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| https://www.facebook.com/jwridleymusic |
Tomei contacto com JW Ridley em Maio deste ano e houve logo qualquer coisa em 1990, o seu single de estreia, que me fez ficar atenta. Na altura perguntei-lhe o que é que o tinha motivado a fazer música e ele respondeu:
I was always fascinated with music for as long as i can remember, I remember it always seemed to engage me more than anything else, i was completely in my own little world with music as a kid, it felt very private. I got into playing when i started secondary school, My stepfather moved in and he brought a spanish guitar with him so i just kind of picked it up and started playing around with it over time. My mother played the piano a bit too and so music was around me somewhat. I was always in to writing before i started to try and do anything with an instrument so it was both of these things that drew me in, i think.
E na altura ele dizia estar a gostar muito de Jeremy Corbin e a não gostar tanto de Theresa May. Ainda não tive oportunidade de falar com ele novamente, mas com o lançamento do seu EP de estreia tornou-se imperativo tê-lo por aqui. Não, não é português, e sei que vos habituei a mostrar projectos essencialmente portugueses, mas acho que o caminho do JW Ridley tem sido muito bem feito e que a sua música merece chegar além fronteiras.
Os ambientes criados em cada um dos temas, fazem-nos mergulhar em estados emocionais, por vezes até meditativos, de profunda contemplação. Os quatro temas foram criados pelo músico e, se no início as restrições económicas restringiram-lhe também a forma como podia gravar as canções, cedo usou isso a seu favor. Poderão ler tudo mais detalhadamente na press original inglesa. Sinto uma energia mesmo muito boa quando ouço a voz de JW Ridley e, por aqui, receberá todo o apoio que me for possível. Que belo começo de carreira.
JW Ridley releases his self-produced debut EP ‘JW Ridley’ on SOME KINDA LOVE / [PIAS] at the end of September. The EP was written and recorded in Jack’s childhood bedroom during a period where he left London and holed up in his family’s suburban home to work on music. Working alone for over a year, he was intent on finding his voice and spent endless hours locked away meticulously crafting the sound of his new project.
Creating every element of its 4 tracks by himself, the ‘JW Ridley’ EP is a wholly personal introduction to Ridley’s profound and impassioned writing. Whilst it was economics that initially confined him to using a 4-track tape recorder, he became obsessed with the sound of the cassette and used its limitations as part of the creative process. Its saturated aesthetic is evident through bright synths, soulful bass, driving guitar lines, propulsive drum beats and haunting vocals, all contributing to a lo-fi yet deeply emotive atmosphere. Jack’s stirring vocals wash over the whole thing, reminiscent of early Bunnymen, Joy Division and The Cure.
From the reflective melancholy of ‘Somewhere Else’, the brooding intensity of ‘Jaguar Spring’ and the forceful urgency of ‘Blitz’ to the mournful landscape of ‘1990’, it’s a remarkable, poignant introduction to the world of JW Ridley.
The newcomer is already finding a keen audience; the Line of Best Fit praised his music as “the kind of robust, maximalist songwriting that makes you sit bolt upright”, whilst Stereogum called his sound “energized krautrock all running through a washed-out filter”.
It’s an extremely promising introduction to an exceptional new artist, and with a run of shows announced for the Autumn, the EP marks the start of an exciting journey for JW Ridley.
Sterogum – “”energized krautrock all running through a washed-out filter”.
DIY – “hazy, sprawling epic”
i-D – “an indie dream”
NME – “new banger”
Hero – soulful poetic and avant-garde sensibilities”
Wonderland – “emotionally charged”
Line of Best Fit – Song of the Day
Radio support from from Huw Stephens, Steve Lamacq, Lauren Laverne, Tom Ravenscroft and Zane Lowe.
JW Ridley will be available through SOME KINDA LOVE / [PIAS] digitally.
Tracklisting:
1. Somewhere Else
2. Blitz
3. Jaguar Spring
4. 1990
A limited edition signed vinyl featuring Blitz and 1990 is available at https://jwridleymusic.bandcamp.com.
The Tenement Trail, Glasgow – 30 September
The Lexington, London, supporting Eastern Barbers – 17 October
Huw Stephen’s SWM Festival, Cardiff – 21 October
Rich Mix, London, supporting Wovoka Gentle – 7 November
Sumday festival, Middlesborough – 25 November
