon curtain swing in the artificial wind. Throughout the evening this window showed us a view of the ocean, midnight city, and stormy skies, setting the mood for each individual track. The fog machine, naturally added to the mood, occasionally storming the stage with ‘clouds’.

Peter Dreams and MOONRIIVR, as the record title obviously states, this project is done in collaboration with MOONRIIVR who kickstarted this evening’s celebrations. Collaborative project of producer and bandleader Gavin Gardiner and guitarist “Champagne” James Robertson accompanied by drummer Lyle Molzan and bassist Ben Whitely MOONRIIVR create nostalgic music often using vintage gear, “Bachelor Nation” is perhaps an ideal example of the vibe this band brings. To no surprise a ukulele made an appearance matching a whistle solo and then there was an outstanding performance by a guest flute.

Peter Dreams walked out on stage to roaring applause and took his place on stage, standing still like a statue. Tucked in a plaid shirt with sleeked-back hair coupled with the many toques in the room made this whole thing feel like a very Canadian experience. The event was heavily documented with many videographers and photographers pacing the stage and the room all around. Peter’s stage presence for the first few songs felt rather restrained, but only in comparison to his wild performance at FME. As the show went on he began to take the stage in strides interacting with the bend, dancing, and spinning, “Bad Habits” is the track that brings top-notch energy to the stage.

Throughout the evening Peter spoke to how this record came about, the deeply personal back stories of many of the songs, grief, and how difficult it can be to describe and process feelings. The record is a collection of songs he never thought he let see the light because of their emotional and personal nature, but there they are and the fans are … enthralled, enamoured, a little bit in love perhaps.

This room was filled with Peter’s friends, even if distant through resonance brought through music. “One more song and it’s a surprise, we’ve never done this before. This one is for Leah!” What came next was an energetic cover of Otis Redding’s “A Little Tenderness”.

The post Peter Dreams and MOONRIIVR is an instant classic, especially is seen live appeared first on Quip Magazine.

Rakei’s 5th album The Loop is set to release on May 10th with Verve Forecast and Decca UK. The record is self-produced and mixed by Ben Baptie (Moses Sumney, Beck, U2). This new release takes a step away from the DYI sound he was known for in the early days and steps into the world of bold orchestral arrangements.

Kateryna Topol: Hello Jordan, it’s been a while since we last spoke, how have you been?

Jordan Rakei: I’m really good. Thanks. I’ve had a child. I’ve recalibrated my priorities in life. And I just feel generally really excited about my new album, my new journey, and a new chapter of my career.

KT: Congratulations! How is fatherhood?

JR: Yeah, fatherhood is amazing. I think I’m finding it really fun, to be honest. I know for a lot of parents, those first few years are really challenging because of the, you know, lack of sleep or the calibration in lifestyles. I’m loving it. My child’s a crazy little bundle of energy. Very funny, and it sort of helps me sort of relax after a big day of music-making. And I see him just laughing hysterically and that sort of equalizes it and grounds me a little bit, too. I’m really enjoying it.

KT: That’s great! You’ve recently joined Verve Forecast, how did that come about?

JR: I was just up for a new chapter. I was previously signed to Ninja Tune, and I wanted to sort of try and tap into more of a larger audience. And I love the history of Decca and just really wanted to lean into their history and legacy and sort of their experience in that territory, and to explore that part of the world a bit more. So it’s been really amazing working with them. I’m super glad to have them on board – I’m a fan of quite a few artists on their roster too, so I feel like I’m in good company there.

KT: Your new single “Freedom” is doing really well on the charts, is that the kind of vibe we can expect from the full record?

JR: So I think yes, “Freedom” is actually a good representation of the record. I just want you to sort of capture that fun energy. I think that’s what Freedom does best is being like a fun, bouncy vibe. You know, it feels like a party, but it feels introspective. Yeah, that was the mission for me as I made this album. Lots of live drums, lots of big euphoric moments, like choirs singing, lots of switch-ups musically.

KT: Speaking about The Loop, the press release states it’s your “most cohesive work to date” – what makes it so?

