The magnificent James Blake was in town this week to perform a headline set at Splendour in the Grass, as well as a series of shows across the country. Touring his stunning new album The Colour in Anything, his incredible voice and immense talent as a live performer brought a genuine kind of musical magic to the stage. Last night (July 26, 2016) he performed at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion. Backed by a percussionist and multi-instrumentalist, they delivered a phenomenal, rich, utterly captivating performance – one that, as he noted toward the end of the set, employed no laptops or pre-recorded material. Indeed, he could be seen and heard creating loops and sounds as the set progressed, building harmonies and counter-melodies using his own voice and playing. Predominantly performing music from his new album, he also played a number of favourites from his previous releases, including his cover of Feist’s Limit To Your Love, and a breathtaking rendition of Retrograde, from his 2013 record Overgrown.
The audience was captivated from start to end by his incredible voice; it’s rare that someone who sounds so amazing on record can sound even more beautiful live, but this rings so true for James Blake. It was incredible to see how he managed to manipulate the audience’s energy throughout; from his most intimate, raw moments, during which little but his voice rang out across the room, to the intense, overwhelmingly jarring synths that added a remarkably heavy, industrial element to the set, it was more special, and more memorable than we could have imagined.
Joining Blake on the night was special guest Mark Pritchard, who received a one hour opening slot. His set began with ambient sounds and experimental phrases slowly, slowly building upon one another, and gradually developed to include heavier bass sounds and increasingly frantic rhythms. Pritchard has also recently released a new album, Under The Sun, which includes a collaboration withRadiohead‘s Thom Yorke. While some in the audience were unsure of how to interpret Pritchard’s slow moving sounds at first, those who were drawn in were hypnotised by the unique way he creates soundscapes, and the atmosphere which continued to build and strengthen throughout.
Mark Pritchard
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James Blake
All photos: Nudzejma Avdic / Howl & Echoes
It’s July, and that means that Splendour in the Grass is now officially happening *this month*. Along with the mega-festival in Byron Bay comes a nationwide celebration of headline sideshows from the likes of The Cure, James Blake, The Internet and a tonne more – you can catch the full list here.
James Blake’s upcoming concerts are undoubtedly among the most anticipated of the year, with his stunning album The Colour In Anything coming out to rapturous praise back in May.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAJgs1P-uUE
It’s now been announced that a very special guest will be supporting Blake, longstanding electronic stalwart Mark Pritchard, who also recently released an incredible new album, Under The Sun, which featured guest vocals from Thom Yorke and Bibio. Check out Beautiful People ft. Thom Yorke:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6rW2GpQLQE
Considering that both artists are legendary in their own rights, and have released some of the most beautiful music of 2016 so far, the chance to get to see both performing at the one event is pretty spesh.
+ Support From Mark Pritchard
Tue 26 Jul – Hordern Pavilion, Sydney
Wed 27 Jul – Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne
Thu 28 Jul – Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide
It’s hard to know what to think about Under The Sun, the latest album from UK-born, Australia-based producer Mark Pritchard. Or rather, it’s hard to know what to feel when listening to it. On the one hand, the chords are light and airy, floating through the air to greet your ears with a cheery wave. On the other… well, it’s hard to explain. If on the surface the music provides a happy appearance, then thematically it’s grounded in melancholy.
Mark Pritchard’s previous work includes EPs under various names, most famous of which is Harmonic 313. But while H313’s music is more techno, anchored in steady beats, Pritchard opts for a lighter and more abstract approach with Under The Sun. A fair few tracks simply refuse to have a beat, instead letting the melody step forward and have at it. One particular standout is Falling, where three separate melodies weave between each other, vying for the listener’s recognition. You hear one melody stand out, then seconds later it fades from your attention as another melody captures you. The melodies themselves remain constant in volume throughout the track however, so any perceived change in prominence is purely due to the complexity of the music. It’s masterfully done.
Of course, there are tracks where a more traditional electronic influence can be seen, with a click or a kick forming the base on which the rest of the track is built. Tracks like Beautiful People and Give It To Your Choir form the most stunning examples of this. Both tracks also have vocals, featuring Thom Yorke (yes, that one) and Bibio respectively. Beautiful People in particular is phenomenal, and is really a snippet of the album as a whole. Airy production, with barely a heavy note, but there’s an undercurrent of sadness.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6rW2GpQLQE
This is largely the case for much of the album. It somewhat reminds me of Porter Robinson‘s Worlds, from 2014, albeit with less of the mainstream electronica influences. Both share a feeling of being a soundtrack to a dying world, but looking at the smaller, more individual parts of that world. It’s beautiful, but not on an epic scale, instead choosing a more precise and nuanced view.
