camber
This is my favorite album of 2023. A nice combination of smooth, somber, and soulful. This record is special. I can't pick a favorite track because they are all excellent in their own way.
Toblermone
WOW! This is somthing so special. It's quite late now and I wanted to go to bed, but as soon as I started to listen to this I couldn't stop tell it had ended and then I felt compelled to say something I can't wait to hear it again. A masterful debut.
Here - the debut album from London-based Turkish/British producer SONLIFE.
The album is the proverbial musical journey, made to be listened to from beginning to end, then flipped over for another spin.
SONLIFE is an 8 track LP that spans genres from Downtempo to Jazz, and is an amalgamation of live instrumentation, field recordings and samples. A lot of the tracks on the album started out as very simple ideas; repetitive, single, distorted loops - “very odd and rough ideas conjured up in the middle of the night in my early twenties”. He originally imagined the project being an experimental solo project in 2015, trying out new sounds and genres. The tracks were back under wraps for a few years when he took a break from making music, and when he returned, they were all reimagined with a brand new life.
The album has heavy influences from the likes of Massive Attack, “Black Sands”-era Bonobo, Portico Quartet and the more dance orientated musicians such as Overmono and Mount Kimbie.
SONLIFE currently has a live show and will be gigging around the release of the album.
Early DJ reactions:
Clive From Accounts - "Really lovely atmospheric worlds. Wish I still smoked weed x"
Mafalda / Tropic Of Love / NTS - "lovely"
The Secret DJ -"delightful! really made me happy to get this. :)"
Max Essa / Bonobo Jingumae Tokyo, Aoyama Tunnel Tokyo - "Wonderfully atmospheric, love it!"
Richard Dorfmeister - "nice !"
Kito Jempere / Saint Petersburg / Russia - "This is beauty!"
credits
released November 17, 2023
Lovers Grain and The Quiet feat James Mollison
Piecebypiece features Plumm
Mastered by Alex Gordon
Artwork and photography by Jukka Ovaskainen
This album has so many elements of sounds from over the years, old field recordings from past phones, live samples from my old band Haraket, very odd and rough ideas conjured in the middle of night in my early twenties. It’s an amalgamation of old and new. In a way it all came together perfectly and at the right time. I don’t have any formal background in music, and don’t come from a particularly musical family, so this whole thing started out as just curiosity and a laptop. I’m so happy to have something like this in the world after many years of dreaming about it!
A very special thanks to Ed Bernez, whose cymbals appear throughout the album and who’s been a very close friend and collaborator for many years. Thanks to Sam Leach, who has shown so much incredible support, both lending his wicked talent and very sound advice to the project. Thanks to Abi
Hardiman, also a long time friend and collaborator, whose voice appears in forms throughout loads of my tunes, in the background or foreground, lending its beauty to the music.
Thanks to James Wilson, Emma Barnaby, Wilfred Petherbridge, James Mollison, Plumm, Jacob Read, Jack Marshall, Euan Gubbins, Wilfred Taylor, Tristan Gibbs, Harley Alexander-Sule, Chris Waller, Adam Foster, Brendan McCull, Leo Picking, Marina Blake, Jerome Toole, Brainchild, the Clonquers, James Warburton, Olivier Huband, G55, Foundies, Sarah/Jonathan/Caspian, India Footer, Eva Bradley-Williams, Ed Firth, Bôh, Karla/Jukka/Bobby who have all been part of my journey and this album being made, I love you all.
Thank you to the tree that accompanied me in making a lot of the album, outside the window at the Sydenham flat. It was sadly cut down two days after the album artwork was taken.
Thank you to my dearly beloved Harley, showing all the support all the time and for being a wonderful human being.
A huge thank you to Chris Coco, who has wholeheartedly believed in the music from day one and who has given up so much time and effort to support and push me in all of my musical endeavors, big love.
And finally thank you to my family: mum, dad, Gülden and Ela.
This is simply awesome, have it on repeat since receiving the promo…
Start to finish this is simply sublime, a cosmic Balearic electronic journey with a wonderful
Samples and even iconic spoken word from a Ibiza legend….
Huge fan of the boys, who’s work I’ve featured
Heavily on my shows 10/10 Denis Heaney (Balearic Sessions)
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