JR: I’d say it’s the most cohesive because I wrote all the demos at the same time. You know, I wrote them over like a month-long period. And then I went to the studio and recorded it all at the same time, and then it was mixed all at the same time. So in a way, the music is quite different throughout the record. You know, you have ballads, you have hip hop stuff, you have funk stuff, you’ve got introspective sort of ambient stuff. But I guess what ties it all together is sort of the mood and the headspace I was in at that at each stage. And I think that sort of reflects even in the different genres throughout.

KT: Did you work with an orchestra or any additional live instruments?

JR: Yes, I did work with an orchestra on this album. They’re called Her Ensemble, and I worked with a few different string arrangers. I arranged some of the strings and other arrangements with my research and we had an ambitious element to our arranging – we just wanted every sort of arrangement to feel huge. That was my, I guess, rule I had coming into the whole process, I wanted to make a record that felt just large and that it was played by musicians, not necessarily made in a computer with several libraries or whatever. I want you [the listener] to sort of hear that huge dynamic. Everything is live instruments.

KT: Amazing! You set fairly high expectations for yourself when working on this record, are you happy with how it came out?

JR: I think the releasing of a record is very different from the making of it. So when I made it, I had high ambitions, high expectations of maybe what I expected people to think – like my friends, or my label, or my management. But as the campaign has developed, you realize you can only control so much in this industry, which I find a humbling meditation. You know, I’ve made an album that I’m really proud of, and I’ve delivered it to the best I can, and I’ve worked with a record label to ensure that the marketing and all my strategy, you know, my content has been made to the best of my ability.

But the other elements that I think a lot of artists seem to forget are the fans, and the consumer, and the market. And that’s something you really can’t control, no matter how much you market yourself. It’s sort of in the hands of the listener now. And, that’s like a nice feeling to surrender to – I’ve done all I can, but it’s just in the fans’ hands. I’m just happy to let go.

KT: That’s a refreshing way to look at it all. The Loop opens with “Flowers” which is a love song dedicated to your wife. It starts with a hip-hop percussion, what was the inspiration behind the hip-hop notes?

JR: So with “Flowers,” I chopped up a breakbeat loop and sort of made it into the loop in the original demo. So the track generally has a melancholy sort of vibe rolling throughout, but I built it around a hip-hop break. And yeah, that sort of feeling was something I was really trying to lean back into because I grew up listening to hip-hop and drum samples so I wanted to try and recreate that with a live drummer.

KT: Would you say most of the album is somehow inspired by family relationships?

JR: Yeah, for sure. The whole album is about parenthood. It’s about my reflection on my parents and my reflection on me being a parent. And I guess the more metaphorical idea of being a parent to your inner child. So that would be where the inspiration comes from, for sure, reflecting on all those relationships and how they intertwine and impact each other.

KT: There are quite a few personal songs on this record, “Royal,” “Hopes and Dreams,” and “Learning,” for example. Being vulnerable through music is not new to you but this record feels different, like a type of self-therapy? Does making deeply personal music help you process your emotions better?

JR: It does to some extent. I think what’s interesting is when I was writing these demos, it was very personal. A lot of this stuff is very personal. And, I’m just in that little room myself writing it, and you forget it’s gonna come out into the world. So only after the fact you realize that people are going to hear these stories. But so in that sense, I guess it was a really unfiltered expression of some of those things I was going through, but as I… as I’ve now come to release and there is an apprehension of like, people seeing this, the inner workings of my soul. But I think it’s a nice thing to … let people in because I guess they can understand and digest the music in a deeper way. So yeah, it was very personal, but really nice to express myself that way.

KT: How are you going to translate this orchestra production to live shows?

JR: That’s one of the challenges we’re sort of coming across in the live shows. How can we recreate that energy through just a six-piece band because we don’t like to play with a track. But we’ve been working on a lot of the songs, and we’ve brought in a new keyboardist who is leaning into the orchestral arrangements and the horn arrangements, and we’re doing it in a slightly more subverted way, too, like to nod to the original stuff with the same energy, but maybe with a more synthesized version or a mellotron strings or something like that. But that’s something we’re currently working on and really excited to show all parts of the world.

