9Bach
When Martin (Guitar) and Lisa (Vocals) first came together to form 9Bach, at the start of 2005, their idea was to rework the traditional Welsh folk song; creating a new, stark sound.
Lisa’s immersion in Welsh folk began in childhood. She had no interest in purism, and launched a search for like-minded musicians with whom she could reinterpret the conventional songs of her youth, shorn of tradition and rewired for new ears.
“Many traditional folk songs are really dark, so I couldn’t understand most people’s upbeat approach to them. I think the sparseness that’s been created on our album has helped create a more subtle, multifaceted mood. Sometimes it’s harder to let the silence speak, but it can definitely be more powerful.”
The alchemy of harp, harmonium and glockenspiel with bass, drums and textural guitar, craft a haunting, spectral sound; which speaks of shafts of sun through the rain, as it illuminates scenes of murder, suicide and tragedy.
At times, the listener is reminded of classic Fairport Convention, Pentangle and even Portishead. However, comparisons aside, the stand out feature of 9Bach’s sound is it’s individuality.
DJ Kormac
DJ Kormac has been releasing as a solo artist since 2007 releasing The Scratch Marchin', Good Lord and Showtime EPs worldwide. He has just released his debut album, Word Play, on Scribble Records. It features DJ Yoda, Koaste (Black Grass,) DJ Cheeba (Solid Steel/Ninja Tunes,) Messiah J & The Expert, MC Little Tree and more.
Kormac will be taking a new solo show on the road this autumn. Armed with new DJ technology, he now plays, scratches and manipulates audio AND video using turntables. The first airing of this new show took place in Dublin in August with regular collaborator VJ Q The Monkey (watch the video here) Kormac is now touring the show solo, playing all content himself.
Kormac DJs all over Ireland, the UK and Europe playing scratched-up genre-bending, dancefloor orientated.
EMW presents Innamorati
Electronic Music Wales is a blog started up by Hari Glitch that features news, reviews and interviews from the music coming out of Wales. Celebrating the broad range of sounds that are coming out of this country and from further a field, it's main objective is to raise the profile of the artists, producers and events happening in Wales. Hari Glitch will be bringing EMW Presents to Small Nations this year with very special guests Innamorati.
Born from a love of eastern folk and western bass, Innamorati mix heart wrenching melody with gut busting wobble and glitch. They make music to shake your body and lift your soul, taking soaring gypsy melody and draping it masterfully over big Bristol bass.
Having found their feet as a three piece they have now expanded into a full scale gyp-step collective, mixing on the fly electronics with a range of instrumentation, including accordions, harp and balkan percussion.
They’ve so far released music with Naples’ Dub-Festish label and the ever popular Generation Bass, and are due to spend the summer working up their electrifying live show amongst the UK festival circuit.
This year Small Nations will be the first to witness the coming together of Electronic Music Wales and Innamorati in a live setting. Electronic Music Wales Presents Innamorati.
Take a look at the blog http://electronicmusicwales.blogspot.com
Read an interview with Innamorati and grab a free download of Avatar here http://electronicmusicwales.blogspot.com/2011/01/innamorati-interview-plus-exclusive.html
You can find Electronic Music Wales and Innamorati on Facebook by searching for Electronic Music Wales and Innamorati.
See you there!
Thanks
Galanastra
"Like the Pogues with Philthy Animal Taylor from Motorhead on drums" – Rev Porl
In 2007, from the ashes of various Swansea bands that no one had ever heard of, Galanastra was born. Forcing together folk roots, punk and ska Galanastra created a sound universally rejected by many folks, punks and skas. Spurned by the folk community Galanastra paved their way through local punk gigs, fundraisers and birthday parties to more punk gigs, fundraisers and birthday parties.
Their demo, begun in 2007 and completed near the end of 2008 was featured as demo of the week on Adam Waltons show on BBC Radio Wales, in 2009 they finished writing and learning the songs from the demo and headlined the “Viper on the beach 2”, a one day free festival. In 2010 they managed to fluke their way onto the festival scene playing both the Gower Rock festival and the Orchard Stage of Nozstock.
Members...
Chris – Fiddley cat scratching
Ed – Slapping the Whale and distant screams
H – Thumping of tubs
Sheepy – Bazooka and aural armaments
Woodstock – Sick string dealings
Influences...
