East End Review

Tag: Alexandra Sewell

  • Brazilian songwriter Maria Gadu to perform at the Barbican

    Brazilian songstress Maria Gadu. Photograph: Gabriel Wickbold
    Brazilian songstress Maria Gadu. Photograph: Gabriel Wickbold

    As the sporting masses prepare for the World Cup, there has never been a more fitting time for Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist and twice Latin Grammy nominated Maria Gadú to cross the Atlantic in preparation for a highly-anticipated performance at the Barbican this month.

    Celebrating much success in many countries after her self-titled album went platinum in 2009 both in Italy and Brazil, she has since become something of a household name amongst her peers. “Maria Gadú is a popular phenomenon for her own generation,” famed Brazilian composer and songwriter Caetano Veloso has said of her. “[She is] someone with an authentic musical vocation.”

    Singing in her native Brazilian Portuguese, Gadú’s voice is a distinct combination of jazz and soul; a voice that brings an uplifting aura that surrounds lyrics of peace and love. Her impressive guitar technique backs her up with a powerful edge. It’s this vibrancy that makes her stand out from other artists that fall in the ‘world music’ bracket. The sunny track ‘Shimbalaiê’ exudes every bit of this talent.

    At 27, Gadú knows who she is which gives her music a kind of strength that many pop artists struggle with today. Her traditional yet blended style does justice to the original Musica Popular Brasileira movement to which she and the other artists such as Chico Buarque and Jorge Ben are associated. This classic and quintessentially Brazilian genre originated in the 1960s and has become the foundation on which Gadú and other more modern artists such as Maria Monte’s music is formed.

    Whether you enjoy football or not, her performance will certainly be a welcome break from all the hustle and bustle of World Cup fever.

    Maria Gadú is playing at the Barbican, Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS on 28 June.

    tickets@barbican.org.uk

  • Sofar so different – the gig movement coming to a living room near you

    Benin City, fronted by Joshua Idehen play at a Sofar Sounds gig. Photograph: Sofar Sounds
    Benin City, fronted by Joshua Idehen play at a Sofar Sounds gig. Photograph: Sofar Sounds

    Songs from a Room, or Sofar, is an East London-based start-up with a strong vision: to bring good music to eager fans.

    Born out of a frustration of background noise at gigs, Rafe Offar and two friends set out to develop a concept to curate gigs in unusual settings. “You don’t connect with musicians at large gigs and stadiums and at smaller ones there are often dingy bars where people talk and text throughout performances,” explains Offar. “For me, hearing a trumpet or sax in a living room adds so much excitement and depth to the music.”

    Sofar aims to bring unsigned and unknown musicians and artists to a wider audience. “We wanted to help new musicians get a boost by inviting people who love to spread the word about what they discover to our houses. The result was an atmosphere where you could hear a pin drop – an intimate connection between music and fan. It’s quite ‘pure’ and about the music rather than selling stuff,” says Offar.

    Sofar is managing to hold 50 gigs a week hosted in spaces such as basements, living rooms and residential warehouses in over 60 cities around the world. According to Offar though, being based in East London does have its perks. “The music here is considered amongst the best in the world so it helps Sofar have impact,” he says.

    There are two rules when attending a Sofar gig: firstly, you must listen thoroughly to the music that’s on offer and secondly, you have to stay until the end of the evening. These rules are gently emboldened at every gig out of respect for the music, but also for the audience to broaden and enhance their experience.

    Offar gives the example of virtuoso cellist Oliver Coates as one of the favourite Sofar gigs so far. “I was moved at how he wowed an audience who do not hear classical music often at a Sofar gig. He showed us classical at its most dynamic.”

    But in an ever-changing music culture where fast-paced, mainstream pop is ever more the norm, how is Sofar reacting to today’s current state of industry? “We involve art and music students and find a range of local community members and leaders with an appetite for innovation and encourage them to debate who is right for us.” Offar enthuses.

