2000 Trees 2015 [Festival Review]

2000 Trees

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Few things in life feel as good as immersing yourself in something you love. Diving deep into awesomeness, allowing the world’s worries to slip away, replacing baggage with better things. Escaping.

Of all the modern world’s escape hatches, music remains one of the most enigmatic and rewarding options. However, everyday life offers few opportunities for extended periods of musical immersion. You can walk down the street under headphones, spend a lazy Sunday in the company of your sound system with the curtains drawn, or spend an evening at a top-class venue taking in a few bands – but for many music fanatics, such experiences still don’t go deep enough.

2000 Trees certainly does. Situated on an out-of-the-way Gloucestershire farm in a 3G-free dead zone, the Trees site is an ideal location for digital disconnection, and reconnection with simpler things. The feeling of sun on your face, wind on your skin, and pure live music vibrating every cell in your body.

Arcane Roots’ (95%) set was the perfect reward for an Read more…

Posted on 15 July 2015

Lu’Ami [Interview]

Lu'Ami

With 2000 Trees 2015 almost upon us, it’s time to draw your attention to an artist who really sticks out from the rest of Trees’ beyond-epic lineup. Loopist extraordinaire Lu’Ami is due to bring a massive array of gear to the stage, and through it fill your ears with a brilliantly quirky and frankly uncategorizable sound. Think a chilled female Beardyman, and you’re at least in approximately the right ballpark. Kind of.

TMMP got in touch with Lu’Ami to talk 2000 Trees, creativity, and looping a cheering audience…

Your music is really intriguing. How would you describe your sound?

Well first of all, thank you kindly! I’ve had this conversation with so many people – everybody thinks differently!

To be quite honest I couldn’t decide on one genre. The way I see it, the vocals are percussive soul, most of the song structures are pop and the music is experimental, with a bit of electronic thrown in because of the sounds and equipment used. But I’ve just got back from playing at Fete de la Musique in Berlin and they described me as “synth pop”, so it’s definitely open to interpretation.

I’d like to think I’d created a new genre, but I guess all artists have their own little genre depending on where the influences come from.

You’re set to play a set at 2000 Trees 2015. How’re you feeling about it?

Im super excited, to say the least! Festivals are my favourite kind of gigs. I basically dress like Read more…

Posted on 07 July 2015

Maxi Curnow – ‘Transition’ [Review]

Maxi Curnow Transition

Last year, Maxi Curnow dropped STEM – TMMP’s #2 EP of the year – and it earned that lofty ranking for good reason. This guy is a one-of-a-kind talent – a genius, as overused as that term is today – and when it comes to instrumental skill, compositional nous, and punch-to-the-gut songcraft, Maxi Curnow possesses a perspective all his own. STEM was a unique display of musical Jedi skills, a twenty-minute epic crammed with twists, turns, and tangents – and it fucking blew my mind.

Transition is a different proposition. With this album, Maxi Curnow has everything he needs to go as far as he damn well pleases.

On Transition, the influence of virtuosi as diverse as Tesseract and Guthrie Govan merge with nods in the direction of electronic experimentalist extraordinaire Björk and a lack of trepidation in embracing Read more…

Posted on 27 June 2015

Are We Having Fun Yet? – ‘Are We Having Fun Yet?’ [Review]

Are We Having Fun Yet?

Weekends were made for chilling – and this two-track release from none-more-new electronica duo Are We Having Fun Yet? is perfect for anyone who needs to unwind right now. The brainchild of TMMP regular Giacomo Pope and Tom Ridley, AWHFY?’s self-titled debut is a super-cool, ultra-slick, and inventive adventure into minimalist musical space. Yes. Hear it all below… Read more…

Posted on 26 June 2015

Rolo Tomassi – ‘Grievances’ [Review]

Rolo Tomassi

Four albums into their career, you might expect Rolo Tomassi to chill things out and give themselves a breather for once. But have they?

…Kind of, actually.

Grievances gets going with Estranged, an idiosyncratically Tomassi amalgam of hectic skin-beating barrages, stabbing and churning guitars, and a relatively low-key section that brings to mind dark alleys and glistening knives rather than sunshine and fluffiness. Raumdeuter takes Read more…

Posted on 22 June 2015

O.R.k. [Interview]

O.R.K.

What happens when King Crimson’s drummer, Porcupine Tree’s bassist, a massively prolific vocalist/composer, and a beyond talented guitarist cross musical paths? O.R.k. is the answer to that question – and as the online buzz around the band’s debut album Inflamed Rides continues to grow, TMMP got in touch to get the inside story about it all… Read more…

Posted on 20 June 2015

Muse – ‘Drones’ [Review]

Muse

Muse have done it all. They’ve stuck together for over two decades, released seven albums, toured the world, dominated festivals and stadiums, sold some 17m long-playing units – you name it, they’ve done it. Now, their latest effort is out there exploring now-familiar themes (global conspiracies, alienation, disconnection, etc) from the perspective of an individual who becomes indoctrinated into (and eventually rebels against) the modern Western military system.

Undeniably proggy (a good thing here at TMMP), expansive, and entertaining, Drones mainly wins during Read more…

Posted on 10 June 2015

O.R.k. – ‘Inflamed Rides’ [Review]

O.R.K.

If you’re looking for something unique, you’ve come to the right place. O.R.k. could be described using the often-derided term “supergroup” (its members hailing from bands as diverse as Obake, King Crimson, Porcupine Tree, and Marta Sui Tubi), but its music will appeal to anyone with a taste for diverse and differentiated rock. This is not so much a novelty project as one with the potential to go any distance under its own steam.

Inflamed Rides takes in everything from Tool-esque textures (opener Jellyfish) to Rage Against Read more…

Posted on 31 May 2015

Outside The Coma – ‘Flavour Of The Weak’ [Review]

Outside the Coma

What do you get if you mix hectic metal, frantic screaming, a few poppy na-na-nas, visuals inspired by Japanese TV, anxious electronic elements, and lyrical lines set on shredding lame talent shows and celebrity culture?

Answer: Read more…

Posted on 25 May 2015

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