Hannah Williams hat weltweit Aufsehen erregt, als der Hip-Hop-Superstar Jay-Z auf "Late Nights & Heartbreak" ihre herzergreifende Stimme für den Titeltrack "4.44" auf seinem Album 2017 sampelte. Mit dem letzten Album 50 FOOT WOMAN, das auf dem Mailänder Imprint Record Kicks veröffentlicht wurde, gaben Hannah und ihre vorbildliche, in Bristol ansässige Band The Affirmations ein definitives Karrierestatement ab. Die limitierte Auflage der klaren LP ist weltweit auf 500 Exemplare limitiert!
‘The Fountain was supposed to be a full length album but as the songs took shape, I realized that there was something cohesive going on with a smaller batch.
They all focused on the theme of platonic love with a sense of gratitude. I think that traditionally, I had mostly written yearning, romantic odes and it was nice to focus on what was right in front of me,’ says Justin Sullivan, who records as Night Shop and also plays with Kevin Morby.
Fittingly, The Fountain is a family affair, with friends and collaborators bringing the songs to life. The E.P. features Katie Crutchfield (Waxahatchee) on backup vocals, Meg Duffy (Hand Habits) on guitar and bass, Sofia Arreguin (Wand) on piano, Jarvis Taveniere (Woods), engineering and playing a host of instruments, Anna St. Louis on backup vocals, Tiffanie Lanmon (Jess Williamson) on drums and Flat Worms bandmates Ivy and Hellman.
Southern Lord announce Crush The Machine, the debut EP from West Coast hardcore punk collective D.E.A (Dead End America), formed by the late, great Steve "Thee Slayer Hippy" Hanford of Poison Idea, with current and former members of Queens Of The Stone Age, Eyehategod, The Accüsed A.D, World Of Lies, Ape Machine, and more.
Captured before Hanford’s passing earlier this year, D.E.A's debut shall be released on 7" and digital EP on 30th October (Non-Returnable) Recording details, liner notes from Mark Lanegan and more info below.
Crush The Machine sees the primary writers, drummer/vocalist Steve Hanford and guitarist Tony Avila (World of Lies, Why Won't You Die, Aborted Cop, Here's Your Warning) joined by lead guitarist Ian Watts (Ape Machine, Minmae) and bassist/vocalist Nick "Rex Everything" Oliveri (Mondo Generator, The Dwarves, ex-Kyuss, ex-Queens Of The Stone Age), with additional lyrics and vocals from Mike IX Williams (Eyehategod, Corrections House, Outlaw Order) and Blaine Cook (The Accüsed A.D, The Fartz, Toe Tag).
"A perfectly appropriate title for this 7 inch EP of jack-hammering, oldschool style hardcore tunes released by Southern Lord, written and played by a rogues gallery of real deal music lifers as a condemnation of the criminal Trump administration and republican party, in the same spirit of those by-gone days when Ronald Reagan or George Bush was the crooked, self-serving president of the crumbling United States empire. Never before has there been a more obvious target, as Donald Trump and his mafia family cabinet rape the country while Rome burns. D.E.A. is Tony Avila, Ian Watts, Nick Oliveri, Mike IX, Blaine Cook and the legendary and beloved, late producer and drummer of Poison Idea, Steve "Thee Slayer Hippy" Hanford. Dying shortly before the completion of this record, it stands as a final testament to his genius, one last hot-wired blast of his epic musical brilliance."
Mark Lanegan
Los Angeles
August, 2020
ACCEPT ARE BACK! The German kingpins of heavy metal will release their new, eagerly-awaited studio album via Nu- clear Blast on January 15th 2021. The ingenious title of the masterpiece is “Too Mean To Die”.
