Cubest009

After cramming the pop album with 10 tracks it's business as usual on Cubest 009, with just the four. I could've included a few snippets of feedback to pad the track list, but it would have been an unnecessary tactic and a diversion from the main body of work here

Three out of the four tracks come from a single session and in that respect it has quite a cohesive sound, which I may carry over to the next compilation, but the truth is each collection is garnered track by track irrespective of which session it came from and I hope this selection works as a whole ...

Consider this collection as an extended EP. Yes, I know EP stands for extended play, but this is an extended extended play

Jump to Download link ... Back to Cubest series ...

Over Sea, Sand And Sky

2015 03 18 - Shaun McHugh: Guitar; Han Luis Cera: Piano; Chema Gala: Sax; David Insua-Cao: Percussion; Ollie Owen: Guitar; Jon Shepherd: Bass; Keef Chemistry: Melodica, Vocals, Percussion, iPad; Marcus Valentine: Keyboards;

We laughed about our starting point sounding like something out of Fiddler On The Roof. In the absence of other more proficient singers I attempt to deliver a theme for the journey, washed in swathes of echo so you can't hear how bad my voice is. There's a solid backdrop of sound provided by the percussion, bass and Ollie's ethereal guitar work, allowing Chema's sax and Shaun's guitar to develop. As always, David's percussive work is wonderfully expressive and there's some nice interplay between him and Shaun. There's a drop out eight minutes in, with Marcus picking out some groovy organ, then the tune explodes into a prog-tastic progression that Lynyrd Skynyrd fans would be proud of, but it implodes after a variation or two and the track ends with a familiar laugh

Stomach Pump

2015 03 18 - Shaun McHugh: Guitar; Han Luis Cera: Piano; Chema Gala: Sax; David Insua-Cao: Percussion; Ollie Owen: Guitar; Jon Shepherd: Bass; Keef Chemistry: Melodica, Vocals, Percussion, iPad; Marcus Valentine: Keyboards;

From the brash to the sublime, Jon plays a rock solid groove on bass throughout, while David steps on the foot pump he found in the back room, which has a delightful squeak. The restraint on this track is admirable for us, allowing everything to be heard. There's a plate echo on my melodica and a breathiness to Chema's sax that provide a counterbalance of sound. The two guitars have a similar balance, as do the two keyboards. The overall sound is so polished you'd think it was well-rehearsed, an impression I often get which wows me all the more. Near the end there's a change in emphasis, while maintaining the key elements, and the track tinkles beautifully to its conclusion

Smokey Joe's

2015 02 25 - Rhodri Karim: Bass, Piano, Percussion, Vocals; Chema Gala: Sax; Kieran Gillick: Trumpet; Jean-Michel Maheu: Guitar, Percussion; Ramon Sanchez: Trumpet, Percussion, Vocals; Keef Chemistry: Melodica, Vocals, Percussion, iPad; Jon Shepherd: Bass, Guitar, Percussion; Ollie Owen: Guitar; Marcus Valentine: Keyboards;

From an earlier session, this is a gritty track with a growling bass line and elemental drum pattern, which is pretty steady for me. The guitars and keyboards work well together and I like the trumpet in the mix. Ramon steps up to the mic and delivers the message - in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, marijuana! Chema's sax and Kieran's trumpet work well together around the drop and subsequent build, developing into a maelstrom of sound around my, let's say, explorative drumming. I have a thing when I'm on the drums about trying to conduct the orchestra, particularly when trying to find an ending, but there's always someone looking elsewhere

It Came From The Dark Star

2015 03 18 - Shaun McHugh: Guitar; Han Luis Cera: Piano; Chema Gala: Sax; David Insua-Cao: Percussion; Ollie Owen: Guitar; Jon Shepherd: Bass; Keef Chemistry: Melodica, Vocals, Percussion, iPad; Marcus Valentine: Keyboards;

A soundtrack straight out of the sci-fi genre. As always I have no idea where it came from (from the dark star, I hear you cry), but the chance interaction of the same instruments as on previous tracks here creates something dark and futuristic. I'm playing the space ship, which hovers in and out of the sound. Ollie's guitar fizzes and wails, while Shaun and David interplay. Nearly five minutes in there's a glorious drop out and I just love the guitars at this point. Then the piano emerges and Marcus joins in on his keyboard. Again, it all sounds cohesive and practised as it slides towards its end. For some reason I try to sing a series of lines that have been running around my brain for over twenty years, incorrectly as it happens. One day I'll find out where they come from. There's that laughing at the end again, a sure sign of our collective enjoyment of playing together and discovering these sounds

Romany, prog, lounge, blues, space, it's all here within these four tracks ...
- keef chemistry