    Plans to develop the concept are also underway with a festival under their belt in May last year which attracted over a thousand people. Offar adds: “We like to find music that is just plain good – and worry later about the buzz factor.”

    sofarsounds.com

  • Mom Tudie: the East London producer with a sound beyond his years

    Mom's the word: producer Mom Tudie.
    A selfie by music producer Mom Tudie

    With his subtle use of classic neo-soul samples, a penchant for female vocalists and a varied musical upbringing, East London-based producer Mom Tudie (real name Tom Mudie) is an intriguing and versatile new talent.

    At only 18 years old, Tudie’s musical tastes lean towards modern R’n’B, and a huge chunk of inspiration comes from greats such as Thom Yorke. “Recently I’ve got into Drake, James Blake, King Krule, and Katy B. I also like a lot of the stuff coming out of East London at the moment and one of my favourite releases is Southpaw’s Out of Oak EP,” he says, listing his influences.

    With so many musical role models, it might be difficult to incorporate them all into a music he can call his own. Tudie, however, has one rule of thumb. He says: “I tend to tell people that my music is a mix of electronic ideas. I’d prefer people listen and make up their own mind.”

    Past tracks have a garage-tinged edge, but Tudie’s latest offering, a song called ‘Human Heart’, is strikingly mature. In it he contrasts a sparse and melancholic synth with a glitch-hop driven beat. Added vocals by Bridget Spencer and some electronica infused lounge-jazz brass samples make it a serene but eminently danceable number.

    Female vocalists such as Nicola Thoms and Abigail Glasser are prevalent in his music, although he assures that he is definitely not discriminating against the men of the musical world. “I am about to release a track with Tom Misch, who is a male vocalist, and a really talented guitarist and beat maker.”

    While fellow musicians gear up for festivals, Tudie’s plans for the summer are surprisingly uncertain. “I am travelling until July, so I don´t know if I am going to have the funds to go to any festivals this year, which is a shame. If I could, I would definitely go to Brainchild Festival – it was amazing last year.”

    www.soundcloud.com/momtudie

  • Krista Papista – the sound of ‘sordid pop’

    Krista Papista
    Krista Papista

    Krista Papista, 24, is unlike other musicians. Since the age of 14 she has written, mixed and recorded music and done so entirely on her own. Today, operating from out of a small bedroom studio in Dalston, she remains unsung and unsigned, though with the determination and potential to go far.

    But that is not all. Papista’s songs are open to interpretation – something she unquestionably advocates.

    “My sound unravels elements of Riot Grrl chicness, requiem ballads and film noir trumpets with rabbit hole transitions … my mind is naturally preoccupied by melancholic thoughts and mood swings that manifest in my music,” she says.

    The self-coined ‘sordid pop’ musician makes her eclectic tastes and strong sense of self more apparent by using dark, emotive lyrics and deep electronic beats. Her brawny voice echoes the androgynous and otherworldly tones of Karin Dreijer of Swedish experimental duo, The Knife. It is safe to say she is no wilting wallflower.

    Papista’s roots are in Cyprus and Australia, and her early experiences growing up in Cyprus led her to discover artists who were non-commercial and far from the mainstream. “I wasn’t particularly interested in anything that was accessible to me,” she says. “I liked punk rock, electronic and pop music, and was never able to see my favourite artists live or even hear the music I liked anywhere. But there are many Cypriot/Greek artists I adore: Soteria Belou, Arleta, Manos Hatzidakis and many more.”

    After moving to East London six years ago, Krista is enjoying feeling more settled. “I feel comfortable here. I like the restaurants, I like the gayness, I like the bars, I like the Mediterranean supermarkets and I like the dodgy-ness,” she specifies.

    This spring Krista is planning to release her first album (all on her own, naturally) and from there see where ambition takes her. But first comes her morning cup of coffee. “My typical day usually consists of jogging first thing, after that I drink coffee and I either work on my music, read, day dream or get paranoid about everything,” she says.

    www.kristapapista.com

  • Boxed In prepares to branch out

    Boxed In: Oli Bayston
    Boxed In: Oli Bayston

    Oli Bayston may be among those musicians with a ‘2014 one to watch’ tag, but the East London-based producer known as Boxed In is no newcomer to the music game.

