enslave: (verb)
make (someone) a slave.
ARTIST.....: Romare
TITLE......: The River
LABEL......: Ninja Tune
CATNUM.....: ZENDNLS552
GENRE......: House
RIP DATE...: 2020-06-25
RETAIL DATE: 2020-06-24
RUNTIME....: 23:15
TRACKS.....: 4
SIZE.......: 53.49MB
QUALITY....: CBR 320kbps 44.1kHz Stereo
CODEC......: MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3)
ENCODER....: LAME
URL........: https://play.google.com/store/music/album?id=Bbfc25qylmf3itszlzzm6nlgh6m
Tracklist:
----------
01. The River (Edit) 04:08
02. The River 07:51
03. Sunshine (Edit) 03:14
04. Gone 08:02
Notes:
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If you put it the wrong way, you can make something sound dry and
academic, when actually it's inspired by love. Archie Fairhurst,
known as Romare, wears his love for all to see - in fact, he
takes his very name from it. Having studied African American
Visual Culture at University, he had his 'Sex Pistols moment'
when he came across the work of Romare Bearden. The African
American's collaged, cut'n'paste artworks inspired the young
musician to apply a similar technique to music - an approach that
was hugely fruitful, and remains central to his work today. After
stints as a drummer and guitarist throughout school and
university, he moved to Paris where he picked up the turntables
and began mixing his own music with samples from second hand
records. Romare the musician was born and the template for his
debut record. Underground hothouse Black Acre signed him in 2012,
adding him to a formidable roster that included Loops Haunt,
Fantastic Mr Fox, Blue Daisy and Dark Sky. The imprint put out
his first release 'Meditations on Afrocentrism' in March of that
year. He began to play shows, making enough money to finance a
move to London. Ensconced in the vast musical melting pot of the
capital, he began work on his second EP 'Love Songs: Part One.'
Romare's songs were included on compilations by heavyweights such
as Bonobo, Tiga and Gilles Peterson. His debut album,
"Projections", was named after a pivotal exhibition of his
namesake and likewise explores various elements of American life.
The album was in many ways a homage - or a love song - to the
cycle of cultural appropriation in America. "Work Song" is a
tribute to the classic American and namesake work song, whilst
"Rainbow" is a celebration of disco. 'Projections' expertly
catalogues the movements of influence within music. The record
was hugely critically-acclaimed. Voted Album of the Year by DJ
magazine, it received rapturous reviews across the board and
established Fairhurst as a producer to watch, Mixmag lauding 'a
meticulous touch that seems to run through everything he does'
and The Guardian talking about the 'skill and affection' of his
work. He was supported at radio by everyone from Annie Mac and
Gilles Peterson to Steve Lamacq and Huw Stephens, while renowned
DJs as varied as Four Tet and Pete Tong supported on the
dancefloor. "Love Songs: Part Two" shows Romare expanding,
deepening and developing his techniques. Although sampling from
vinyl still plays a key role in his practice, Fairhurst has
played much more of the music on this new record, from monophonic
synthesisers to his grandmother's recorder and his dad's
mandolin, with electric bass, plus a variety of guitars and
keyboards taking central roles, too. His sample sources have
changed a little, too, moving from the jazz and blues which
distinguished "Projections" to disco and psychedelic. Indeed, the
increased demand for his work as a DJ has caused him to develop
his structures, allowing for more sustained builds in intensity,
both within individual 'songs' and across the album as a whole.
"I've tried to cover different areas" Fairhurst explains, "from
sexual urges to tender first encounters, from affairs to the
questioning of one's love." Whatever Romare does, it's held
together by his own unique aesthetic, a sonic signature which
stamps everything he does as his and his alone. An original
reaching the heights of his game, it's time to listen... and fall
in love.