Artists

Masselys

Masselys rose from the ashes of Oslo band Salvatore who were known for their work with John MacIntyre and Tortoise. With the addition of Jonas Hestvik Dahl (120 Days) and singers including Viviana Vega (Whalesharkattacks), key members Bjarne Larsen, Jon Birger ”Jomba” Wormdahl and Kjell Olav Jørgensen have morphed the band’s electronic krautrock sound into something more danceable and catchy. Referencing genres such as Afrobeat and early house, and building them up over long grooves, Masselys make resistance to dance impossible.

https://soundcloud.com/masselys

Viva Sherry / ビバシェリー

Photo: Viva Sherry live in Kyoto

Prog pop virtuosos Viva Sherry hail from Kyoto, Japan. Their sound is definitely pop, but continuously surprises through its inclusions of unusual stylistic mixtures (jazz, metal, motown, chanson), time changes and the odd bit of musique concrète. As a live band, Viva Sherry are equally mindblowing: Sato (synthesizer, vocals) and Himeco (xylophone, drums) really manage to recreate their complex sound, often playing several instruments simultaneously while seemingly effortlessly delivering perfect vocal harmonies. Their special sound has attracted the attention of DJ Gilles Peterson who invited Viva Sherry to play live at his Worldwide FM showcase in Japan.

http://vivasherry.com/

now

Photo: now playing at Kosmische, Corsica Studios

Making sounds with whatever they can get their hands on, now are known for their eclectic and prolific musical output. If you have the opportunity to catch them live, definitely do so more than once, because no two concerts will be the same. Influenced by the kosmische sound and ethos, they produce a brand of pop music that moves back and forth between cute and epic. One moment, they deliver adorable harmonies, the next they are blasting out heavy distortion. Somehow it works! Their new album Gold Star Lavender Marriage is a testament to that, and they have been invited to support Stereolab on their current tour. now are Justin Paton (vocals, guitar, synths, bass, programming, drums), Angela Last (bass, synths, backing vocals, guitar, percussion), George Chrysostomou (keys) and Giles Narang (drums). www.nowtheband.com

Rebecca Closure

Photo: Rebecca Closure live at MottoDance launch

Rebecca Closure is pure energy. She combines the most potent genres – techno, punk, latin, electro-disco – and injects them straight into your body. Closure herself describes her sound as ‘techno pop’, alluding to its catchiness as well as its hard dance music elements. Live, she combines her music with dance and performance art. Closure is often supported by dancer/choreographer Marlon Kameka, and by live musicians on instruments such as conga, bongos, bass, guitar and drums. In addition to being a performer, Closure is a DJ and producer. Her mixes and remixes display her inventiveness and iconoclastic sense of humour.
https://soundcloud.com/rebeccaclosure

Rosie Okae

Photo: Rosie Okae on the Hellogoodbye show, Resonance FM

Creating music that is hard to define, yet memorably catchy, Rosie Okae is a singer-songwriter who experiments with pop, electronica, soul and everything outside and in between. The constants to be found are rich vocalisation, satisfying melodies and an economic, yet poetic lyrical style. For her debut album ‘we know when to shout’, she collaborated with songwriter/producer Justin Paton. Her new material is entirely written by Okae herself, further pushing her genre-defying approach.
www.rosieokae.com

Jessica Marlowe & The Wildtracks

The new songwriting and band project of Jessica Marlowe (Mooz), the Wildtracks pursue a sound that combines a rock, blues, Bulgarian and Jewish folk music, and pop. The band’s music is strongly influenced by Jessica’s soundtrack writing for stage and film with a view to creating dark, haunting images through music. Their sound has been compared to that of Anna Calvi, Fever Ray and Zola Jesus. In the Wildtracks, Jessica Marlowe is joined by Boris Exton (keys), Michael Ho (drums) and Vanessa Marlowe (bass).

Justin Paton

Photo: Justin Paton DJing at I Love Acid, Ginglik

Outside of his band now, Justin Paton is known for both his classic acid house DJ sets (clubs and radio) and live performances of his own brand of acid house. Deeply appreciative of the original acid house sound and its ethics, he creates a bare but rich sound mixed with irresistible grooves. While most current house music tends towards overproduction and effects overloading, Paton strips his sound and production to a minimum. The electronic music duo Posthuman have included his track ‘Acidforwards’ in their 2015 top ten chart on Resident Advisor. Justin Paton will be releasing original dance tracks on vinyl as well as remixes of other artists. Justin also acts as a mottomotto producer and curator.

Graham Dunning

Experimental musician Graham Dunning never rests. Whether he puts his inventive mind to live drumming, coding or creating musical machines (Mechanical Techno, The Mammoth Beat Organ with Sam Underwood), the outcome is striking. While his work is generally classified as art, it is art with a groove. Dunning devises solo performances, but also collaborates with musicians and artists. Himself self-trained, he appreciates working with people from a wide range of styles and backgrounds. In addition to performing and curating, Dunning also leads workshops that enable others to explore different ways of producing sound. Having been features on the 2015 mottodance compilation with his piece ‘Ends’, Graham Dunning will be releasing a mechanical techno EP on mottomotto in 2019. https://grahamdunning.com/