    After a seven-year stint in a Manchester-based band, he moved to London in 2011 and began earning his production spurs with producer Dan Carey. His early solo tracks betray Hot Chip and electronic dance music influences, but judging by his recent output Bayston may finally have found his niche.

    “I’m really excited about this year”, he enthuses. “It felt like 2013 was a preparatory year. The plan is to release the next Boxed In single in March, with the album release in June. Then festivals, then the USA!”

    With his debut single ‘All Your Love Is Gone’ released and his following growing, Boxed In is now all about developing a more mature sound. “I’d like to think you could clean the house to it too,” he adds.

    Being signed to Moshi Moshi, one of the most influential indie labels around, hasn’t fazed him or hindered his creativity. “They’ve been very open and welcoming of the music I’ve made and recorded,” he says. “They’ve never got in the way of my stylistic choices, but have always offered great advice.”

    This is evident from his first official release with Moshi Moshi Singles Club back in November. ‘All Your Love Is Gone’ starts off as a mesmerising, post-indie jaunt and confidently grows into a rich, brazen epic with nods to 70s punk with Oli’s sparse yet breezy vocals taking centre stage.

    Working from his Hackney-based studio, it seems the progression of Boxed In has been largely due to learning more about the music technology. “The transition I’ve made in the last three years has been the most fruitful,” he says. “I stopped reading music and started writing for myself. Making music from a production perspective has helped me define my sound. I now feel confident in my own developed style instead of just relying on my influences.”

    East London has definitely become the hub for interesting new musicians to develop their repertoires. The prospect of finding a decent base to work elsewhere wasn’t an option. “I think it initially attracted artists because accommodation was cheap”, says Bayston. “Young musicians tend to push the boundaries more readily, and they also tend to be the most skint!”

    With so many musicians living in East London, you’re never stuck for a good night out. For Bayston, the idea is to make music that complements the end of a night out when “there’s still the remnant of the night’s beating pulse”.

    Although he has finally found a style that he is happy with, his roots remain the same. Ask him what he would choose out of all the instruments in the world, and he would simply answer: “My piano.”

    www.moshimoshimusic.com

  • Caught up in the fuzz – Oscar Suave

    Psychedelic noodlings: Oscar Suave
    Psychedelic noodlings: Oscar Suave

    Loud, proud and psychedelic, Oscar Suave are looking to serve up East Londoners with a slice of rock ‘n’ roll.

    It seems psychedelic bands nowadays have fallen down the pecking order when it comes to East London’s underground music scene.

    There is, however, a passionate and bustling sub-culture out there, with Oscar Suave one of the promising local acts determined to bring psychedelia up to date.

    “We are loud – very loud,” says Oliver Davitt, singer-songwriter and founder of the three-piece outfit and self-proclaimed ‘fuzz band’. “We are pretty energetic with quite a carefree approach, we love to play live, it’s our favourite thing to do.”

    Two out of three of the band members Erick Antoine and Gal Cohen, originally from France and Israel respectively, now reside in Hackney, while Davitt himself lived in Bethnal Green for years. “We rehearse there and most of our gigs are in East London,” he says.

    With a very mature yet wildly imaginative sound, Oscar Suave sound straight out of the original psychedelic rock era. “The Velvet Underground, Pink Floyd and The Doors are my most influential bands at this present moment,” says Davitt.

    “Erick knows loads of unknown sixties’ psychedelic music and he always sends me stuff to listen to. Sweet Smoke have an amazing sound and they have 30 minute songs. It’s great!”

    It wasn’t easy to get to a sound they could truly feel at home with. Since their inception in 2010, the band have gone through several line-up changes and, after three years of experimenting with different styles, they are now sounding tighter and louder than they ever have.

    Harsh but dreamy vocals and emotive lyrics are the main staple of their melodic and sometimes darkly orphic tracks, to the extent that it’s a wonder to think how they go about the writing process.

    “It’s normally triggered from a feeling or stuff running through my head. Some songs have taken five minutes to write, some have taken months. I still have unfinished songs that are four years old. There’s no real formula – it just kind of happens.”

    www.oscarsuave.bandcamp.com