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Marky Edison

Marky Edison

Synapson Release 'Bensema' With Oumou Sangaré

After Haute Couture, their first EP which came out in 2010, Synapson released the renowned Convergence in 2015. A record celebrating the bonds uniting old friends with its melodious electronic music as if they had only ever been one. "It was as if all of a sudden, each of us in our own corner had got the other one dancing." One more thing: the voice. Because they love this soul music, where the words flesh out the rows of notes, Synapson gathered together a bevy of artists including the delicate Anna Kova, the singer on ‘All in You’, the leading track on this second album which became a platinum record after selling 100,000 copies.

In 2018, the lifelong friends released their second album, Super 8. Like the old camera that captures happy memories, the eponymous record is a collection of thirteen songs featuring these infusions that have nurtured the lifeblood of the two producers. As always, Synapson constructed Super 8 like real goldsmiths, crafting each little detail of their compositions trusting their instinct first and foremost. They smile: "We’re self-taught. We never know what we’re going to do, after. We keep going, that's it."

These last few months, Synapson have travelled around the world several times with their music. More than 100 concerts in one year, most of which were played live, with key dates, such as the Printemps de Bourges, Vieilles Charrues and Solidays festivals, and a sold out show at Zénith Paris.

In 2020, wanting to return to the sources of what has made their music so thrilling, Alex & Paul are embarking on a new project which will include collaborations from all over the world. The first track in this new direction is ‘Bensema’ and is the fruit of their collaboration with Oumou Sangaré, the legendary Malian singer from Wassoulou, a historical region south of the Niger river, who won a Grammy in 2010.

"For a while we were playing a remix of her song ‘Fadjamou’. We love her really distinctive voice. It’s one of the great voices of Mali which is heard all over the world (most recently with Beyonce and Jay-Z). We are extremely happy to have been able to work with such a great artist to signal our return after the Super 8 album and two years of touring. Synapson want to write a new chapter and it is an honour to write the first page with Oumou Sangaré."

 

 

The Levellers Announce New Album

The Levellers have released the brand new single ‘Food Roof Family’, the first track to be taken from their forthcoming new studio album Peace, which will be released on the August 14 via On The Fiddle Recordings. Whilst the video confronts the misleading and deceptive tactics used by the media to marginalise the vulnerable, the track blazes with anger and urgency and its lyrical concerns are unvarnished and unambiguous.

“Everybody needs those three things, it doesn’t matter where you’re from,” says singer / guitarist Mark Chadwick. “It’s something that we all crave. Why does anybody want more roof than anybody else, or more food than anybody else, or want to kill anybody else’s family. It doesn’t make any sense.”

Peace arrives almost eight years since the Brighton band’s last album of original material, 2012’s Static On The Airwaves, though the band – completed by Simon Friend (guitar/vocals), Jon Sevink (fiddle), Charlie Heather (drums) and Matt Savage (keyboards) – have been far from idle.

During that time, they’ve toured the world multiple times and released 2018’s acclaimed We The Collective, which featured acoustic versions of several classic Levellers songs and was their highest charting album in more than two decades.

Now on the upcoming tour the band are partnering with local homeless charities in each town and encouraging fans to bring items along to donate whether it be a hat, coat or toiletries and more. The Facebook events page for each gig will have a list of anything specifically needed. This has stemmed from Charlie and Matt working with the group, Sussex Homeless Support. This has included raising at their Beautiful Days Festival last year as well as continued support throughout the year, from taking part in the World’s Big Sleep Out in Brighton to helping at a local Street Kitchen, making a massive donation from their concert at The Brighton Dome and producing badges to raise funds for SHS. This sense of positivity that the band possess is brought to life by the album’s striking artwork of a vivid phoenix painted, like all of the band’s covers, by Jeremy Cunningham.

LEVELLERS 2020 UK TOUR

FEBRUARY

12        Bury St Edmunds, The Apex SOLD OUT

13        Bury St Edmunds, The Apex SOLD OUT

14        Falmouth, Princess Pavilion SOLD OUT

15        Falmouth, Princess Pavillion SOLD OUT

16        Falmouth, Princess Pavillion SOLD OUT

26        Brecon, Theatre Brycheiniog SOLD OUT

27        Port Talbot, Princess Theatre SOLD OUT

28        Blackwood, Miners Institute SOLD OUT

29        Llandudno, Venue Cymru

 

MARCH

01        Liverpool, Grand Central

19        Guildford, G Live

20        Norwich, Uea

21        Margate, Dreamland

 

APRIL

29        Sheffield, Leadmill SOLD OUT

30        Coventry, Empire

 

MAY

01        Holmfirth, Picturedrome SOLD OUT

02        Holmfirth, Picturedrome SOLD OUT

13        Hastings, White Rock Theatre

14        Frome, Cheese & Grain SOLD OUT

15        Aylesbury, Waterside Theatre

16        Southampton, O2 Guildhall

 

JUNE

20        Birmingham, Digbeth Arena - A Beautiful Day Out with guests

27        Bristol, Harbourside - A Beautiful Day Out with guests

 

AUGUST

21-23   Devon, Beautiful Days Festival

 

OCTOBER

07        Eindhoven, Effenaar (Nl)

08        Amsterdam, Paradiso (Nl)

09        Koln Gloria, (De)

10        St Niklaas, Casino (Be) SOLD OUT

11        Depot, Leuven (Be)

 

NOVEMBER

04        York, Barbican

05        Dundee, Fat Sams

06        Stirling, Albert Halls

07        Edinburgh, Liquid Rooms

08        Aberdeen, Lemon Tree

18        St Albans, Arena

19        Scunthorpe, The Baths Hall

20        Manchester, Albert Hall

21        Manchester, Albert Hall

 

DECEMBER

03        Lancaster, Town Hall

04        Nottingham, Rock City

05        Nottingham, Rock City SOLD OUT

 

 

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