Speaking of heavy metal kingpins, when ACCEPT first launched at the end of the 70s, the metal genre didn’t even exist - at first the band could only be labelled with the (quality) seal “crazy loud and crazy wild”. Today we know that this was (and is) metal par excellence. And we also know that ACCEPT opened the door to thrash metal, inspiring giants such as Metallica. Guitarist Kirk Hammett recently stated in the German magazine “Gitarre & Bass”: “Wolf Hoffmann has a huge influence on me.“
ACCEPT, who once had their origins in the city of Solingen, a city of sound, have been a worldwide music phenomenon for more than 40 years. They still impress with razor-sharp guitar licks and a steel-hard sound. The band created all-time metal classics like “Balls To The Wall”, “Metal Heart” and many more.
Countless world tours and headline slots at the biggest, cutting-edge festivals cemented the band’s reputation as one of the best, hottest and loudest live acts ever. In addition, the band has sold millions of records, has achieved gold status in the USA, top 10 chart positions worldwide and a number 1 album (Germany, Finland) for “Blind Rage” (2014).
Now with “Too Mean To Die” their 16th studio album is in the starting blocks - it is the fifth album that US vocalist and front man Mark Tornillo has put his incomparable vocal stamp on.Recorded in the world music capital of Nashville (USA), ACCEPT’s music was once again produced by British master producer Andy Sneap, who is responsible for the mix. Sneap, who works for Judas Priest and Megadeth among others, has also been responsible for all ACCEPT productions since 2010.
Special circumstances often lead to very special albums. This is certainly true for “Too Mean To Die”, which of course alludes to the Corona period, although in a different way than one might assume. Hoffmann says: “Its to be expected that many musicians will address the Corona situation in their songs. There will certainly be slogans for cohesion, through which positive vibes should be spread, which is also good. But we have decided to not let ourselves be influenced by it. The fans will get a hard, direct and uncompromising metal album, but of course accompanied with a wink: We are too mean to die! Weeds do not go away! ACCEPT do not let themselves get down!”
Wolf isn’t wrong - the title track is a classic Accept cracker: dynamic and unwavering, turned up to eleven!
Zombie Apocalypse’, also relentless and hard, strikes the same note in the band’s signature style.
The first single - which will be released on October 2nd 2020 together with a remarkable video - is different. Titled ‘The Undertaker’, its a terrific midtempo number with great vocals and a built-in character that chugs along – certain to deliver some mermorable live moments! According to Wolf Hoffmann its one of the most catchy, pleasing pieces of the album.
New to the band, and thus to be heard for the first time on an ACCEPT album, is Philip Shouse (Gene Simmons Band, among others). The US guitarist fights hot duels with Hoffmann, while Uwe Lulis makes the guitar trio perfect and pro- vides the right rhythm. “Phil was part of our orchestra project and was also completely convincing live. We recognised his great talent immediately and simply didn’t let him go,” explains Hoffmann.
Just how varied the ACCEPT guitar trio performs on the new album is proven by one of the secret highlights: ‘The Best Is Yet To Come’ – a beguiling ballad in which Mark Tornillo is at his best. The metal world knows that Mark can scream like no other, but here it shows once again that the frontman can also sing magnificently. “Mark sang this, for us rather unusual song stunningly well. The fantastic thing about Mark is that he not only masters the typical metal screams, but can also sing melodically and beautifully. He proves this impressively in this song”, chief guitarist Hoffmann raves.
In addition, ACCEPT have strengthened their team even further with newcomers Martin Motnik (bass) and Philip Shouse (guitar), thus forming an unbeatable team together with “Drum God” Christopher Williams and “Rhythm Mas- ter” Uwe Lulis.
There’s no doubt that with “Too Mean To Die” Accept are once again playing at the top of the Champions League of the genre. Wolf Hoffmann & Co. present the (music) world eleven masterpieces at the beginning of 2021 - eleven songs for eternity!
Flaming Tunes' sole release is perhaps the finest elegy to the '80s home recording ethos that you've never heard. Originally released in 1985 on cassette (with individually hand-colored covers), this self-titled album grew out of the collaboration between childhood friends Gareth Williams and Mary Currie.
