| BEATLESS
Beatless
are Alex Attias and Paul Martin.
They are currently working on their full-length Beatless album,
"Life Mirrors", for Ubiquity Records, to be released
October, 2001. The album features appearances from SoCal-based
unique MC Quasimoto aka Madlib, The Daughters (vocalists of the
Oakland-based rare groove legends the Sons and Daughters of Lite),
keyboardist Jessica Lauren, and a host of London-based collaborators.
From vocal gems to a heavy-weight club track or two, this will
be an incredible debut of future abstract soul
The first single "The Truth" - released in June
2001 - a two part slice of Beatless - part one is deep n' soulful
downtempo business, and part two is a heavyweight spiritual club
track. Imagine Marvin Gaye or Aaron Neville transported through
time to a recording studio in West London, 2001. Remixes are also
in the works and a second single, featuring a cover of the Roy
Ayers/Dee Dee Bridgewater/Norman Connors classic "Love
From The Sun", will drop pre-"Life Mirrors".
Both Martin and Attias have a ridiculous amount of projects on
the go. Attias runs his own Visions label and records under the
names Mustang, Catalyst, Plutonia (w/Dego of 4 Hero), and River
Plate (with his brother Stephane). His work has been likened to
that of Carl Craig and his "Jazz with Altitude" and
"Dark Jazzor" have provided some of the best underground
club moments from past years. Partnering Attias is producer/DJ/music
connossieur Paul Martin, A&R man at London based Talkin' Loud
records. In addition to DJ'ing at London's legendary Far East
monthlies, and running things at Talkin' Loud (the label responsible
for releases by Roni Size, MJ Cole, 4Hero etc) his Interfearence
project with recording partner Tyrrell was a highly touted release
for Electronically Enhanced/London records in 1999.
Plundering the endless resources of Afro-Latin and Brazilian
music for funky beats, furious bass lines and punchy percussion,
Beatless first appeared on Ubiquity with "Latinaire"
- a single that kicked off the now acclaimed New Latinaires series.
It's ironic that a band called Beatless would produce such a relentless
party rockin' tune built around a Brazilian batucada style beat.
But that's Beatless: unconventional and unique.
Working together since 1997 Martin and Attias have previously
released music as Beatless for the Sirkus and Cornflex labels.
Martin is a Londoner and Attias was born in Paris of Morrocan
origin, and brought up in Switzerland. The root of the Beatless
sound (the beats) is what will begin to distinguish them from
their other projects. "It's funkier music, with maybe some
Latin, and dub influences, but overall less complicated and more
soulful than my other work", says Attias who's output to
date places him at the center of the "broken beat" scene.
Musical influences range from soul legends like Marvin Gaye, Curtis
Mayfield, Sly Stone, to Chuck D, jazz and easy listening/lounge
music. 2001 is as busy as it gets for the two, with Martin working
on finishing up a new Interfearance album while Attias will mix
volume 2 of his "Hi-Fi Jazz" compilations for X-Treme
Records, put together a compilation for his own Visions label,
and complete work on a mini-album with Jessica Lauren.
Attias and Martin DJ'd on the West Coast of the USA as part of
the Ubiquity 10 Year Anniversary celebrations in Los Angeles and
San Francisco in 2000. Both will be out for a full tour of the
USA this Fall in support of "Life Mirrors".
Life
Mirrors was voted "Single of the year" by Derek
Mathis in the LA Weekly
"Dominant" was a Gilles Peterson Worldwide Winner
"Life Mirrors is simply an amazing album, the avant-garde,
non-commercial flip side of Moby's blues/techno opus Play...Is
there any way to follow up this work of genius? Not likely."
- OC Weekly
"Imagine names like Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, The Neville
Brothers, and Sly and the family Stone processed through the pro-tools
system of a west-end London studio."
- The Book LA
"Timeless and beautiful, Beatless's brand new Life Mirrors
is soul music at
once both classic and futuristic"
- Exclaim!
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