Hazel Mills

ABOUT
Hailing from the West of England, Bristol-based musician Hazel Mills is far from typical. Fusing post-rock and Reich-esque minimalism with elements of glitch and 60s psychedelia, tracks veer from startling complexity to playful simplicity in an instant; experimenting with multiple layers of live-looping, obscure time signatures and unconventional instrumentation along the way.
Following 12 years of classical training in both piano and vocals, Mills began to feel restricted by the limitations of traditional classical theory, and at university started to explore more left-field, risk taking composers such as Morton Feldman , Steve Reich and John Cage . Intrigued by the freedom, spontaneity and atonality of both Cage and Feldman’s music, and fascinated by Reich’s psychedelic celebration of tonal harmony and rhythm, she specialised in 20th century experimental music, and graduated with a First-Class Honours degree in Performing and Visual Arts.
In 2005, after signing a development deal with Xpress Records, she was introduced to producer, composer and experimental guitarist TJ Allen ( Aesoteric ), who was enlisted to work with her in developing her sound. “Tim encouraged me to write more freely and not to be afraid of simplicity,” said Mills. “He also opened my eyes to artists such as Matmos , Autechre and Fennesz , who have made careers out of pushing musical boundaries by manipulating technology, but still remain listenable. I may not have liked it all at first, but I found it very inspiring.” Their intriguing partnership – “think Eno meets Kate Bush” (Tom Semioli, Amplifier Magazine ), is what fuelled Mills’ 2007 debut EP, Butterfly (Xpress Records).
Incorporating a broad range of influences including the raw emotion of Queen Adreena , the experimentalism of Radiohead and the minimalism of 20th century American composers Steve Reich and Morton Feldman , Butterfly shows little regard for genre boundaries. From the sultry jazz infused piano chords of Give Away, via the crisp breaks of Insomnia, to the pulsing, hypnotic drones and fragmented, skipping rhythms of Freestanders, this is a debut that is bursting with innovation, ambition and promise.
Live - whether playing solo amid a bewilderingly beautiful bed of live looping, or with her band - elements of Mills and Allen's shared love of 60’s psychedelia shine through. Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd , early Jefferson Airplane , and 1968’s seminal The United States of America album are all playing an increasing role in their unique sound, both on stage and in the early demos for the follow up to Butterfly.
On paper, the band’s live set up is a deceptively traditional piano, guitar, bass and drums. But when coupled with their dazzling array of gadgets & gizmo’s, including a pair of Electrix Repeater loopers, (affectionately known as “parrots” by avid user Imogen Heap ), a bunch of homemade effects pedals and processors, a pair of vintage synths, and Allen’s beloved Perspex ‘Mo-gnome’ laptop controller, the noise they make is far from it.
In addition to her own work, Mills is a full time member of The Metaphors , the new project by Roxy Music’s Andy Mackay. Also featuring Roxy drummer Paul Thompson, Classical harpist Julia Thornton and TJ Allen, the band was formed in Spring 2007 to extend the sax, oboe and wind-synth performance of Mackay. Falling into no obvious existing genres, The Metaphors draw on a huge range of influences – The Velvet Underground , Godspeed You! Black Emperor , Stravinsky , John Coltrane and Sigur Ros to name a few. Mills takes on piano and vocal duty, while Allen performs his usual wizardry with guitars and laptop. After doing a series of warm up shows around the South West of England, The Metaphors will be touring Summer 2008 to mark the release of their debut album, London! New York! Paris! Rome! later in the year.
The rest of 2008 promises to be both busy and productive for Mills, with writing and pre-production for the follow up to Butterfly, summer festival dates, and The Metaphors tour scheduled, and she’s still only 23...
"...nothing short of phenomenal."
(KGRL Radio’s No.1 Artist To Watch Out For in 2008)
“…richly detailed, intelligent, beautifully-voiced dark moody pop songs…Spot on production, spot on everything.”
(Organ Magazine)
"...engrossing and enthralling..."
(NM Promotions)
"…a musical complexity beyond the aptitude of most artists."
(BristolRocks.com)
“From piano-dominated wig-out 'Sense of Smell' to the flowingly spare, almost Michael Nyman-like opening to 'Give Away', the EP holds a good deal of supremely well played sophisti-pop. Many are the acts who'd proudly mark it down as a career's high watermark.”
(Venue Magazine)
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Hazel Mills - Freestanders (KGRL FPA Live Session)
Hazel Mills - Esquisk (KGRL FPA Live Session)