Beer, rum, whisky, Guinness
Jack Moyle
More information to follow
James Smith's MABON
Award–winning, stunning, joyous and vibrant - Celtic music without borders - Jamie Smith’s MABON (JSM) is an essential and heady treat, currently seen by audiences and critics alike as one of Britain’s fastest rising ‘must see’ roots acts.
JSM’s music is self-styled, singular and toe-tappingly good – an irresistible blend of world music, Celtic roots and rabble-rousing funk folk, filled with energy, joy and passion. Jamie Smith’s prolific and imaginative compositions take you on a magical whistle-stop Euro tour, with jigs and reels jostling for space alongside other dance-related forms including Breton fest-noz, French mazurka, Galician muinera and even shades of klezmer in an exuberant, feelgood show.
Jamie Smith’s MABON has “a fearsome reputation as a live band” (Financial Times), and over the past eighteen months they have delivered their show to audiences across Europe, delighting the crowds from Cropredy to Celtic Connections, WOMEX (Copenhagen) to Lorient (Brittany). Led by Jamie, “one hell of an accordion player and arranger“ (Mike Harding, BBC Radio 2), JSM delivers a spirited, sublimely executed performance – featuring instrumentals from the award-winning album, ‘Live at the Grand Pavilion’ alongside freshly penned songs –coaxing the audience down a corkscrew path of contrasting emotions that leaves them breathless and bewitched.
So stand by for infectious, energising, life affirming music in spades. As ‘fRoots’ put it, “Mabon are comin’ through, no surprise to hear them, powerful, authentic and a tad wonderful”.
Joe Weston
More information to follow
Jumboco
A young local band from Llandovery, Jumboco need no excuse to bring their homegrown folky, jazzy, gypsy acoustic music to the party. In fact, it's hard to keep them away and with instruments ranging from the large (double bass, piano) to the small (mandolin, tenor guitar) and with a range of musicians to match, they are a well known sight at local events. As well as being Small Nations regulars, they also appeared at last years Llandovery Sheep Festival. Comments from the audience have included "It's not what I'd normally listen to" and "That's not music, can't you play something off Top of the Pops?"
Kerekes
Just like the dancefloor DJs of today, the members of Hungarian band Kerekes are always searching for ways to turn up the heat in their táncházok ("dance houses"). So ten years ago, when they were still teenagers, they travelled to the countryside on foot, by bus, and by train and just like Bartók, collected living traditional folk songs in the last minute before all the masters were gone and the tradition would be lost forever.
They spent eight years looking for new material and recorded over 200 hours of songs, all with the goal of bringing new-old songs to their audiences. While the band continues to keep traditions alive for their regular dance nights, they have plugged in on their new album Pimasz (which means "cheeky"), following in the footsteps of bands worldwide who are connecting their roots sounds to amplifiers and effects, without losing the spirit of their ancestors.
For some, Kerekes introduces audiences to melodies and dance rhythms rarely heard elsewhere. For others, they take familiar sounds and update them. But all listeners notice that the band taps the magic of the ancient shepherd's flute, conjuring sounds never heard before on this planet.
Kiss Mitten
Kiss Mitten is a local DJ who has been playing gigs and parties in Wales for several years...you are guaranteed a set of dancefloor dubs and riddims, the bringing together of conscious roots with modern bass entwined to create sub wobbling dance floor mash ups to tease...Calling the old school dub heads and new school dub steppers!
Klezmer Kollectiv
Born in the bohemian heart of Cardiff's night life, the Klezmer Kollectiv bring a refreshingly different sound to the music scene of the Welsh Capital. This slick, eight piece instrumental combo have become known across Wales and the South-West for their ultra-tight live sound, and foot-stomping Balkan rhythms. Highlights from the past year have included playing for the stars at the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition Preview Party, an interview and studio performance on BBC Radio Wales and a sell out performance at this years Welsh Proms at St David's Hall.
Little Rumba
Deep in the Welsh Marches you can find the most beautiful scenery and one of the most extraordinary bands in Britain. They have been hiding away, playing the pubs and parties of the Welsh Borders for the last twenty years, honing their remarkable rich romantic tunes. Only recently have they emerged to share them with the world. Little Rumba band members, all talented musicians, come from very different musical backgrounds.
John Hymas (violin, viola and accordion) trained as a professional viola player in the classical world. He is also a highly regarded composer and founder member of the contemporary folk band Hoover the Dog.
Singer and guitarist Pete Mustill was part of the original R&B boom in the 60’s but subsequently had a ‘Road to Damascus’ moment in the late 80’s on first hearing the music of Astor Piazzolla. This led to the formation of The Tango Band, a top three album in the Czech charts and his first collaboration with Hugh Colvin.
