"It all started when I was growing up in Dorset. When I was 15 and I used to sneak out my bedroom window and go to free parties in the woods near Bridport, or down on the beach where my mates would DJ...I'd dance about to beats and basslines all night ..We'd drive home as the sun rose to the sounds of Aphex Twin and William Orbit.. around that time I started writing electronica on my Atari..."
"I like to draw on my jazz influences, but mix it up with a bit of folk. I love atmospheric soundtracks, and revel in the beauty of orchestral works. My dream would be to record my electronic compositions with a big band, complete with a string section!.. not too much to ask hey!?"
"QUIETUDE" the debut album by Rachael Roberts is due for release JUNE 16th on Long Tale Recordings (the recently launched label that resides at Real World). The album (Produced by Alex Swift) is a collection of downtempo electronica blended with imaginative organic tones.
Rachael Roberts and Alex Swift (known for his work with Massive Attack) met at Real World (Peter Gabriel's music company) and, realising they had similar musical tastes, decided to work on this album together. Rachael wrote the songs at home (using Reason + Cubase programming) and recorded all her vocals in a spare bedroom. She would then send the files to Alex who produced the tracks at his home studio.
Strings and Clarinets were recorded in a wooden room in a forest in Dorset... "It was a long summer but every recording had a good vibe about it .." says Rachael "Strange and magical things happened in those sessions! and this is how we brought you Quietude"....
A blend of electronica /programmed tracks combined with the organic tones of strings, clarinet, and brass. A vocal like a sweet narrative, but which resonates cool.. is it jazz or folk? who knows.. it would be fair to say that Rachael's influences are both.
Rachael's father (Tony Roberts) is a well respected jazz musician (Tony was also a member of the folk band "Pentangle" in the 1960s) and her sister (Lucy Roberts) is a session fiddle player in the folk circuit.. (most recently featured on the Imagined Village album released through Real World Records). Both family members feature on the album, along with her young and talented niece (Maisie) who plays cello on a couple of tracks!.
Along with an eclectic taste, Rachael's upbringing has set the scene for an interesting musical story. Complimented by Alex Swift's intuitive and contemporary production techniques this is an album that would sit quite comfortably between Zero 7 and Morcheeba on your ipod... but perhaps that's too easy an assumption to make..?
The songs on QUIETUDE tell a story from start to finish, a twisting tale of heartbreak, and dark days, (Breaking) to finding strength and independence (I Walk Alone). Memories of loves and lives lost (I remember You) through to finding love and happiness. (Sweet Is The Air). The final song on the album is the end of the tale, where we realise that these ups and downs in life are what keeps us alive (Bittersweet)
"We hope for these moments.. to remind us we're alive"
Quietude is out on Long Tale Recordings - June 16th 2008
Available from itunes + www.womadshop.com
DISCOGRAPHY:
RELEASES Featuring RACHAEL ROBERTS:* Ultimate Lounge CD (Sian) - Water Music Records (2003)
* White Martini CD (Sian) - Water Music Records (2004)
* Canine CD (Stabilizer) - Plastic Raygun Records (2004)
* Stop Playin Around 12" (BRS) - Flat & Round Records (2004)
* Unbreakable 12" (Stabilizer) - Plastic Raygun Records (2005)
* Listening Pearls CD (SIAN) - Moles Listening Pearls (2005)
* Joyrider CD (Flexitones) - Back Room Beats (2005)
* Mickey Mouse Operation CD - (Little People) - EMI (2006)