Williams is best known as a member of English art-rock band This Heat. After leaving the group in the early '80s, he travelled to India where he studied classical Kathakali dance – an experience that would profoundly shape the music of Flaming Tunes.
In an old Victorian house in South London, the duo recorded during the day while Currie's young son attended school and Williams conducted tape treatments at night. They were joined by various guests including This Heat guitarist Charles Bullen as well as long-term collaborators Martin Harrison and Rick Wilson.
Using whatever instruments they had on hand (clarinet, piano, bells, etc.), Flaming Tunes create lo-fi melodies around simple arrangements, oblique rhythms and densely layered natural sounds. The results are a mesmeric collage of instrumental daydreams and sideways pop songs, floating into one another in a hazy confluence of late '60s Canterbury psych-folk and early Residents experimentation.
All of these beguiling elements converge in a personal manner, quietly insistent in listeners' ears like the blood pulsing in one's veins on a warm summer day.
4 LP Boxset mit 52 seitigem Booklet vom 2018er Coachella Auftritt. Die epischen pyramidenförmigen Tribünen hatten rund 100 Tänzer und eine Band mit besonderen Gastdarstellern wie Solange, JAY-Z, Kelly Rowland und Michelle Williams, die Destiny's Child Magie, Harmonie und Nostalgie brachten.
"This second series of Konduko reissues continues with the rare and in demand Street Talk. Noel Williams (aka King Sporty) again shows the breadth of his talent, recording reggae, funk, soul and disco in the space of a few years with groundbreaking results.
Back recording at Miami's legendary Quadradial Studios, alongside master engineer Paul Speck, Williams created a synth-assisted, beat-programmed bomb, adding Jeanette Williams and Betty Wright's vocals and Bert Bailey's (The Ex-tras) blazing guitar, Street Talk heralds the dawn of the computer funk called electro boogie.
The inclusion of Benji "The Mad Bomber" for some South Beach rapping showed Williams' encompassing new music styles that led to his music being heavily sampled and revered at the birth of Miami Bass.
This all comes together and out the other side in the panoramic Discomix by Rune Lindbaek. A legend of the Norwegian sound that has conquered far and wide, Rune is one of the elder statesmen, from setting up his own long standing Drum Island label, to releasing with Noid, Repap and recent edit excursions on Norsk Tripping. His psychedelic dub wonderland is an all-together outer-body experience where vocal and rap soundclash deep, deep in the echo chamber.
The eighteenth release on Second Circle is the label's second exploration into an artists archival works; this time presenting a selection of four early tracks by theatre, film and music producer Can Oral under his Khan alias.
Can moved to Williamsburg, New York in the early 90's along with good friend and fellow musician Jimi Tenor. Born in Germany of Turkish-Finnish parents, he would frantically start buying equipment (such as a TR808, TB303 and Korg Polysix) from junk shops across New York, becoming greatly prolific in his recordings which he would work on throughout the night. During the daytime though, Can set up and ran the now defunct Temple Records, a seminal Soho record store, and later label, largely importing Techno and Acid from Europe. Though a small store, Temple Records would count musicians and DJs such as Björk, Tricky, Dee-Lite, Josh Wink and Joey Beltram among its regular customers. Also he would host many such guests to play live or DJ at his weekly Techno party “Killer” which was held at Save The Robots in New York’s East Village.
Can Oral's nightly studio sessions eventually led to an almost inexhaustible discography with over a dozen monikers each representing a different aspect of his productions. SC018 focuses then on his early electronic works as Khan.
Named after the color painted studio where the EP was produced between 1993-1996, 'Blue Box Sessions' is a collection of four analogue machine driven cuts, covering different tempos and ethos within electronic music. Initially live recorded to an old DAT recorder, and without any overdubs, SC018 is a lost and found artefact to Khan's unquestioned raw talent and timeless relevance.