Hugh Colvin is the band’s saxophonist. He is another polymath, combining large scale theatre productions with playing his beloved saxophone. His music is exciting and original and often sounds like the bastard child of Sidney Bechet and King Curtis!
Little Rumba’s inspirational bass player Jacqui Savage has provided the beat for a whole series of border bands - most recently backing up bluesman Dirty Ray and as part of the rhythm section of zydeco masters Joe le Taxi.
The band writes most of their own music and over the years this has developed an instantly recognizable house style which owes debts to East Europe and South America as well as jazz and blues. Recently a musician friend hearing the new album for the first time remarked “I know what this is. It's Tom Waits meets Tom Lehrer” and indeed it does possess both humor and a haunting melancholy.
MC Xander
MC Xander, is a heady blend of mesmerising beats, glitchy choral earcandy and deep dubby bass, all topped with Xander’s conscious, yet poetic brand of lyricism and all sourced exclusively from Xander's ever-versatile mouth.
The album, 'Eyeopeness' takes its influences rhythmically and lyrically from hip-hop, dubreggae,dancehall and dubstep, but in the wistful melodic sensibility that pervades throughout, it also nods towards song-based forms of electronica or ID.M.
All-beatbox albums are a very rare thing indeed, partly because the energy and fascination of the artform is not known to transfer easily into a studio recording. With 'Eyeopeness' though, Xander has done two things that enable his beatbox sound to stand-up to other music: he has pioneered recording techniques that have allowed his voice to sound every bit as full and rich as a whole ensemble of musicians, and, importantly, he also has written very catchy songs.
"MC Xander is by far the most musical, and for me, the most talented beatboxer
out there. His live show is mesmerising, layer upon layer of sound all
from the same pair of lungs. He is simply astonishing."
Eddy Temple-Morris – Xfm
Mordekkers
The Mordekkers are amoung the most innovative live bands in the UK today. Based in southwest Wales, this unique four piece mix traditional and original folk tunes played on pipes and mandola, with fresh, modern drum and bass rhythms .
The result is an energetic infectious groove that never fails to get audiences dancing.
Mose Fanfan
Small Nations 2011 headliners will include one of Africa's greatest guitarists, Mose Fanfan who became instrumental in the development of the classic 'rumba Congolaise' sound. In 1974 Mose formed Somo Somo, a veritable super group of its day in Kinshasa. They officially released only 4 double sided 45rpms but this alone would secure the group cult status for evermore.
A restless innovator and an intrepid traveller, Mose has shown yet again that there is no end to his imaginative compositional skills, layering guitar line after guitar line in a seemingly effortless creation of new Congolese musical tapestry.
Mr Huw
Recording material in his north Walian cave since 2007, nonconformist mr huw (Huw Owen) delves into places the deepest, darkest imagination wouldn’t dare go. Recording everything himself on an 8 track, amongst other archaic machines, he combines electronic beats with raw sound and memorable pop melodies.
mr huw’s debut album ‘Llond Lle o Hwˆ rs a Lladron’ featured at number 18 in bandage.com’s 50 best things of 2008 list, and his second album ‘Hud a Llefrith’ was voted Album of the Year at BBC Radio Cymru C2’s Rock and Pop Awards 2010. At the same ceremony he also won the award for Live Session of the Year with his band.
Produced and unleashed independently, ‘dirty north walians / gogleddwyr budur’ is mr huw’s first adventure into releasing English material, and his recording technique has evolved once again in its production. mr huw continues to challenge genres and boundaries in his own unique way, combining and arranging instrumentation, melodies and lyrics effectively with great imagination, dark humour and well-honed musical expression.