KT: Very exciting, thank you for your time and have a great tour Jordan!

JR: Thank you so much.

Images courtesy of  the Verve Label Group

Tour dates:

September 3—Porto—M.Ou.Co
September 4—Madrid—Lula
September 5—Barcelona—Razzmatazz 2
September 7—Milan—Magazzini Generali
September 8— Munich—Muffathalle
September 10— Vienna—Arena
September 11— Berlin—Huxleys
September 12—Hamburg—Ballsaal
September 14— Stockholm—Kägelbanan
September 15—Oslo—Rockefeller
September 16—Copenhagen—Vega
September 18—Amsterdam—Paradiso
September 19—Amsterdam—Paradiso (SOLD OUT)
September 20—Amsterdam—Paradiso (SOLD OUT)
September 22—Brussels —AB
September 23—Cologne—Stadthalle
September 24—Paris—Élysée Monmartre
September 26—Manchester—Albert Hall
September 27—Bristol—Bristol Beacon
October 1—London—Royal Albert Hall (SOLD OUT)
October 4—London—Royal Albert Hall

The post Jordan Rakei speaking to the inner workings of his soul & new record “The Loop” appeared first on Quip Magazine.

Another addition to the This is Brampton set was Canadian-Jamaican reggae artist, Kae Music. Filling The Hideout with a vibrant, laid back atmosphere, Kae had a natural charisma that shone through her dance moves and on stage banter. Highlighting the set with her song “The Struggle is Real”, an honest reflection on the challenges of daily life, and a powerful cover of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song”, Kae also took on Adele’s “Someone Like You” and managed to make it her own. Bottom line? Kae Music is a ton of fun; you wanted to hop on stage, take off your heels and sway with her. And, the crowd felt it, too; the music moved almost everyone to their feet.   

photos by Kateryna Topol

The post NXNE Night one with Zenesoul and Kae Music appeared first on Quip Magazine.

This time no one was wondering who the two tall dudes on stage were, everyone knew – the show was sold out fairly quickly and weeks prior to the date most of the chatter was surrounding people’s frustration about forgetting to buy tickets.

Mills and Knight were able to bring together everyone from newly-legal-to-drinking to ravers, hipsters, and your average Toronto city folks. The night begun with opening performances by Ambassadeurs and Hayden James both of whom dropped a solid set of beats although James’ sound set-up struggled a bit.

ODESZA’s set was accompanied by stunning visuals playing off the lyrics where appropriate while wrapping the audience into a hazy daze. With a handful of dolled up girls already sitting on the stage by the time the duo came out it was only a matter of time before people begun a dance party around Mills and Knight’s DJ table. Where’s the TP canon? Wait, this isn’t Girl Talk. A select few had their moment of fame on stage before being “escorted” back onto the dance floor.

Consistently giving their music away for free allowed ODESZA to build a solid fan base. The front of the room was moving around like a set of bouncing balls occasionally stopping to take a selfie. The more mature crowd was dancing and singing along in a more civilized manner towards the back.

Mills and Knight played tracks from across their full repertoire of music but the recent album, In Return, was the one that resonated with the larger portion of the filled wall-to-wall room. In Return is a largely lyrical album and, having dropped just recently, is still very fresh on everyone’s mind which is not to say that “My Friends Never Die” or “Faded” got less attention – I’m quite sure there was a small riot by the stage.

It is obvious that Toronto, like most of North America, has finally caught up with ODESZA. Now all we have left to do is patiently wait for the next track to drop.

The post Throwing shapes with ODESZA. Live in Toronto appeared first on Quip Magazine.

As time went on Fink’s singer/songwriter line up of albums grew with a very specific, Fink sound that acquired a tight and dedicated niche following of fans. You will hardly hear his music on the radio, you will, and probably have, heard a song or two in a TV series or a commercial.

