: ' .. .:.... . ' ' ______________ : ________ : ' \ / .. .:. .. \ / : : \ /_________ \ / . .. ... .. . : .\ / /___ /\ \ / ______________ ___ _. : \ / / \ / \ \/ / \ \ \ \ \ . ...:..\ / _______/ \/ \ ___/__ / / / / / : /\ / / \ \/ \ / / / . sH! ' / \/ / / / \ / / . ... .:.... .. . :/ _______/ / / / _______/__ ___ __ .\ / / / / / / / / / / / \ / / / / / / / / / / / . . \ /\______/ / / / / \___ / / : \/ ____ \ / / / / / : \ / \ /\____/\ / / : : ________\/ \ / \ / / : ' \ / \/ \ /\ / : . ..:.. . \ / \/ \ / \ / \ / . ' : \/ F A N G \ / : ' ____ \ / . . .. .. .:.. . \ / presents \ / . . \/ \/ : : . ..:.. , : Artist......: Bicep : Album.......: Isles : : Label.......: Ninja Tune .. .:.. . Genre.......: Electronic : Catnr.......: ZENCD261 . ' Source......: CD , ; Rip.date....: 2021-01-27 Str.date....: 2021-01-22 Quality.....: 267kbps/44.1kHz/Joint Stereo . :.. .:. Url.........: http://www.bicepmusic.com ' ' , ________ ________ \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / # title time \ / \/ \/ 1. Atlas 5:49 2. Cazenove 4:22 3. Apricots 4:06 4. Saku (feat. Clara La San) 4:57 5. Lido 3:20 6. X (feat. Clara La San) 5:33 7. Rever (feat. Julia Kent) 5:19 8. Sundial 4:35 9. Fir 5:23 10. Hawk (feat. Machina) 6:01 ______ \ / ________ Runtime 49:25 ,\ /... . . .... .... \ / ' Size 99.63 ______ :\/ ', \ / , \ / ' '... ..\ /.. .. .....:. .. .... .. . ..\ /. : Release Notes: \/ , \/ , ' ' ,: Belfast-born, London-based duo Bicep (Matt McBriar and Andy :, : Ferguson) release their hotly anticipated second album, ôIslesö, : :' on 22 January 2021 via Ninja Tune. ': ,: :, : Two years in the making, ôIslesö expands on the artful energy of : :' their 2018 debut ôBicepö, while digging deeper into the sounds, ': ,: experiences and emotions that have influenced their lives and :, : work, from early days in Belfast to their move to London a : :' decade ago. ôWe have strong mixed emotions, connected to ': ,: growing up on an islandö they say, ôwanting to leave, wanting to :, : returnö. ôIslesö is, in part, a meditation on these : :' contradictions, the struggle between the expansive and the ': ,: introspective, isolation and euphoria. :, : : :' The breadth of music theyÆve been exposed to in London during ': ,: this time informs ôIslesÆö massive sonic palette; both cite the :, : joy of discovering Hindi vocals overheard from distant rooftops, : :' snatches of Bulgarian choirs drifting from passing cars, ': ,: hitting Shazam in a kebab house in the vain hopes of identifying :, : a Turkish pop song. But time away from home has also made the : :' pair more reflective about the move between islands which led ': ,: them here. :, : : :' For two natives of Belfast, any talk of islands, communities ': ,: and identities will also have other, more domestic connotations. :, : Before this project, it was an aspect of their lives theyÆd been : :' reluctant to talk about. ': ,: :, : ôItÆs always been an unquantifiable topic for usö says Matt. : :' ôWeÆre not religious, but we're both from different religious ': ,: backgrounds. There was always a lot of interest in us talking :, : about that part of things in the early days, but we werenÆt : :' interested. We always felt that one of the things we loved ': ,: about dance music was that freedom it gave you to be released :, : from talking about those things. It provided a middle ground. I : :' think we took for granted how much that meant at that timeö. ': ,: :, : ôIslesö is, perhaps, a chance to explore this background in ways : :' that donÆt conform to the stale, sensationalist narratives ': ,: about Northern Ireland that predominate elsewhere; to ground :, : those experiences in reality, and reflect on the gaps music can : :' and canÆt bridge. ': ,: :, : ôYouÆd enter the club and it would be people from both sides of : :' the tracks and theyÆd be huggingö says Andy, referring to ': ,: massively influential Belfast club Shine, where both cut their :, : musical teeth. ôAnd the following week, theyÆd be with their : :' mates rioting. It felt like the safest place but, on paper, it ': ,: should have been the most dangerousö. :, : : :' Musically, too, they find echoes of those days in their work. ': ,: ôIt was like being smacked in the head with a hammerö Matt says, :, : of the tunes that defined that scene, and which find expression : :' in ôIslesÆö most raw and energetic corners. ôIt was either very ': ,: intense, in-your-face Italo tinged electro or really aggressive :, : technoö. : :' ': ,: æAtlasÆ, the first track drawn from the record, speaks to these :, : roots. Released to massive acclaim in March, making both the : :' Radio 1 and Radio 6 playlists, its euphoric energy and ': ,: bittersweet heft hit all the harder in uncertain times. It is, :, : as Resident Advisor called it, ômusic that commiserates with you : :' while you try to dance out your anxietiesö. ': ,: :, : Lead single æApricotsÆ has a similar feel, steeped in a : :' shimmering bath of warm synths, its spare percussion and ': ,: arresting vocals bring the big room chills of 90s rave, while :, : still evoking something lost or forlorn. ItÆs a tone perfectly : :' captured in æApricotsÆ soulful and disorienting video by Mark ': ,: Jenkin, fresh from winning 2020Æs Bafta for Outstanding Debut by :, : a British Director for his film æBaitÆ, or the albumÆs striking, : :' explosive artwork by Studio Degrau, creators of the iconic ': ,: imagery for the