Craig Charles has been a soul & funk fan since his teenage years in Liverpool, going to see local heroes The Real Thing live, and wearing out his shoe leather dancing in the city's many underground clubs. Craig has been sharing that passion for the music via his 6Music and BBC Radio 2 shows and DJ nights for nearly 20 years. His brand new 'Trunk Of Funk' compilation series, blends up-tempo club classics, with fresh music from the cream of the crop from the contemporary soul and funk scene, and will be Craigs very first vinyl release - a beautiful, double vinyl gatefold LP and he's certainly excited about it, stating; "I can't wait to bring you big beats, bass lines and booga-bloomin-loo! Presenting The Craig Charles Trunk Of Funk Volume 1 as my first ever vinyl release has put a proper wiggle in my walk!" This collection of 21st century disco, soul, funk & afro grooves from includes tracks from contemporary heroes of the scene such as Monophonics, Amp Fiddler and The James Taylor Quartet, it's also peppered with some old school classics and rare grooves from legends such as Roy Ayers, PP Arnold, Miriam Makeba and Patrice Rushen. Craig has personally selected and sequenced this collection to take the listener of a musical journey, the closest thing to having Craig visit and personally DJ for you in the comfort of your own home! It also includes two 'Trunk Of Funk Edits' that are 100% exclusive to this compilation and not available anywhere else.
Selva Discos keeps broadening horizons. Its next release celebrates the start of a new series called Novaterra, this time focused on showcasing the music of contemporary Brazilian artists. First up is Zopelar, known not only for his work with the anarchic-techno-punk act Teto Preto but also for the project My Girlfriend and his solo LP, both on Apron Records.
Novaterra vol. 1 by Zopelar is a mini-LP featuring 6 tracks that range from the introversion to the extraversion. In one hand you have an A-side banger like "Be Together", with its addictive looped-sample, and in the other, you get the laidback interlude of "Modo Avião", which sounds like one of those MF Doom's instrumentals – and between both, you will find a whole spectrum of music where you can experience the duel between super crispy beats (a signature in Zopelar's work) and the richness of melodies and harmonies that he's able to knit stitch close to perfection.
The opener "Livre" has a great deep house vibe that makes you think of Prescription Records and Jazzanova, featuring a catchy bossa ad-lib. "NOX" is a Hammond-led tune with a groove bassline and lead that gets you going in no time as if Cesar Camargo Mariano and Larry Young toured together in the late 70's, like, a big, fat jazz-funk tune. "Dias Tensos" is a nervous drum workout led by an automat Tony Williams as if jamming in a 16-bit version of The Tony Williams Lifetime. And to wrap things up, "Boogie da Paz" is one of those perfect comedown tunes – a true tearjerker that works its melody line like a good pill works your serotonin, making it one of those tracks that you keep under your sleeve for those special 6 AM moments on a dancefloor.
The artwork is courtesy of Colletivo Design Studio in Sao Paulo.
From 1963 to 2014: "Peace Chant - raw deep and spiritual jazz" exhibits 51 years of music. A well matched anthology with sounds to dive into, hard rhythms to dance to and vocals to meditate on.
The Tramp Records crew has compiled 8 tracks in nice order and dramaturgy. Some tunes you might have never heard before unless you own one of the rare original vintage vinyl records. Peace Chant is released on two separate LPs with own catalogue numbers and on one CD. Some songs I can't get out of my mind.
These days Mabon Dawud Quintet from Ethiopia is on the trail of Mulatu Astatke. Tramp Records provides the first release of "Abeba" - a funky and stoic track in Amharic mother tongue sung by a high male lamenting voice.
Even more haunting is "Ain't Gonna Wait Too Long" by Thomas Meloncon. The self-taught guitar player recorded this protest song at the age of 20. Voice, guitar, congas and double bass are plenty enough for a heavily pushing song complaining that black man's slavery isn't gone after 400 years. Artist, poet and civil right activist Meloncon (alias Muntu Mwaminifu) wrote and directed theatre and radio plays. His works are collected at Texas Southern University in Houston. "Ain't gonna wait too long" probably is his earliest artistic outing, he just had left school in 1968.