Nik Turner Band - Project 9
Nik – ‘Thunder Rider’ - Turner - saxes/flute/vocals, - eccentric, innovative, enigmatic, [weird], nik is full of surprises, - from big band 'nik turners red hot dadas', - to soul bands ‘maurice traveller and the starting handles’ and 'soulfinger' - from circus orchestra m.d. 'gerry cottle's circus' - to esoteric mumbo jumbo jive, 'sphynx', - from space jazz 'hawkwind' founder, [nik’s nick-name], writing seminal hawkwind anthems, ‘master of the universe’, ‘brainstorm’, ‘d-rider’, [and was driving force in the creation of the legend and mythology which created that band’s success], - to 60's ska, 'skastars', - from pomp rock 'imperial pompadours', - to musical, political, satirical punk cabaret 'inner city unit', - from busking cool groovy music on the streets of cardiff and mexico city, - to out there 'space ritual' [www.spaceritual.org] , and hawklords, [www.hawklords.com] - from nik's 'fantastic allstars' playing cool afro-cuban jazz - to equally fantastic, nik's 'galaktikos' playing big funk latino hot grooves, and now ‘the nik turner band’ playing some of all them and more, [also played first glasters, huh?!! And hendrixicated isle of wight – was the cat with the silver face in jimi’s dedication, and many more] check out www.nikturner.com, and www.myspace.com/nikturner, guested and recorded with numerous bands including ‘sham 69’, ‘the damned’, ‘stranglers’, ‘ruts’, ‘spirit’ with randy California, ‘utopians’, ‘guillemots’.
Meurig - 'D.W.' - Griffiths - drums/perc - star drummer from bristol, played with, goldy, mcallister, nik turners fantastic allstars, nik’s inner city unit, galaktikos, lotsa drum 'n bass studio sessions, and all over western world.
Gary – ‘Slapper’ - Smart – bass guitar – played with sewage, Madonna, bhang 2 rights, kamiskazi, nik turners fantastic allstars.
Chris – ‘The Mekon’ – Purdon – delatron, dikmikator, tri-wave progenitiliator, causing multiple orgasms, [don’t tell the mother-in-law], played with nik turners inner city unit, space ritual, galaktikos, desk-top cowboys.
Plus surprise guests.
The band play hot funk, for all youse hipsters, flipsters and finger-poppin daddies, and cool/torrid afro-cubano, latino licks for the ladies, plus a whole lotta music from Nik’s repertoire of all the bands he’s had, and more, music with a sense of class, like a guy that knows how to treat a dame gotta have, and make ya wanna dance, go wild, rico mambo, get funked up, rock out!!
Panda Su
Panda Su, a one-woman multi-instrumentalist who resides deep in the forests of North East Fifehas been named Best Newcomer in the Jockrock Poll of the Scottish music industry. Comparisons have been drawn between Panda Su and French artist Coco Rosie as well as Florence and The Machine and Cat Power.
Rainy and The Dust
Rainy has come a long way from the wind swept shores of west Wales where he first started out playing his music in surf clubs, pubs and festivals with his band ‘Little Gaia’. A move to Bath in 2007 saw the forming of his new band, ‘Rainy and The Dust’.
With a warm heart and a cheeky smile these boys hit the live circuit running, performing at the likes of Glastonbury, supporting Martin Taylor at Darvel and playing many other stages across the UK.
They became favourites on BBC Radio Bristol and in 2011, amongst 1000’s of applicants; Rainy won the song writing competition for studio time in London, through PRS magazine. Rainy’ s music has been described by many as G-Love meets Dave Matthews meets Paul Simon meets Crosby Stills & Nash - in truth it is essences of the all above... and something else entirely! The afro- Latin, rock and reggae influenced grooves, infused with the positivity of Rainy’s lyrics and tied together by an eclectic and laid back musical style, makes Rainy and The Dust one of the most dynamic bands you could hope to come across. It'll be great to have the band back after their stormin' set a few years back, can't wait!
"Is this the new west coast sound? Like Bill Withers on a surf board or a slacker generation Paul Simon. Rainy’s laid-back grooves get under your skin" Justin Adams (Robert Plant and the Strange Sensations & Tinariwen producer, BBC3 world music award winner '08).
Satori
Satori songs involve the fusion of rock, folk, blues and jazz ideas. The band has been in existence in various incarnations since its formation in Swansea in the late nineties. The group made four CD albums and built up a loyal following in South Wales before going into hibernation in 2008. This gig will be the first appearance of the latest incarnation of the band:
John Franks: drums, percussion.
Matthew Hughes: guitars, vocals.
Ant Lewis: vocals, guitar, percussion.
Lee Relfe: saxophones
Sild
SILD (Estonian word for bridge) are the exquisite singer, fiddler and hiiu-kannel player Sille Ilves from Estonia and innovative Welsh guitarist Martin Leamon. Together they create a timeless and haunting marriage of Estonian and Welsh musical cultures, proving each to be a living, breathing thing.