Looking over his discography there really is nothing mind blowing about Greenall’s music but everything about it is unlike the mainstream – there is always a story, the music evolves and grows throughout the track, Greenall’s voice is calming and somehow nurturing, and nothing is the same regardless of the compositional consistency. Hearing Fink once has a power of drawing you into the fan club and you can’t walk away from it unless you listen to the album at least a handful of times.

When Fink started singing, Ninja Tune pushed him towards becoming a primarily live stage performance. The show has evolved from the first tour in 2006 so it was no surprise Toronto’s MOD Club was packed with smiling faces.

London’s Douglas Dare begun the night with his soulful keyboard driven performance. Dare’s voice, much like his music, is powerfully sad and despondent which turned out to be a perfect start to an equally melancholic Fink set. For the main show the stage was lit up with what seemed like a hundred office lamps. There are no computers or mixers on this stage, just three guitars and a drum set.

I think we often forget what good acoustic sounds like, or associate it with a solo act in the corner of a dive bar singing covers of The Clash but a solid set of live instruments can build a bigger than the world sound that wraps the room with guitar strings. Fink live is one of those acoustic shows that exceeds all expectations of a typical singer/songwriter performance. The sheer scale of what you see and what you hear is encompassing and swimmingly smooth.

For nearly two hours Fink played songs from their newest album, Hard Believer, a few from Perfect Darkenss, and even some from Distance and Time. Though many of Greenall’s songs have been featured in various movies and shows “Warm Shadow,” soundtrack for The Walking Dead season 3, seems to be their favorite pop culture feature. Without a doubt, that one track has grown their following over the last year but hardly anyone felt like a brand new fan at the show. Eyes closed people were singing along with smiles all around the room tapping, clapping and bopping to every track.

As the band wrapped up the show with a quick encore the crowds poured out of the venue with stacks of newly purchased vinyl. Let’s make this into a tradition and do it all again same week next year.

photos by Luis Enriquez

The post On a journey with Fink. Live at the MOD Club appeared first on Quip Magazine.

Carthy got into music at an early age listening to the radio and began DJing at home when he was 13 years old. Two decades forward with seven albums in record stores and loving support of Ninja Tune, Carthy is still going strong. Earlier this year he released Friendly Bacteria, an album that spans his wide range of musical interests and employs not only Carthy’s many production gifts, but a varied array of voices.

A new album is always a good reason for a tour, so Mr Scruff is on road til December, stopping in cities across North America and Europe from LA to Manchester. Curious about how he’s been, we caught up with Carthy before his four-hour set in Toronto (coming up on August 20th).

Kateryna Topol: It’s been 20 years since you started, congratulations on that, what were some of the most memorable moments?

Andy Carthy: Too many to mention. Meeting lovely people, playing all over the world. Signing to Ninja Tune was a big moment for me. Eating in Ethiopian Diamond restaurant in Chicago while Phil Cohran played live in the corner… Playing WOMAD on Mount Taranaki in New Zealand…

KT: Do you think you’ve evolved a lot since your first record?

AC: I just think that my musical taste has continued to broaden, and that comes from having hungry ears. Hearing other people share their musical tastes with me has helped a lot. I still try and  hold onto the same enthusiasm that I had as a teenager though. It keeps things exciting!

KT: How did you choose your collaborators for Friendly Bacteria?

AC: Most of them were good friends already, and I had them in mind for a while, and we had talked for years about collaborating. The only one I didn’t know prior to recording was Robert Owens. His voice popped into my head as soon as I wrote the music for “He Don’t,” so I got in contact and he replied almost immediately, saying that he loved the track.

KT: This last album brings together a few different styles, some tracks feel more modern, for the lack of a better word (i.e., “Friendly Bacteria”), while others (“We Are Coming”) take me back to the 90’s warehouse parties. In your own words, what’s the story behind Friendly Bacteria?

AC: I suppose that there is an overall heavy production feeling, but the styles are varied, as with my other albums. Putting an album together is quite like a DJ set, it has to have variety and dynamics, but also make sense as a coherent musical statement. I like to write a few tunes, then collect them together to give myself an idea of what I am trying to say. Then I finish the story!