The compilation concludes with a song by Now, a band no one outside Munich might know. "Easy Tune for Dancing" can be found on a record of cultural and concert location Feierwerk form 1990. It really was a surprise to hear the quintet of trumpeter Konstantin Kern and Klaus Pfister on sax playing Afro-Cuban jazz that easily and nonchalant. If Dizzy Gillespie turned up with his bent trumpet and Lalo Schifrin sat in like he did on "Gillespiana Suite" I wouldn't be astonished!
Nach 6 jähriger Abstinez nach seinem letzten Projekt (Life Is Good), meldet sich Nas diesen Sommer
mit seinem neuen Album NASIR zurück. Das Album entstammt aus der Produzentenschmiede von
Kanye West und ist ein Produkt aus der vom Produzenten ins Leben gerufenen "Wyoming Sessions".
NASIR ist das vierte Werk aus den genannten Sessions und enthält ebenso wie die Vorgänger
("Daytona" Pusha T, "Ye" Kanye West, "KIDSSEEGHOSTS" Kanye West & Kid Cudi) sieben Titel. Das
Album ist mit hochkarätigen Gastauftritten von Puff Daddy, 070 Shake, Kanye West, Tony Williams und
The-Dream bestückt. Das Album ist bereits sein elftes Studioalbum und stieg auf Platz 5 der
Billboardcharts ein.
ATA's newest release comes from The Yorkshire Film & Television Orchestra and features the vocal talents of Bugalu Foundation & Mind On Fire vocalist Martin Connor. This cover of the Georgie Fame classic "Somebody Stole My Thunder" features a powerhouse vocal performance from Martin Connor alongside the heavyweight big band brass sound of the Yorkshire Film & Television Orchestra's 10 piece horn section. This 7" single is backed with Rachel Modest's debut recording for the label, her intense vocal rendition of the Ben E King classic "I Who Have Nothing". Both tracks feature the trademark elements of the ATA sound: Big brass arrangements sit alongside the propulsive rhythm section, perfectly supporting both singers incredible performances.
Originally appearing as part of ATA Records free download series "Hard Work, No Pay" these 2 tracks have been sought after on vinyl for some time after garnering radio play and positive responses from BBC6 Music's Craig Charles Funk & Soul Show and the Huey Morgan show.
The Yorkshire Film And Television Orchestra is the brainchild of ATA founders Neil Innes & Pete Williams and multi-instrumentalist/arranger Steve Parry, who was approached by Neil & Pete in 2014 to provide the horn arrangements and brass performances for a then untitled British library style track intended for release as a 45. That track went on to become the track "Hawkshaw Philly" and features on the compilation "Early Works: Funk, Soul & Afro Rarities From The Archives" released earlier this year. Their shared love of huge big band arrangements and British library music ensured future collaborations, notably on this year's "ATA Records: The Library Archive Vol. 1".
Martin Connor is a well known face to anyone familiar with the Mancherster music scene and has spent 10 years as part of the Manchester collective "Mind On Fire" before providing vocals for the Latin-Funk band Bugalu Foundation (Legere Recordings).
Sheffield born,Rachel Modest developed her unique vocal ability within the churches and gospel choirs of her local community. Now based in Leeds she has developed a powerful and soulful vocal style that takes inspiration from artists such as Madeleine Bell, Dee Dee Warwick, and Dusty Springfield. Her debut for the label was this cover of the Ben E King classic "I, Who Have Nothing", which was later followed by an appearance on the debut 45 by The Magnificent Tape Band "Patterns in My Mind"and her own solo 45 "I Try/Forbidden Love", as well as collaborating with The Magnificent Tape Band on their debut LP "The Subtle Art Of Distraction" all of which received radio support from the likes of Gilles Peterson (BBC6 Music), Huey Morgan (BBC6 Music/Radio 2) and Lauren Laverne (BBC6 Music).