My main gripe with the album is that the tail end just slightly tips over into the end of being too abstract. Pretty much from EMS onwards, it opens up in scale and has the potential to lose the listener. The problem with adjusting scope halfway through a project is that is begins to lose focus, and the last third of Under The Sun doesn’t quite manage to achieve the graceful change seen in other, more complete albums.
But, I admire Pritchard for trying his hand at an album that changes, because it would have been so easy to simply produce 50-something minutes of collaboration after collaboration, an album without much substance or meaning. That, it is not.
Under The Sun is out May 13 on Warp, and will be available in CD, Vinyl and Digital formats. Buy here.
Image: Mark Pritchard
If anyone ever questions whether music is magical, I point them to either Mark Pritchard‘s work, or to Radiohead. So when I heard that Pritchard was working with Thom Yorke, I was both delighted and scared. What if this created the most beautiful sound in existence? Would I fall in love instantly? I informed my girlfriend, and she said she understood if I had to leave her for this song. Now, after hearing the six-minute collaboration, I’m about to go out and buy an engagement ring to marry the song. Beautiful People is astonishingly good.
Following the remarkable Sad Alron, this track is decidedly more haunting. It opens with a minimalist flute-sounding intro, building into a marvellous layered track. Yorke’s vocals begin distorted, but clarity emerges. It’s mellow music, but in the end, it’s lovely. Pritchard says that “Beautiful People is a personal song about loss, hopelessness and chaos, but ultimately the message is love and hope.”
Pritchard will be part of this year’s Red Bull Music Academy in New York, where he will be showcasing his upcoming album, Under The Sun. If you get the chance, consider check it out, as it will be part of an “immersive audio visual installation” developed in collaboration with artist Jonathan Zawada.
Under The Sun is out May 13 on Warp. Listen to Beautiful People below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6rW2GpQLQE]
Under The Sun Tracklist
1. ?
2. Give It Your Choir (feat. Bibio)
3. Infrared
4. Falling
5. Beautiful People (feat. Thom Yorke)
6. Where Do They Go, The Butterflies
7. Sad Alron
8. You Wash My Soul (feat. Linda Perhacs)
9. Cycles Of 9
10. Hi Red
11. Ems
12. The Blinds Cage (feat. Beans)
13. Dawn Of The North
14. Khufu
15. Rebel Angels
16. Under The Sun
I’ve been lucky enough to see UK electro-maestro Mark Pritchard live in various incarnations, collaborations and across at least two countries, and have been astounded every single time. So it gives me great pleasure to announce that he will be releasing a new album, Under The Sun, in May this year. It’s set to be his first solo output in five years, and one which has reportedly been designed specifically with the intention of listening to in one whole sitting.
Pritchard has long since been hailed as one of the most innovative and interesting producers within the experimental, ambient and occasionally drone-tinted realms of electronic music, uniquely focusing on heavier progression and more bass-anchored sounds than some of his Warp Records contemporaries.
Fans can keep a particularly keen ear out for collaborations with Bibio, Linda Perhaps and the great Thom Yorke among others, on Give It Your Choir, You Wash My Soul and Beautiful People respectively.
Listen to the stunning first single, Sad Alron, here, and check out the album artwork and track list below:
https://youtu.be/yam3CWqoZEc
Under the Sun Track List
1. “?”
2. “Give It Your Choir” (feat. Bibio)
3. “Infrared”
4. “Falling”
5. “Beautiful People” (feat. Thom Yorke)
6. “Where Do They Go, The Butterflies”
7. “Sad Alron”
8. “You Wash My Soul” (feat. Linda Perhacs)
9. “Cycles Of 9″
10. “Hi Red”
11. “Ems”
12. “The Blinds Cage” (feat. Beans)
13. “Dawn Of The North”
14. “Khufu”
15. “Rebel Angels”
16. “Under The Sun”
Under The Sun comes out on Friday, May 13 on Warp Records via Inertia.