KT: The album is very vivid and strange (in a good way), did you have a feeling in mind when working on it?

AC: I tapped into the variety of sounds that my collaborators brought to the album, and brought it all together in a way that made sense to me. Denis Jones added a real dark, foggy, grainy, soulful edge to the sound, which works really well with my bouncy, punchy, free and easy style.

KT: Were you expecting a specific reaction?

AC: That is the fun part. I thought that my sound had changed quite a lot on this album, but people were still coming up to me at gigs, when I was testing out demo tracks, and saying ‘this is you, isn’t it!’

KT: How long did this one take and where did you mainly record it?

AC: It took about two years, in between tour dates. Most was done at home, or in SSR studios in Manchester. I recorded Robert Owens in London.

KT: Looking back, how did the illustrations and characters come to be a part of the Mr Scruff identity?

AC: I have always drawn in that style, so it seemed like an easy and obvious option to illustrate my own music with my two-dimensional potato friends. They give a friendly, fun face to what I do.

KT: I hear you have a pretty solid record collection, what are you listening to this week?

AC: All sorts! Just bought some old jazz and funk vinyl from Groove Merchant in San Francisco, so I am having fun trawling through that.

KT: You’re on tour now, what can people expect from the live show?

AC: A balding geek playing a 4 hour, across the board DJ set, with some two-dimensional potato action.

KT: As someone who’s had an impressive career in music is there anything you’d like to share with the up and coming musicians?

AC: Be yourself, follow your instincts, and keep your ears open all the time. There is always something to learn!

The post Twenty years in and still blowing minds: Catching up with Mr Scruff appeared first on Quip Magazine.

Thursday night at Tattoo, CMW was the host to the Noisey Canada hustleGRL showcase.

The evening started off fashionably late (an hour and a half behind to be precise). The said host of the party, Karla Moy, aka hustleGRL, local writer/blogger, DJ’d for the first few hours keeping the crowd occupied. Shortly before 11, Toronto’s local twin duo A-Game came on.

The boys have been around for some time, opened for the likes of Big Sean, Tyga and Kardinal Offishall, wrote some chart-topping singles and throughout that journey acquired a solid fan base. By the time A-Game got to their claim to fame track “Money Made Me Do It”, the room was in heat, participating in a full-blown singalong.

After a rather detailed full band set up, The Airplane Boys (A.P.B.), Beck Motley and Bon Voyage, took over the stage. And the venue. Don’t let the basic name fool you or their Scarborough upbringing, these two are not the next ‘N Sync. The A.P.B. music repertoire is walking a fine line of pop hip-hop, especially in your headphones, live however, this is some bad shit that will blow your mind. With heavy synths and a pronunciated bass guitar, the live set was shaking bodies from the front to the back. The lyrics are clean-cut and sharp with a solid contrast from Motley to Voyage.

During the break the technical difficulties kicked in. Tre Mission wasn’t able to bring his full band on stage and quite frankly had a daunting expression of disappointment on his face, not filling the set while the crowd was not filling the rapidly falling quality of sound. Having seen Mission before we have a clear idea of his scope of talent, last Thursday night was just bad luck falling in to all the wrong places. Don’t worry Mission, we’ve got faith.

While there were other hip-hop showcases at the CMW, this one felt like home. There is a common feeling around the city, Canada really, that our hip-hop scene is limited to Drake, if it’s there at all. This showcase brought together some local artists who have been around the block a few times and are only a few of those out there today.

The reality is that Toronto has a very alive hop-hop scene, and a very clear, lyrical, razor-sharp hip-hop style that is slowly coming up and out from the underground.

See more photos on Facebook

The post CMW: hustleGRL showcase with Tre Mission and The Airplane Boys appeared first on Quip Magazine.

Having gone into CMW with the sole purpose of seeing as many bands as possible, we spent a lot of time jumping from venue to venue, looking for that awesome new thing with a fairly clear idea of where to find it. Wednesday night proved to be one of the easiest and steadiest nights of the week. But then again, it’s only Wednesday.

