- Marconi Union
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Marconi Union Origin Manchester Genres ambient Years active 2003–present Labels All Saints Records
Just MusicWebsite marconiunion.com Members Richard Talbot
Jamie Crossley
Duncan MeadowsMarconi Union are a British musical trio Richard Talbot, Jamie Crossley and Duncan Meadows,[1] with strong links to the Manchester based DOTCA arts collective. Their music incorporates elements of electronica, ambient, jazz and dub.
Contents
History
Marconi Union formed in 2002 when Talbot and Crossley met while working in a record shop. Their self-produced debut album, Under Wires and Searchlights, appeared in 2003 on the small British independent label Ochre Records.[2] The album was followed with a sustained period of silence only punctuated by a couple of remixes. They were then picked up in 2005 by All Saints Records (a label strongly associated with electronic musician Brian Eno) releasing their second album, Distance, which featured a darker, more electronic sound.[3] The band played at the 2006 Big Chill Festival and Eden Sessions and granted their first interview in October 2006 for the widely syndicated American radio show Echoes, where they also played only their second live performance. Their tracks have also appeared on several compilations albums, and they have done a number of remixes for other artists. Recording for their third album, A Lost Connection, began in 2007. Originally slated for release on All Saints, the band became victims of a label take over by Warner Bros and a number of contractual complications arose. Frustrated by the delays and now with apparently two full length albums recorded and awaiting release, Talbot and Crossley decided to take matters into their own hands and utilize web technology. In July 2008 they launched their digital label MU Transmissions which started to sell their music via their own website, with the first release being the long awaited A Lost Connection. In 2009 the Marconi Union website released a new album, Tokyo on the German Binemusic label. According to press releases and reviews Tokyo was inspired by media images of the city.
In 2010 A Lost Connection was remastered and belatedly released on CD,[4] and the band announced that Duncan Meadows had joined on a permanent basis having previously played with them at a number of live gigs.
In July 2011 a new album, Beautifully Falling Apart (Ambient Transmissions Vol:1) was released on Just Music.[5]
Weightless
On October 16th 2011, Marconi Union created an eight minute track, 'Weightless' [6] in collaboration with the British Academy of Sound Therapy. In a scientific study commisioned by the Radox, it was labelled as the "most relaxing song ever". According to scientists at the renowned Mindlab institution it induced a 65 per cent reduction in overall anxiety and brought test subjects resting pulse rates to a level 35 per cent lower than their usual resting rates. The song features guitar, piano and manipulated field recordings. It is punctuated throughout by low tones that supposedly induce a trance-like state. This propelled the band into the media spotlight and news reports, and was reported in newspapers worldwide.[7][8].
Characteristically, MU declined almost all requests for interviews with the exception of a brief interview with Jarvis Cocker, during which they explicitly stated that they refused to make any claims about the so called therapeutic properties of the track, their interest in the project had been limited to the process of writing it in collaboration with the sound therapy professionals and they had set about making a piece of music they liked. They had taken no part in the testing, and that all the claims made about Weightless came from scientists and the media. Since then they have reverted to type and declined all further interview requests.
Discography
Albums
- Under Wires and Searchlights (Ochre Records, 2003)
- Distance (All Saints Records, 2005)
- A Lost Connection (MU Transmissions, 2008)
- Tokyo (Binemusic, 2009)
- Beautifully Falling Apart (Ambient Transmissions Volume 1) (Just Music, 2011)
References
- ^ Yau, Alex (11 July 2011). "Marconi Union - Beautifully Falling Apart review". drownedinsound.com. http://drownedinsound.com/releases/16352/reviews/4143106. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
- ^ Brown, Marisa. "Marconi Union - biography". allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p762825. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
- ^ Brown, Marisa. "Distance - Marconi Union - Album review". allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/album/distance-r822055/review. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
- ^ Drever, Ryan (27 July 2010). "Marconi Union - A Lost Connection review". thelineofbestfit.com. http://www.thelineofbestfit.com/2010/07/marconi-union-a-lost-connection/. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
- ^ Milton, Jamie (12 July 2011). "Marconi Union - Beautifully Falling Apart review". thelineofbestfit.com. http://www.thelineofbestfit.com/2011/07/marconi-union-beautifully-falling-apart-ambient-transmissions-vol-1/. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
- ^ http://michanforo.net/componen-la-cancion-mas-relajante-del-mundo-t3854.html
- ^ "Send-you-to-sleep sound". thetelegraph.co.uk. 16 October 2011. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/telegraph-view/8830789/Send-you-to-sleep-sound.html. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
- ^ "Oiça aqui a música "mais relaxante de sempre"" (in portuguese). visao.pt. 20 October 2011. http://clix.visao.pt/oica-aqui-a-musica-mais-relaxante-de-sempre=f629007.
External links
Categories:- English electronic music groups
- Musical groups established in 2002
- Musical groups from Manchester
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