Bristolian promoters Worm Disco Club have been championing South-Western talent since their inception in 2014. Having collaborated with Glastonbury Festival on their notorious 'Wormhole' stage and hosted the likes of The Comet Is Coming, The Heliocentrics and The Mauskovic Dance Band at their regular club night, the name has become synonymous with quality groove laden goodness, percussive madness, jazz, psych and beyond. Now proudly presenting their label Worm Discs, the collective recruit some of Bristol's most notable emerging talent for an exploration into the new wave of Jazz emanating from the city. As Andrew Hayes, (Run Logan Run) explains : "Bristol has always had its own sound, but there's been a new crop of young players come through over the past five years that's revitalised the scene and expanded its expectations about what jazz music means. Featuring the likes of Waldo's Gift, Run Logan Run (Montreux Jazz Talent Award winners), BaDaBoom, Lyrebird and Alun Elliot, 'New Horizons' channels the seismic energy of the sonically rich landscape into 12 progressive, psychedelic, impeccably crafted tracks.
The New Mastersounds have been delighting audiences with their infectious brand of funky soul-jazz for the two decades since they formed in Leeds in 1999. For the first five years of the band's career they were regulars at the Jazz Café in London, before they began to turn heads on the funk scene in the US, where guitarist/producer/bandleader Eddie Roberts now lives. For over a decade they have been a staple act of the late-night scene during New Orleans' annual Jazz Fest.
Recorded at Color Red Studios in Denver in December 2018, "Shake It" is a fresh Anglo-American collaboration between the band and vocalist Lamar Williams Jr (son of the late Allman Brothers bassist Lamar Williams), with high-class soulful horns from Mike Olmos & Jason Mingledorff, and percussion by Jeff Franca of Thievery Corporation
The first two singles from the album - "Let's Go Back" and "Kings & Queens" - are already enjoying radio support in UK (BBC6Music), France (FIP, RDWA), Spain (Radio 3, Radio Catalunya, Radio Calvia), Italy (Radio Populare), Germany (Radio Z) and Belgium (Radio Skorpio).
j 10. On The Up (S.K.A.) [feat. Lamar Williams Jr]
[j] 10. On The Up (S.K.A.) [feat. Lamar Williams Jr]
We're glad to be back with our latest reissue, a couple undercover soul gems from the Midwest originally self-released in 1984: LaVerne Washington's "The Promise" and "I Found What I've Been Searching For".
LaVerne has dedicated her life to the arts in every possible way. As an artist herself but also behind the scenes, helping and supporting her contemporaries fulfil their callings. Charlie Parker, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Mary Lou Williams - LaVerne grew up in Kansas City listening to the all time jazz greats, and soon discovered she was blessed with a keen sense for playing music by ear, playing the piano to what she would hear on the radio. In her teens whilst the 60s transitioned to the 70s' disco and funk era, LaVerne was there to witness it all, and she would go on to study music at the Charlie Parker Academy where she was inspired to become an entertainer.
At Langston University, LaVerne kept studying music where her career blossomed, founding and touring the US with the gospel group "Emery Shaw and the Voices of Praise", singing in several college bands and with her choir "The Voices Of Bethel". LaVerne would go on to perform notably with her bands "LaVerne Washington and Rococo" and the "LaVerne Washington Quartet", and record several songs in KC including "The Promise" and "I Found What I've Been Searching For" in 1984 before moving to Washington DC.