MTT, Netherlands, at The Painted Lady

The early days of Canadian Music Week were off to a good start with MTT, a synth-pop band from the Netherlands, at The Painted Lady.

The band has a distinct ’80s vibe, similar to the moodier side of Depeche Mode, but there’s also a more contemporary side to their music, vaguely reminiscent of Deep Cuts-era The Knife. The performance itself was brooding and energetic, hitting a balance between electronic soundscapes and pop immediacy.

LIINKS, Victoria, BC, at the Gladstone Hotel

LIINKS is a collaboration between Georgia Murray and producer/DJ DWhiz. Murray’s passion for music was quite obvious as she tried to inspire the nearly empty ballroom into a little dance. Murray’s vocals are gentle, overlaid with clean solid beats from DWhiz. Having played a few of their own tracks and a Lana Del Rey cover, LIINKS seem to have a little something for everyone in the room.

From the cover song to some slower, indie vibe tracks to the most recent, “The Break”, each song seems to dabble in a different genre lacking overall band focus. All things considered, however, LIINKS’ most recent collaboration with Datsik on Let It Burn and the very possible future hit “The Break” seem to be an indicator of their new solid direction. We’ll stick around and follow these two through because if they keep going on the new found ways of clean synth pop/trip-hop with a touch of dub they will make waves.

CON VOS, New York, at the Drake Underground

CON VOS is a New York based project of the New Jersey hip-hop duo Fortunate Ones and Irish folk singer Sorcha Richardson. The music they make is a kind of mellow hybrid between pop and hip-hop, with retro-leaning ’80s production courtesy of Genetics.

CON VOS took to the  early evening stage for a small, attentive crowd and kicked off the evening with their laid back, melodic sound. With Richardson musically and physically front and center for most of the songs, it’s fair to say that she (along with onstage producer, Genetics) is the dominant presence in CON VOS. The two MCs, flanking the singer on both sides, stood completely motionless with their balaclava-clad heads down for the majority of the set, each one coming to life only for their individual verses. The effect was striking, especially at first, as Richardson’s voice draws the audience in until the rappers become suddenly animated, interrupting the smooth, beat-driven lull.

While the individual musical elements worked fine, something about the overall performance seemed a little disjointed, which in all fairness could have been due in part to the low energy crowd. It could also be that CON VOS just haven’t quite found that magic recipe for their musical fusion yet.

Yeo, Melbourne, at the Gladstone Hotel

After sidestepping some technical difficulties with good humor, multi-instrumentalist and producer Yeo took to the stage, accompanied by a drummer on an acoustic/electronic hybrid kit.

All the way from Melbourne, Australia, Yeo makes music that is difficult to classify, using a mixture of electronic instruments, sequenced sounds and live accompaniment to create a shifting pop tapestry. From deep synth tones to funky basslines and soaring keytar solos, Yeo’s live set infused a palpable, human energy into his brand of emotive electronic pop. Songs like his recent single “Kobe” came off surprisingly well on stage, but given Yeo’s obvious instrumental chops, it’d be nice to see his detailed production skills deconstructed even more in future live sets, perhaps with a full band.

BROODS, New Zealand, at the Drake Underground

Down the street at the Drake, Auckland’s BROODS took the stage for their highly anticipated set. This brother-sister duo is in perfect sync in a perfect band relationship. While their music might seem somewhat sad on record, when they play live the darkness of their lyrics comes alive in an incredibly cheerful way, mostly due to Georgia’s bright and cheerful personality.

The overwhelming energy bursting from the stage evolved the originally dark “Coattails” into an anthem song, the kind of track you make big decisions to, while marching into…well, wherever it is these new decisions take you. The room, filled from corner to corner, danced, cheered, clapped, and whistled, there was no shortage of fluttery to go around. If anything is an indication of talent, it’s live show success. These two are undoubtedly a band to watch.

Slaughter Beach, Denmark, at The Dakota Tavern

Slaughter Beach are a band from Denmark that play hazy, melodic guitar rock with vaguely psychedelic undertones. Mining sounds as diverse as ’60s pop and ’90s indie experimentalism, their music is a dreamy, nostalgic collage, borrowing from the past, but rooted firmly in the present.