duoÆs first album. :, : : :' ôThe previous record was written from a very happy and almost ': ,: na∩ve placeö says Andy. ôOn your first album, you can finally :, : express what you canÆt on an A-side or an EP. But, touring it : :' for three years, you figure out what makes a good song; what ': ,: gives it longevityö. :, : : :' Drawing on this experience, the pair wanted ôIslesö to be a ôa ': ,: snapshot in timeö of their work in this period, rather than a :, : start-to-finish concept album. To do this, they drew from a : :' massive pool of 150 demos. Whittling the record down to ten ': ,: tracks was their first major challenge. :, : : :' ôThatÆs the creative element in the beginningö Matt says. ôThe ': ,: blue sky approach; stitching stuff together and jamming over the :, : top. But then you get to the next phase where you tell a story : :' with what youÆve got, get them to communicate what we feel when ': ,: we listen to them. WeÆd spend a week working on a track and find :, : a breakthrough moment where it would work in so many iterations. : :' It comes alive as a pieceö. ': ,: :, : ôOn an album, you want loads of detail for people listening at : :' homeö adds Andy. These details are everywhere on ôIslesö. ': ,: æSakuÆs two step polyrhythms and Clara La SanÆs honey-sweet :, : vocals feint toward UK Garage before diving, chest-first, into : :' cosmic synths. Like 90Æs RnB channelled through peak John ': ,: Carpenter, itÆs a track that demands, and rewards, multiple :, : listens, suffused with the melancholic undercurrent that gives : :' ôIslesö its cathartic punch. æCazenoveÆ, another standout, ': ,: pairs pitch-shifted choral elements with moody pizzicato strings :, : and rave synths, combining to form a slowly building : :' retro-futurist soundscape, Studio Ghibli one moment, Studio 54 ': ,: the next. :, : : :' This globe-trotting sound was forged as their own rapid ascent ': ,: through the musical ranks began. After starting their legendary :, : FeelMyBicep blog in 2008, its humble trove of Italo, house and : :' disco deep cuts grew into a runaway success, regularly chalking ': ,: up over 100,000 visitors a month. Once the blog had spawned a :, : record label and club night, the duo were propelled on to the : :' international stage via sought-after DJ sets that reflected the ': ,: eclecticism of their online curations. Following success with :, : productions for Throne of Blood and Aus Music, Bicep were signed : :' to Ninja Tune in 2017, where they released their wildly ': ,: acclaimed self-titled debut album the following year, attaining :, : a Top 20 entry in the UK charts, and a cover feature in Mixmag : :' to add to the magazineÆs gong for ôAlbum of the Yearö. Tracks ': ,: like æOpalÆ ù and the subsequent Four Tet remixù as well as he :, : recordÆs lead single æGlueÆ, with and its iconic Joe : :' Wilson-directed video, became touchpoints for electronic music ': ,: in 2017, with the latter named DJ Mag ôTrack of the Yearö. The :, : æGlueÆ video, alongside BicepÆs RA Live performance were also : :' recently included in the lauded æElectronicÆ exhibition, first ': ,: shown at the Philharmonie de Paris last year and most recently :, : at LondonÆs Design Museum. : :' ': ,: The album was followed by a massively successful tour, which saw :, : them raise the roof at Primavera, Coachella and Glastonbury. The : :' pair sold out their two forthcoming Brixton Academy shows in a ': ,: matter of minutes, and amassed a 10,000 person waiting list once :, : tickets were all gone. : :' ': ,: Plans for an extensive ôIslesö tour in 2021 are still in the :, : offing, with the duo offering only cryptic clues as to what it : :' will entail.??ôThis is the home listening versionö, says Matt, ': ,: ôthe live version will be much, much harderö. :, : : :' BicepÆs booked events will now take place as and when venue ': ,: schedules become more clear, with additional headline dates :, : across the UK, EU and US hoped for in 2021, including a headline : :' slot at Field Day in London, as well as performances at ': ,: Parklife, Roskilde, Creamfields, Primavera, MELT! And more. :, : : :' With the live music & touring industry in a state of flux, ': ,: Bicep recently undertook a one-off ticketed livestream :, : performanceùone of the first of its kind for an electronic : :' artistùbroadcast across 5 different timezones, and watched by ': ,: people in over 70 countries, with visuals by close BICEP LIVE :, : visual collaborator Black Box Echo. Bicep will also launch their : :' æFeelMyBicep RadioÆ show on Apple Music in October, giving ': ,: listeners an insight into the music that has shaped everything :, : in the world of Bicep, with shows set to continue monthly : :' throughout the coming year. ': ,: :, : Bicep are also ambassadors for Youth Music, a charity working to : :' change the lives of young people through music and music ': ,: production. Both take an active role in mentoring young people :, : coming through YM programmes, reflecting their own eagerness to : :' give back as musicians who themselves received industry support ': ,: when they were coming up. :, : : :' ': : ' '.. ..' .. . :........... . . . . ............: . . ______________ ______________ \ / \ / \ / Shout out to all our homies from: \ / \ / \ / \ / iPC BOSS HiT2000 1way UKi i8 RNS \ / \ / RAGEMP3 MANDY DV8 pLAN9 BUTT \ / \ / \ / \/ ____ ____ \/ \ / F A N G \ / \/ 2 0 2 1 \/