Hidden Shoal News
The October Solution Sign to Hidden Shoal
Hidden Shoal fans will be delighted at the news of our signing of dream-rock architects of The October Solution. Although the band name may not be familiar, its members certainly will be: The October Solution are Drew Sullivan (Slow Dancing Society, City of Satellites) and Jarrod Manuel (City of Satellites). While steeped in ’80s nostalgia, their music moves beyond familiar tropes to stand as defiantly futuristic and progressive. As you would expect from Sullivan and Manuel’s lineage, their songs resonate with soaring guitars, ethereal vocals, and deftly woven pop melodies, melding the incandescent ambient sounds of Slow Dancing Society within the propulsive songcraft of City of Satellites.
The band’s debut full-length, Axis Swim Scar, will be released through Hidden Shoal on the 15th of April, with the first single dropping on the 25th of February. Hidden Shoal will also be releasing a deluxe re-issue of the band’s first two EPs later in the year.
Kramies French Tour in April!
French citizens prepare to be dazzled as dreampop troubadour Kramies lands in April to play some shows and tape some performances. We’ll give you a list below but we thought we should make special mention of his big show on the April 8 at the Grand Theatre in Angers supporting the wonderful French outfit A Singer Must Die who will be backed a chamber orchestra. Cool right? Here’s a list of the shows and sessions with two more hopefully announced soon:
April 7th – Showcase at the FNAC Record Store in Angers
April 8th – Grand Theatre in Angers
April 10th – The Jokers Pub in Angers
April 11th – Le Cargo session in Paris (Studio only and published online)
April 11th – Frogg’y Delight Session in Paris (Studio only and published online)
We’ll give more details as we get a little closer. For now though watch Kramies as he gives a nod and a smirk to Bob Dylan and bi-bilingually tells us about one of his forthcoming shows.
Willem Gator Signs to Hidden Shoal
We’re excited to welcome the wonderful Willem Gator (aka Giuseppe Musmeci) to the Hidden Shoal family. Willem Gator creates a unique blend of downtempo beats, fat basslines and a multitude of oriental and orchestral instruments. Musmeci is a self-taught composer, guitarist, electronic musician and member of the Italian post-rock outfit HC-B. Musmeci’s rich background in electronic music production and keen sense of texture sees him creating highly distinctive music under his Willem Gator moniker: “My music is photography of a time, of the people I met and the emotion they gave to me.” Willem Gator has performed throughout Europe, sharing the stage with musicians such as FM Einhet (Einsturzende Neubauten), Flying Luttenbachers, Unsane, DJ Spooky, Pansonic, Nobokazu Takemura, U-Cef, Battles and Art Brut.
Two Willem Gator albums have now been added to the Hidden Shoal catalogue, Touch Me and I Will Save You (2008) and Hong Kong Express (2011). All songs are available for licensing for film, tv, web, games, compilations and more. Stream the albums here and contact us if you’d like to know more.
Stunning New Sci-fi Film Noir Music Video for Involved
We’re excited to present the stunning new 3D animated music video for Involved‘s ‘Radiation Leak’, taken from their 2014 debut Revolving Maze. The video, created by Hidden Shoal’s Cam Merton, is a brooding sci-fi film noir set piece featuring ghostly silhouettes wandering through a smoke-filled city of glittering skyscrapers and glassy plazas. What at first seems graceful, peaceful and organised, soon appears menacing, like watching a sleepwalking populace trapped within a futuristic cage.
Involved’s Revolving Maze fuses the psychedelic sounds of ’70s kosmische with ’80s electronic and more modern ambient styles, creating evocative, cinematic music. However, rather than being revisionist, the duo curate fresh sounds from a musical palette that spans 40 years. Lush synth tones are deployed with an innate sense of melody, leading the listener through widescreen narratives of enviable scope. This is complex, engrossing music that transforms with each spin.
Check out the video at YouTube and Vimeo, and stream and buy Revolving Maze here.
