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Artist......: Bicep
Album.......: Isles
Label.......: Ninja Tune
Genre.......: Electronic
Catnr.......: ZENCD261
Source......: CD
Rip.date....: 2021-01-27
Str.date....: 2021-01-22
Quality.....: 953 kbps avg / 44.1kHz / 2 channels
Url.........: http://www.bicepmusic.com
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\ / # title time \ /
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1. Atlas 5:49
2. Cazenove 4:22
3. Apricots 4:06
4. Saku (feat. Clara La San) 4:57
5. Lido 3:20
6. X (feat. Clara La San) 5:33
7. Rever (feat. Julia Kent) 5:19
8. Sundial 4:35
9. Fir 5:23
10. Hawk (feat. Machina) 6:01
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\ / ________ Runtime 49:25
,\ /... . . .... .... \ / ' Size 356.23______
:\/ ', \ / , \ /
' '... ..\ /.. .. .....:. .. .... .. . ..\ /.
: Release Notes: \/ , \/ ,
' '
,: Belfast-born, London-based duo Bicep (Matt McBriar and Andy :,
: Ferguson) release their hotly anticipated second album, ôIslesö, :
:' on 22 January 2021 via Ninja Tune. ':
,: :,
: Two years in the making, ôIslesö expands on the artful energy of :
:' their 2018 debut ôBicepö, while digging deeper into the sounds, ':
,: experiences and emotions that have influenced their lives and :,
: work, from early days in Belfast to their move to London a :
:' decade ago. ôWe have strong mixed emotions, connected to ':
,: growing up on an islandö they say, ôwanting to leave, wanting to :,
: returnö. ôIslesö is, in part, a meditation on these :
:' contradictions, the struggle between the expansive and the ':
,: introspective, isolation and euphoria. :,
: :
:' The breadth of music theyÆve been exposed to in London during ':
,: this time informs ôIslesÆö massive sonic palette; both cite the :,
: joy of discovering Hindi vocals overheard from distant rooftops, :
:' snatches of Bulgarian choirs drifting from passing cars, ':
,: hitting Shazam in a kebab house in the vain hopes of identifying :,
: a Turkish pop song. But time away from home has also made the :
:' pair more reflective about the move between islands which led ':
,: them here. :,
: :
:' For two natives of Belfast, any talk of islands, communities ':
,: and identities will also have other, more domestic connotations. :,
: Before this project, it was an aspect of their lives theyÆd been :
:' reluctant to talk about. ':
,: :,
: ôItÆs always been an unquantifiable topic for usö says Matt. :
:' ôWeÆre not religious, but we're both from different religious ':
,: backgrounds. There was always a lot of interest in us talking :,
: about that part of things in the early days, but we werenÆt :
:' interested. We always felt that one of the things we loved ':
,: about dance music was that freedom it gave you to be released :,
: from talking about those things. It provided a middle ground. I :
:' think we took for granted how much that meant at that timeö. ':
,: :,
: ôIslesö is, perhaps, a chance to explore this background in ways :
:' that donÆt conform to the stale, sensationalist narratives ':
,: about Northern Ireland that predominate elsewhere; to ground :,
: those experiences in reality, and reflect on the gaps music can :
:' and canÆt bridge. ':
,: :,
: ôYouÆd enter the club and it would be people from both sides of :
:' the tracks and theyÆd be huggingö says Andy, referring to ':
,: massively influential Belfast club Shine, where both cut their :,
: musical teeth. ôAnd the following week, theyÆd be with their :
:' mates rioting. It felt like the safest place but, on paper, it ':
,: should have been the most dangerousö. :,
: :
:' Musically, too, they find echoes of those days in their work. ':
,: ôIt was like being smacked in the head with a hammerö Matt says, :,
: of the tunes that defined that scene, and which find expression :
:' in ôIslesÆö most raw and energetic corners. ôIt was either very ':
,: intense, in-your-face Italo tinged electro or really aggressive :,
: technoö. :
:' ':
,: æAtlasÆ, the first track drawn from the record, speaks to these :,
: roots. Released to massive acclaim in March, making both the :
:' Radio 1 and Radio 6 playlists, its euphoric energy and ':
,: bittersweet heft hit all the harder in uncertain times. It is, :,
: as Resident Advisor called it, ômusic that commiserates with you :
:' while you try to dance out your anxietiesö. ':
,: :,
: Lead single æApricotsÆ has a similar feel, steeped in a :
:' shimmering bath of warm synths, its spare percussion and ':
,: arresting vocals bring the big room chills of 90s rave, while :,
: still evoking something lost or forlorn. ItÆs a tone perfectly :
:' captured in æApricotsÆ soulful and disorienting video by Mark ':
,: Jenkin, fresh from winning 2020Æs Bafta for Outstanding Debut by :,
: a British Director for his film æBaitÆ, or the albumÆs striking, :
:' explosive artwork by Studio Degrau, creators of the iconic ':
,: imagery for the duoÆs first album. :,
: :
:' ôThe previous record was written from a very happy and almost ':
,: na∩ve placeö says Andy. ôOn your first album, you can finally :,
: express what you canÆt on an A-side or an EP. But, touring it :
:' for three years, you figure out what makes a good song; what ':
