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│ Sketchie - Rain By High Lantern │
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│ Label......... Lumenessence ││
│ Year.......... 2004 ││
│ Genre......... Lo-Fi ││
│ Street Date... 23/08/2004 ││
│ Release Date.. 27/08/2004 ││
│ Size.......... 54,4 MB ││
│ Tracks........ 12 ││
│ Length........ 40:37 min ││
│ Source........ CDDA ││
│ Encoder....... Lame ││
│ Quality....... VBRKBps / 44.1Khz / Joint-Stereo ││
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│ R E L E A S E C O M M E N T S │┐ ││
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│ ││
│ Following two acclaimed solo EPÆs for Lumenessence ││
│ Recordings, æBlood at Willow Fox GroveÆ and æRifles of the ││
│ 1900sÆ, producer, vocalist, multi instrumentalist and ││
│ LumenessenceÆs premier lo-fi luminary Joe Shetcliffe ││
│ unleashes his first full blown long player and the next ││
│ installment in the unfolding Sketchie saga æRain by High ││
│ LanternÆ. Despite his tender twenty years he has already ││
│ racked up credits for Warp Records and for Lex Records as ││
│ Mummy FortunaÆs Theatre Co. and with his new LP set Sketchie ││
│ goes on to further demonstrate his fiercely independent and ││
│ utterly involving trademark sound. ││
│ ││
│ Garnering great reactions from both dance and rock camps ││
│ with features in periodicals across the board, while at the ││
│ same time drawing spectacular praise from Radio OneÆs Zane ││
│ Lowe and Steve Lamacq, praise for SketchieÆs creations has ││
│ indeed been high. ││
│ ││
│ Raised on live performance, the new material bears all the ││
│ hallmarks of an evolving Sketchie approach. Recorded in ││
│ various houses and unsuitable spaces on basic recording ││
│ equipment this music is built on natural talent and guile. ││
│ Awash with electronic pops, clicks and strange mechanical ││
│ clankings, eerie atmospherics waft out of the speakers ││
│ underpinned by epic overdriven guitar melodies and taut ││
│ beats. Effortlessly blending electronics and live playing ││
│ this takes the hybrid by the scruff of the neck and takes it ││
│ to another level. YouÆll find no samples here û itÆs all ││
│ crafted from SketchieÆs own individual sound creations - one ││
│ young man with his instruments, his voice and the most ││
│ rudimentary of tools at his command. Recent commentators ││
│ have fallen over themselves with reference points; common ││
│ denominators have ranged from The Beta Band, Can, Radiohead, ││
│ Phillip Glass, My Bloody Valentine, Sigur Ros and even a ││
│ little bit of Aphex Twin or Autechre. ││
│ ││
│ The hand crafted leather artifacts, which make up the æRainÆ ││
│ cover, were inspired by SketchieÆs recent foray into the ││
│ world of leather craftsmanship during a stint with a ││
│ well-known bespoke shoemaker. The attention to detail here ││
│ as with the music itself is palpable; perhaps this has ││
│ something to do with his rapidly growing reputation as an in ││
│ demand computer game tester. Sketchie has been testing games ││
│ for Revolution Software and his ability has since caught the ││
│ attention of technological giants EA Games. ││
│ ││
│ With a singular vocal style made up of controlled aggression ││
│ translated into words, high speed narratives which duck and ││
│ dive in and out of the mix Sketchie originally signed to ││
│ Lumenessence as a rapper; or more suitably a vocaliser of ││
│ his own highly individual chanted rhymes. Articulate, ││
│ aggressive and also graceful these rhymes formed the basis ││
│ of his early tracks for the label, paving the way towards ││
│ the towering epic sound showcased on æRainÆ. Having ││
│ graduated as a teenager on the UK rap scene and serving his ││
│ internship with some of the hippest names from alternative ││
│ hip hopÆs avant garde, Sketchie cut his teeth supporting the ││
│ likes of Sage Francis, Sole, Boom Bip and members of the Lex ││
│ records fraternity. Discovered aged 15 by UK hip hop elder ││
│ statesman Req, Sketchie rapidly expanded his vocalist role ││
│ to that of writer and multi-instrumentalist achieving his ││
│ now trademark guitar skills in a self-taught 12 months. ││
│ Things have certainly moved on fast; the music that resulted ││
│ was highly praised for its emotional depth and intensity; an ││
│ old head on young shoulders indeed. ││
│ ││
│ His prodigious output will see him releasing at least two ││
│ albums this year. æRain By High LanternÆ is only the ││
│ precursor to yet more Sketchie output û a further ││
│ installment in our unfolding Sketchie saga. The debut æRainÆ ││
│ plus its sister mini album tentatively entitled æSelected ││
│ Ambivalent Works 2000-2003Æ completes the picture. Largely ││
│ consisting of vocal tracks, the set is a snapshot of the ││
│ frenetic activity which produced his first two vinyl EPÆs ││
│ and the debut longplayer. ││
│ ││
│ This is music that caresses you with its beauty before ││
│ crushing you with its power. This will pull you in and take ││
│ you somewhere: -hard to pigeonhole and impossible to ignore, ││
│ welcome to SketchieÆs world. ││
│ ││
│ Now performing with a full live band blending live playing ││
│ with electronics, watch out for Sketchie live shows and ││
│ Lumenessence Live during the summer, where the band will be ││
│ performing tracks from the æRain By High LanternÆ LP. ││
│ ││
│ ││
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┌─────────────────────┐ ││
│ T R A C K L i S T │┐ ││
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│ ││
│ [01] Sketchie - The Fox Hunter 02:47 ││
│ [02] Sketchie - Loner Lay Blue 04:34 ││
│ [03] Sketchie - To Sail Industrial Swan 02:54 ││
│ [04] Sketchie - Suffragist Down 02:50 ││
│ [05] Sketchie - Chelsea Eyes 04:34 ││
│ [06] Sketchie - Happy Birthday Joe Sketchliffe A 01:09 ││
│ Mute ││
│ [07] Sketchie - Feud At Saint East's 03:59 ││
│ [08] Sketchie - Post-War Animation 03:41 ││
│ [09] Sketchie - Salute To Alone 04:18 ││
│ [10] Sketchie - Hurts To Fade, Goes The Bell 02:03 ││
│ [11] Sketchie - I Am Absolute 06:59 ││
│ [12] Sketchie - Happy Birthday Joe Sketchliffe B 00:49 ││
│ Losing My Life To You ││
│ ││
│ Total Playtime : 40:37 min ││
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UKi