Hidden Shoal Feature in Misfit City 2014 Wrap Up
One of our favourite blogs, Misfit City, has just posted a wonderful, sprawling wrap up of 2014. It features some fantastic music (live and recorded), including a healthy dose of love for Hidden Shoal and its artists. Here’s a snippet,
“Hidden Shoal continued to stake their claim to be releasers of some of the broadest, most accessible art-pop and avant-garde recordings. Some of my favorites were Markus Mehr’s ‘Binary Rooms’ (assorted interferences floating over majestic found sound) and Chloë March’s ‘Nights Bright Days’ (an art-pop songwriter cycle with a Eurydice twist).” – Misfit City
Check out the full article here.
French Outfit Les Limbes Signs to Hidden Shoal
Hidden Shoal is excited to announce the signing of the awesome French outfit Les Limbes. Born from the ashes of a number of previously active bands from Bordeaux, south west France (Beautiful Lunar Landscape, Nihil, Nucold), Les Limbes build on their heritage and elevate it to new heights. Their music is all about propulsion and atmosphere, creating epic, rocket-fuelled post-rock’n’roll woven together with heavy guitars, soaring strings and driving pianos. The five piece comprises Arnaud Sigonney, Yoann Roy, Daniel Guerin, Julien Favreau and Nicolas Pointeau. Les Limbes’ soon-to-be-released debut self-titled EP is testament to the band’s ability to not only write smart compositions, but also bring them to life with incredible energy and a stratospheric sound.
The Les Limbes EP will be released in April 2015, preceded by a single in March. Check out the very teasing teaser below and read more about the band here. The music of Les Limbes is also available now for licensing (film, tv, web, games and more), so be sure to contact us if you’d like to have a listen for your upcoming project.
Mehr and Sixt Play the International Film Festival Rotterdam
The sublime audio-visual live experience that is Markus Mehr and Stefanie Sixt will deliver their magic at this years International Film Festival Rotterdam. They will perform as part of the Mind The Gap Nights put on in conjunction with the wonderful Gonzo Circus Magazine. Mehr and Sixt perform Friday 23rd January at the WORM venue in Rotterdam.
Check out all the details here for the show and be sure to check out Mehr’s most recent release Binary Rooms here.
Slow Dancing Society & Kryshe in Igloo’s Best of 2014 List
Kryshe’s stunning In Between EP and Slow Dancing Society’s The Cogent Sea album and The Dusk Recital EP have landed in Igloo Magazine’s Best of 2014 list. All three releases received glowing reviews at Igloo during 2014 thanks to the wonderful Nocturnal Ghost. Check out the list and review links here and listen to more Kryshe here and more Slow dancing Society here.
Slow Dancing Society in Ambient Music Guide Best of 2014
Slow Dancing Society‘s stunning release of last year, The Cogent Sea, has scooped a place in Ambient Music Guide’s Best of 2014 list! In a year packed with a tonne of brilliant releases in the genre, it’s lovely to see Drew Sullivian (aka Slow Dancing Society) once again receiving plaudits for his masterful work. Here’s a taste of what Ambient Music Guide had to say about the album,
“Another outstanding hybrid of electronica and ambient rock from one from the best modern exponents of a style that some also might call (ahem) shoegaze or (cough) post-rock. This is American composer Drew Sullivan’s sixth release as Slow Dancing Society, once again coming to us from Australian-based indie label Hidden Shoal Recordings. I’ve been a fan of his beautiful melancholy since his debut album The Sound Of Lights When Dim (2006). Not content to just create a chilled-out mood – which he does very well – his best music also tugs on an emotional level with remarkable depth.” – Ambient Music Guide
Listen to The Cogent Sea and check our more Slow Dancing Society releases here.
Hidden Shoal Artists in Underground of Happiness Best of 2014
The Underground of Happiness radio show and blog is a firm favourite here at Hidden Shoal so it’s always an honour to get some love and kudos from it’s host, the lovely Conor O’Toole. And what nicer kudos to receive than seeing four Hidden Shoal artists in their best of 2014 lists. Brother Earth, Chloe March, Elisa Luu and Markus Mehr all made The Underground of Happiness best of lists this year along with a range of other wonderful artists. Check out Chloe’s, Elisa’s and Markus’s mentions here and then Brother Earth’s here.
Hidden Shoal MixTape