Leisurely taking the stage, the band opened with their debut single, “Made-Up True Love”, a brilliantly lo-fi song built on a bed of melodic, interlocking guitars and a great, sampled beat that sounds like it’s been excavated from a dusty box in your attic. Distant organs and old keyboard sounds abound, creating a warm sonic foundation that the band’s pained, sweetly androgynous vocals and sunny melodies push off from.

Throughout their set, I was reminded of bands like Deerhunter, Tame Impala and The Bends-era Radiohead, guitar bands that manage to somehow convey something new and vital the old-fashioned way, through emotional songcraft and inventive arrangements, while relying mostly on that tired old six-stringed tool so often pronounced dead on the scene. This is music that feels like it was borne from genuine chemistry, from the unique dynamic that comes from five different people actually playing together in a room.

The band seemed perfectly at ease and nonchalant about the whole thing, running through their set at their own relaxed pace. It was a breath of fresh air in an evening dominated by colder, more synthetic sounds, electronic solo fliers and enough backing tracks to make you wonder exactly what it means to play live music in 2014. Here’s to hoping that they stick around.

See more photos on Facebook

The post CMW Wednesday: building bridges appeared first on Quip Magazine.

The show had a slow start, people grounded themselves on the floor and swiftly moved to the retro sounds of Ilene and Gemma Ray. Calm and melodic, without a doubt, both made a new set of fans under the last beating rays of the sun illuminating the stage through the theatre windows.

But the sun set just in time for Ane Brun’s performance. The crowd was called out by the drummer to stand up, and stand up they did. The room quickly filled up with ambitious fans: “Dance with us! Don’t you want to dance because she is AMAZING!”

When Brun sang “Do You Remember,” the energy shot up immediately, and nearly everyone danced, some even frolicked around the room in their matching “It All Starts With One” t-shirts.

When we spoke to Brun a little while ago about building a following in North America, she agreed that it was a challenge. Admittedly, it was not a sold-out show, but every single person in the room was a fan, and they brought a friend. It all starts somewhere.

Her charming presence, accompanied by dramatic dancing, is an unforgettable experience that everyone should enjoy at least once.

The post Ane Brun live at the Great Hall appeared first on Quip Magazine.

Having fallen into music at the age of 21, she performed on the streets of Barcelona as a busker. Brun quickly learned that the most effective way to release an album is to do it yourself, a realization which lead to her own music label Balloon Ranger Recordings.

Brun’s new album, It All Starts With One, set to release in North America on May 2, has already been making waves in the music industry. Three years in the making, the album is a mix of romantic and dramatic songs coming together in a seamless, powerful collection.

Kateryna Topol: What was the most challenging thing you had to do as a self-starting artist?

Ane Brun: I guess in the first years of building a career, [there were] a lot of challenges when it comes to financing everything. I did quite a few tours traveling on my own, which was kind of depressing and exhausting. But when I look back, I’m glad I did that. The experience was valuable, and I cherish my career now a lot because I know how much hard work I’ve put into it in these last 10 years.

I also realize that my ambitions have grown parallel with my career, so when I was doing all of those tours on my own, playing the small venues and clubs and cafés, I didn’t really expect more than what I was experiencing exactly at that moment. And I’ve felt that way through my career, which has been helpful for me, I think.

KT: How long did it take you to write It All Starts With One?

AB: It was actually quite easy writing this album. I had written a few songs before, for instance “These Days,” “Worship,” and “Oh Love”. These were already finished when I started writing again. And some of the others were either sketches of lyrics or melodies, which I then started working on. And then there are quite a few that I wrote from start to finish just a couple of weeks before the recordings.

I  had quite a lot of sketches of lyrics lying around, which makes the songwriting process more efficient, since that is the part that’s hardest to push forward. It’s hard to fill a blank page when you don’t know what you want to talk about, but it’s easy for me to sing a song without words at any time.