In DC, LaVerne was offered a position as a Program specialist with the National Endowment For The Arts where she started supporting other artists through her work. Over the next couple decades, LaVerne became an associate producer for the Rhythm and Blues Foundation and the Pioneer Awards Ceremonies held in New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, which saw the likes of Prince, Aretha Franklin and Jerry Butler attending among others. She has also managed and was mentored by DeeDee Sharp and consulted with artists including Bonnie Raitt (who acted as a mentor to Laverne as well), Kim Weston, Kathy Sledge (SisterSledge), Smokey Robinson and G.C Cameron (Spinners). During that time, LaVerne has kept singing, on her own and as a backing vocalist for DeeDee Sharp and Freda Payne and has never stopped her lifelong dedication to music and the Arts.
The Promise original 7" was LaVerne's last recording in Kansas City before her move to DC and the beginning of her involvement behind the scenes. Channelling her gospel roots - with impeccable arrangement, a contagious drum machine led rhythm section, soaring vocals and relatable lyrics, "The Promise" is guaranteed to bring back smiles to dancefloors and living rooms alike! "I Found What I've Been Searching For" on the flip is a beautiful soul ballad which really showcases the strength and emotion in LaVerne's voice.
Back again in it's original 7" format, we've had the audio transferred and restored from the original 24 track tape provided by LaVerne, and got the recordings re-mixed for the best possible sound! Floating Points behind the mixing desk for this new iteration of a lost classic, comes with a 14"x14" poster of the original picture
One of the most important labels in the history of dance music, Easy Street reflected New York club-land through its most
exciting years. From the Garage to The Sound Factory the clubs of the Big Apple echoed to the anthems released on Easy Street and then onto the world.
This compilation gathers up 12 of the most vital and important tracks. From 1984s Go Deh Yaka by Monyaka, through Da Lacy's house anthem 'Hideaway' via Adeva's anthemic 'In & Out My Life' all the bases are covered, whilst seminal producers Blaze, Paul Simpson and Todd Terry are amongst those who were behind the desks on these recordings.
The release is a loud cut double LP, that comes housed in a stunning sleeve and printed inner sleeves that highlight the label's
distinctive label art.
Two years after he strikingly entered the world stage with Iron, a luminous track with a truly iconic video - Woodkid released The Golden Age, his first ever album, crafted and shaped in the utmost secrecy during the year 2012. While some might have just let the media hype do its work, Woodkid also known as Yoann Lemoine, chose to reverse the rules of the game. Following the release of a second single Run Boy Run, which became a classic in a matter of weeks - with the accompanying video nominated at the prestigious
Grammy Award in 2013, Woodkid decided to bring out his first album. A record with incredible ambition for this young Frenchman who America was already crazy about, picking up the momentum for his rise. The Golden Age is an epic quest, a beautiful and surprising adventure. The foundations of the Woodkid staple are of course all on display : percussions, string and brass arrangements, piano, programming and - of course - this powerful and sensitive voice that delicately runs through the melodies with great magnitude. A few months after its release The Golden Age was certified Platinum and
Woodkid went on to collect the Prize for “Best Live New Act” at the French Music Awards on February 14th 2014. As a multi-talented artist, Woodkid thought out his project with all aspects in mind. Initially working as a video director for the greatest (Lana Del Rey,
Drake and Rihanna), he then directs his own videos and starts creating the visuals and stage-design for his own live performances.
Since then, this gifted all-rounder has continued to explore multiple paths. In 2014 he works alongside contemporary artist JR on an original piece commissioned by the New York City Ballet (JR creating and Woodkid producing the music), takes the artistic reins of Pharrell Williams’ live shows and co-writes an original soundtrack with Hans Zimmer.
In 2015, Nils Frahm performs the soundtrack that Woodkid wrote for a
documentary on Ellis Island, directed by JR with commentaries from Robert De Niro.
The same year, cinematographer Jonas Cuaron (creator of gravity) asks him to write the music for his feature film “Desierto” a gruelling thriller set in the Mexican-American desert. Woodkid comes up with a radical and organic piece halfway between sound-design and film score, released in April 2016. He is to this day one of the most sought-after artists, a visionary and altruistic creator whose modern and powerful body of work continues to shape itself with every new encounter.