,: gives it longevityö. :,
: :
:' Drawing on this experience, the pair wanted ôIslesö to be a ôa ':
,: snapshot in timeö of their work in this period, rather than a :,
: start-to-finish concept album. To do this, they drew from a :
:' massive pool of 150 demos. Whittling the record down to ten ':
,: tracks was their first major challenge. :,
: :
:' ôThatÆs the creative element in the beginningö Matt says. ôThe ':
,: blue sky approach; stitching stuff together and jamming over the :,
: top. But then you get to the next phase where you tell a story :
:' with what youÆve got, get them to communicate what we feel when ':
,: we listen to them. WeÆd spend a week working on a track and find :,
: a breakthrough moment where it would work in so many iterations. :
:' It comes alive as a pieceö. ':
,: :,
: ôOn an album, you want loads of detail for people listening at :
:' homeö adds Andy. These details are everywhere on ôIslesö. ':
,: æSakuÆs two step polyrhythms and Clara La SanÆs honey-sweet :,
: vocals feint toward UK Garage before diving, chest-first, into :
:' cosmic synths. Like 90Æs RnB channelled through peak John ':
,: Carpenter, itÆs a track that demands, and rewards, multiple :,
: listens, suffused with the melancholic undercurrent that gives :
:' ôIslesö its cathartic punch. æCazenoveÆ, another standout, ':
,: pairs pitch-shifted choral elements with moody pizzicato strings :,
: and rave synths, combining to form a slowly building :
:' retro-futurist soundscape, Studio Ghibli one moment, Studio 54 ':
,: the next. :,
: :
:' This globe-trotting sound was forged as their own rapid ascent ':
,: through the musical ranks began. After starting their legendary :,
: FeelMyBicep blog in 2008, its humble trove of Italo, house and :
:' disco deep cuts grew into a runaway success, regularly chalking ':
,: up over 100,000 visitors a month. Once the blog had spawned a :,
: record label and club night, the duo were propelled on to the :
:' international stage via sought-after DJ sets that reflected the ':
,: eclecticism of their online curations. Following success with :,
: productions for Throne of Blood and Aus Music, Bicep were signed :
:' to Ninja Tune in 2017, where they released their wildly ':
,: acclaimed self-titled debut album the following year, attaining :,
: a Top 20 entry in the UK charts, and a cover feature in Mixmag :
:' to add to the magazineÆs gong for ôAlbum of the Yearö. Tracks ':
,: like æOpalÆ ù and the subsequent Four Tet remixù as well as he :,
: recordÆs lead single æGlueÆ, with and its iconic Joe :
:' Wilson-directed video, became touchpoints for electronic music ':
,: in 2017, with the latter named DJ Mag ôTrack of the Yearö. The :,
: æGlueÆ video, alongside BicepÆs RA Live performance were also :
:' recently included in the lauded æElectronicÆ exhibition, first ':
,: shown at the Philharmonie de Paris last year and most recently :,
: at LondonÆs Design Museum. :
:' ':
,: The album was followed by a massively successful tour, which saw :,
: them raise the roof at Primavera, Coachella and Glastonbury. The :
:' pair sold out their two forthcoming Brixton Academy shows in a ':
,: matter of minutes, and amassed a 10,000 person waiting list once :,
: tickets were all gone. :
:' ':
,: Plans for an extensive ôIslesö tour in 2021 are still in the :,
: offing, with the duo offering only cryptic clues as to what it :
:' will entail.??ôThis is the home listening versionö, says Matt, ':
,: ôthe live version will be much, much harderö. :,
: :
:' BicepÆs booked events will now take place as and when venue ':
,: schedules become more clear, with additional headline dates :,
: across the UK, EU and US hoped for in 2021, including a headline :
:' slot at Field Day in London, as well as performances at ':
,: Parklife, Roskilde, Creamfields, Primavera, MELT! And more. :,
: :
:' With the live music & touring industry in a state of flux, ':
,: Bicep recently undertook a one-off ticketed livestream :,
: performanceùone of the first of its kind for an electronic :
:' artistùbroadcast across 5 different timezones, and watched by ':
,: people in over 70 countries, with visuals by close BICEP LIVE :,
: visual collaborator Black Box Echo. Bicep will also launch their :
:' æFeelMyBicep RadioÆ show on Apple Music in October, giving ':
,: listeners an insight into the music that has shaped everything :,
: in the world of Bicep, with shows set to continue monthly :
:' throughout the coming year. ':
,: :,
: Bicep are also ambassadors for Youth Music, a charity working to :
:' change the lives of young people through music and music ':
,: production. Both take an active role in mentoring young people :,
: coming through YM programmes, reflecting their own eagerness to :
:' give back as musicians who themselves received industry support ':
,: when they were coming up. :,
: :
:' ':
: '
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\ / Shout out to all our homies from: \ /
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\ / iPC BOSS HiT2000 1way UKi i8 RNS \ /
\ / RAGEMP3 MANDY DV8 pLAN9 BUTT \ /
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\ / H O U N D \ /
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