I also gave myself the liberty of writing the songs without making a fixed guitar/piano arrangement in the composing process. I just found chords l liked and focused on making a great melody and lyrics. The choice of not having a finger-picking folk guitar as a basis of many of the songs made this album different from my previous ones because it’s the voice that leads the music forward somehow. I wanted to let the musicians and the producer, Tobias Fröberg, get the chance to use their potential in the studio to create a sound, together with me, which was unique. And to write songs in this way felt very intuitive and free. I enjoyed it a lot. Not more than the way I’ve usually done it (creating a fixed arrangement on guitar that’s more or less non-replaceable), but it was more playful.

KT: What is your ideal writing space? Is it in the comfort of your own home or hiding away in a cabin in the woods?

AB: My ideal working space is actually my studio in Stockholm. It’s a beautiful place in an old building from  the 1600s with thick brick walls. It has soul, silence, and solitude, but it still has the pulse of the city just outside my front door.

KT: Where does the inspiration for your music come from?

AB: It can be so much: a second of a situation or 
an overall feeling of a whole year or 
a troubled relationship – not only romantic –  either my relationship to myself or to someone close to me or
 people around me –  
the complexity of us humans, 
other music, 
nature,
world politics, 
family and loved ones.

KT: You really wanted to do the cover of Arcade Fire’s [Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)] and now you have. You also got to cover Bjork live for Bjork. Is there anyone else you’d like to cover?

AB: It’s the song that decides if I want to cover something. It sometimes just hits me Oh, I’d love to do my own version of that one. When I choose a song to cover, it’s usually either a long process in me where I consider and try out my own version for quite a long time, or it is a request from someone to cover a specific song. I enjoy extracting a good melody from a song and [to make it] my own version. It’s a very creative and rewarding process to me.

KT: You’ve collaborated with some very notable artists including Peter Gabriel and José Gonzales. Are you planning on any new exciting collaborations?

AB: Nothing planned but always hoping for new and interesting meetings. I’d love to sing with Irish singer/songwriter James Vincent McMorrow some day. He’s got a wonderful expressive voice.

KT: Do you find it is harder to promote yourself as an artist in North America than in Europe?

AB: Of course. It’s first of all harder because of logistics. It’s a large continent, and I’m only one individual who can do the job. It’s hard to play at all the places I’d love to visit. I’ve built and established a career in Europe through my albums but also very much through touring and performing to my audience over here.

North America [also has] so much great music and musicians, and it’s, of course, a challenge to stick out in that vast amount of quality music. I’m therefore extremely grateful for all the attention I’ve gotten so far in the US and in Canada. And because of the internet, music can spread anywhere these days. It’s fantastic how my recordings travel all over and make new friends in places I haven’t even been.

KT: Do you already have a vision for your next album or not yet?

AB: I think I will continue working with Tobias Froberg, and I think I will record it in his new studio at Gotland, a beautiful island outside the Swedish East Coast. Other than that, I don’t know much. I’ve started writing some music, and I’m excited to hopefully do some more of that soon.

KT: What are you listening to right now? The last album you purchased/downloaded – what was it and why?

AB: I’ve been listening a lot to Spanish flamenco artist, Estrella Morente, and her album, Calle del Aire during the last couple of days on tour. I love flamenco music, and I have a dream to go and learn their vocal techniques. The energy, rhythm, and power of this music moves me.

KT:  Have you ever considered taking on other artists to Balloon Ranger Recordings? If so, who would it be, [and] if not, why not?

AB: I’ve considered it at certain points, but I’ve always come to the conclusion that I don’t have the time or resources to make sure that the artist or a record gets the attention [deserved], so I’ve got no plans to release any other artists on my label at the moment.

KT: You’ve said before that you will record as long as you enjoy it. What would you do [if] you’ve had enough?

AB: It’s hard to say, but I’m not worried I wouldn’t find anything to do. I’m quite curious and easily intrigued by new things and challenges.

[At] the moment I can’t imagine not singing and performing, though. It’s a soulful experience to me, and I would be miserable without it. Let’s hope that moment never comes.

The post Interview with Ane Brun appeared first on Quip Magazine.