Strikingly original, Sille’s use of different tunings on fiddle and hiiu kannel (bowed harp) sends the Estonian tradition in adventurous new directions and finds new soundscapes in traditional Welsh melodies. Singing in both languages Sille’s pure, natural vocal technique is perfectly complimented by Martin`s intimate & inventive guitar playing.
Powerful yet delicate, SILD create a new music from the ancient edges of Europe.
They have released two albums, PRIODI & TRO (released in 2004 & 2008) under Wales' internationally respected traditional music label Fflach Tradd. They also recorded a track with Julie Murphy on the award winning Smithsonian Folkways anthology Blodeugerdd.
Both of their albums have received excellent reviews and have led to appearances at prestigious festivals and concert venues in Britain, Europe and 2009 Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington D.C.
Sub-Concious & MC Shrubbery
Resident at the infamous local event Sesh On Productions. After a busy year playing at a long list of local events, Sub:Conscious along with MC Shrubbery, a local MC well known for his lyrical hosting skills, are set to storm the stage! Sub:Conscious takes to the Small Nations stage for the first time to bring the D'n'B groove into Small Nations dynamic musical mix. Expect a high energy liquid D'n'B set you wont forget!
Super Cute Voices
Super Cute Voices are a three piece New Wave Synth Punk band who draw their inspiration from any kind of trashy pop culture and synth pop music. Mixing Punk Energy and Electric uniformity, SCV make highly individual music, and throw everything they have into their live shows.
Ready?
LET'S NEW WAVE!!
Suggestion Boy
In the year 2003 a young teenager known only as "Leppo" living in West Wales began to grow tired of the extrapolative constraints mainstream music had shackled itself to. He longed for the days when music making would be about experimenting and having fun again. But his long wait was in vain. In 2004 he began his first tentative steps into the realms of music production. His first creation, a catchy but simple drum and mono bass tune entitled "Brain In a Jar" drew attention to itself by being, in the words of famous architect Jason James "Quite literally like nothing I have ever heard before, ever". At this early stage Brain In a Jar was the musical equivalent of marmite. While some adored its new wave thinking and all the freedom that entailed, some where frightened of its unswerving ignorance towards the 500+ years of music making that had preceded it. One subject who had been truly captivated by the sound was dj/producer Stré. He approached Leppo and asked whether the two of them could work together. In Leppo's unassuming answer Suggestion Boy was born. Now Leppo had someone who shared his passion and the resulting album "Clicks of Shame" created a completely new style. Shortly after the homicidally rated debut the two producers began to approach life in the same way as they approached their music. Carefree but still with a certain dignity and care, such as a drunken aunt might show at a wedding reception. Slowly this carefreeness became the disgusting phenomenon known as dirty dancing. The duo now had the inspiration to create music in a way that even they had not spotted before. Their ethos became: If you can dirty dance through the night then its alright its alright! The resultant album Tandem Graphite is expected to be released soon to the Japanese. Then a little bit later to the rest of the world. Now massively successful and known all over Llanelli College the two continue not just to break new ground but to mash it into an inaudible pulp.
Trwbador - Cancelled
Trwbador are an acoustic/electronica duo from rural Carmarthenshire. After forming in early 2010 they gained the support of radio DJs, Huw Stephens, Adam Walton and Bethan Elfyn.
They went on to play a number of high profile gigs including SWN festival and The Social in London. Since releasing their debut record, It Snowed A Lot This Year on their own label, Owlet Music, they have performed on a string of Radio Sessions for the BBC and appeared on the S4C show, Bandit
"Paid â chodi pais ar ôl piso"
"Angharad and Owain hail from west Wales. There's a wide-eared wonder and playfulness to their sound as if they were deserted at birth and raised by the instruments in the school music cupboard." ADAM WALTON BBC RADIO WALES
The Unfit DJ's
THE UNFIT DJ'S have been on the scene for more than a decade in the uk under the names "Scarecrow n mosQ" "paranoid scarecrow" and "darren jones" west wales based, these three dj's...... can and will bring you what you least expect!...... House based...... but will not be pigeon holed!!!! Well known for their flawless mixing and unique stage presence THE UNFIT DJ'S are a must see!
Zíngaros
The band was formed in winter 2004, When the guitar player and violinst player got together by chance after jamming. They began to play as a duo at different venues, in the search of their own musical identity. Later, the accordion player joined the band. This combination was the key to defining a style filled with originality and feeling. The elaborated fusion of Slavonic gypsy music, tango flavour, Hot club nuances, and contemporary chords, opens up inexhaustible horizons to be explored.
