Slowly Rolling Camera - Where the Streets Lead (July 23, 2021 Edition Records)

Where the Streets Lead is the new album from Slowly Rolling Camera, following on from their acclaimed 2018 album, Juniper. Colliding the worlds of jazz, trip-hop and cinematic soundscapes, their music blends strong melodies, big grooves and surprising turns of phrase, infused with expansive emotional gravitas. With this album, recorded throughout 2020, the music takes on a greater scale which includes an 8-piece string section and a list of world-class guests including Mark Lockheart, Jasper Høiby, Verneri Pohjola, Chris Potter and Sachal Vasandani, as well as the band’s regular guitarist Stuart McCallum.

This is an album about opportunity, about embracing unknowns and seeing what life throws at you. It’s a reflection on searching for balance, a sense of purpose and identity in everyday life. For the core group of Dave Stapleton, Deri Roberts and Elliot Bennett, it’s a unified take on the journey and the influences that have shaped them all individually and as a collective.

Where the Streets Lead is emphatic in its purpose to communicate the joy of collaboration and to communicate through an audio-sensory landscape their vision of the world. There is a boldness and simplicity in its conception balanced with the attention to detail in its production. With Juniper, their new pathway was set. Where the Streets Lead, is a natural progression and development of the bands’ exploration.

1. You Are the Truth 04:39

2. Where the Streets Lead 05:43

3. Lost Orbits 04:44

4. The Afternoon of Human Life 07:03

5. Widest Possible Aperture 05:55

6. Illuminate 04:30

7. Feels Like Fiction 06:58

8. A Force for Good 06:38

Dave Stapleton Fender Rhodes, Piano, Prophet, Moog

Elliot Bennett Drums

Deri Roberts Sound Design & Production

Mark Lockheart Soprano and Tenor Saxophone

Stuart McCallum Guitar

Jasper Høiby Double Bass

Verneri Pohjola Trumpet

Chris Potter Tenor Saxophone (The Afternoon of Human Life)

Sachal Vasandani Vocals

Jon Visanji violin

Jenni Curiel violin

James Toll violin

Victoria Stapleton violin

Linda Kidwell viola

Rob Tuson viola

Phil Daish-Handy cello

Lionel Handy cello

String arrangements by Dave Stapleton

Recorded remotely at various locations

Vocals on Illuminate recorded at Sear Studios, NYC on Sunday 17th January 2021 by Jeremy Loucas

Strings recorded by Andy Allan at Turner Sims, Southampton in August 2020

Mixed by Deri Roberts in January and February 2021

Mastered by Donal Whelan at Hafod Mastering in Feb 2021

Photography by Dave Stapleton

Artwork by Oli Bentley, Split Design

All music by Dave Stapleton except Illuminate by Dave Stapleton and Sachal Vasandani

Lyrics on Illuminate by Sachal Vasandani

All music published by E2 Music Publishing

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Sachal Vasandani - Midnight Shelter (23 April 2021 Edition Records)

Up close and personal re-workings of classics by outstanding songwriters Bob Dylan, Nick Drake, Lennon/McCartney and others, alongside spellbinding memorable originals.

Recorded in 2020, this music captures a moment in time, one of uncertainty and reflection. Originating from a shared desire to create after months in isolation, it’s a powerfully inspiring and deeply authentic album, expressing a want and a need to connect. As Sachal explains: “I met up with my friend and neighbor Romain Collin in the park near my house. After sharing our stories, we agreed we should play – just get together and play. We didn’t set out to make a record, but getting together in the studio gave me a chance to work through the anxiety and anger I’d kept inside throughout the spring and summer.”

With a warm, compelling sound, ‘Midnight Shelter’ imaginatively reworks well-loved music by Bob Dylan, Nick Drake, Lennon/McCartney and other outstanding songwriters, alongside spellbinding sensitive originals, uniquely expressed. The healing power of music and collaboration is overwhelmingly evident here.

Romain Collin: “In this time of isolation, being able to spontaneously create music with Sachal was so refreshing. He’s such a versatile musician, and putting together a repertoire of songs that we could re-imagine in an intimate way in the studio felt special to us. I hope this music keeps people in good company.”

This music is complete in its artistry and freedom. The combination of Sachal’s deeply expressive vocals and the pianism and sensitivity of Romain’s playing is a perfect union. Each heartfelt breath is palpable, arousing intense feeling, demanding attention and drawing the listener in. These are sounds you wake up with in your head.

These have been particularly trying times for performing musicians, many of whom have lost that avenue of expression alongside their livelihoods. Yet there has not been a time in recent memory in which musical creativity and communication have played such an essential role in revealing the dark and shedding the light on life’s uncertainties.

This warm, intimate and honest album serves as a reminder of the anguish that 2020 represented for many, but also looks to the promise and optimism of a brighter future.

1. Summer No School 4.17

2. Before You Go 4.41

3. Adore You 3.29

4. River Man 3.31

5. Great Ocean Road 4.07

6. Throw It Away 4.41

7. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right 3.18

8. Love Away 3.08

9. Blackbird 2.46

10. Dance Cadaverous 4.55

11. One Last Try 3.25

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David Tixier Piano Solo (feat. Sachal Vasandani) - The Giant Corners (UNIT RECORDS 2017)

The David Tixier Piano Solo Project is a journey that transcends innumerable worlds and eras of time. All the worlds are anchored by the same foundation, one that is charged with limitless imagination and an insatiable passion for narrating stories. The album title, “The Giant Corners”, personifies a melody that chronicles the life of a giant that is immovably stuck in a small universe—a small box with four minuscule corners called “Earth”. The plot metaphorically conveys man’s capacity for an unbounded and immeasurable potential for imagination and creativity; each mind has the capacity to cast and project itself unto any envisioned reality. Wherein, one’s only true barriers to this unbounded capacity are the current limitations of reality; these limitations are that of the “Giant Corners”.

In articulating the narrative through musical dialogue, David Tixier has partnered with the talented American singer Sachal Vasandani; Vasandani will chronicle the tale of the Giant through his voice among other creative stories in the Project. Vasandani’s voice complements Tixier’s dimensions and the duo have produced a truly unique ensemble through their pairing.

01. Imaginary Landscapes

02. Time Dilation

03. Eternal Uncertainity

04. Through The Window

05. Inner Vision

06. Substantial Existence, The Giant Corners

07. Tribute To Gaïa

08. How Deep Is The Ocean

09. From The Human Transcendency

10. Isn't She Lovely?

David Tixier - piano, compositions, lyrics

Sachal Vasandani - voice

All compositions by David Tixier except How Deep Is The Ocean from Irving Berlin and Isn't She Lovely from Stevie Wonder.

Recorded at Recording Studio of Bern Music Academy, in Bern, Switzerland and at Blend Studio, in Lutry, Switzerland.

Recording Date: 17th of January 2016 and 17th of March 2016

Studio engineer by: Chris Diggelmann

Mastering by: Thomas Maeder

Special Thanks to Lada Obradovic for all advices and for following closely this project through its evolution.Many thanks to my family, Myriam Tixier, Roland Barmès and Odette Barmès. Thanks to all my team Jacques Beaud, Tom Maeder, Manuel Devier, Vincent Triponez, Jennifer Scherler, Sachal Vasandani, Chris Diggelmann, K.T.Z. design and Unit Records.