Gaudi
London based producer and solo artist Gaudi’s latest album No Prisoners comes to us from a very productive year in which Gaudi toured the world, rocking dance floors and gathering fans with his unconventional innovative performance style and dance-floor filling tunes. It was also a year in which he was nominated for a BBC World Music Award for his Six Degrees release Dub Qawwali (with legendary Sufi singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan). The album’s success extended Gaudi’s fan base substantially, particularly in America and Canada, reaching #2 in the iTunes World Chart (USA) and #1 on Amazon.com’s Electronica charts. It was also a year in which Gaudi took an unusual posting in Italy and became the ‘representative of the underground’ in the role of Vocal Coach and Mentor for the groups category in the hit TV talent show X Factor. During 3 series he produced an overall show winner, the winners of the critics award and also received a gold disc following the success of one of the groups debut album that he produced. In all his albums Gaudi has worked to create his own synthesis using elements of dub, electronica and world music which has been mostly down-tempo in nature... No Prisoners is a very different and definitely up-tempo creation. Stylistically its primary energy is breakbeat influences underpinned with fat basslines and subtle live world instrumentation such as oud, tribal percussion and highland bagpipes. The performances of many fine musicians on the album bring a human touch; with live bass and guitars, percussion, drum, melodica and piano amongst others, while the electronic elements, as per all Gaudi’s albums, come from his beloved analogue equipment - vintage synthesizers, tape echoes and spring reverbs. The result gives No Prisoners the warmth and authenticity of sound which has become synonymous with Gaudi’s music. A highly respected line-up of featured guests add their international appeal and individual flavors to the album, amongst them; California’s conscious political lyricist and founder of Spearhead Michael Franti, who lends his emotive tones to “There’s Enough” and long established Brooklyn based reggae artist Dr Israel (of Easy Star All Stars “Dub side of the moon” fame) who features on “No Time”; Multi-million selling Italian singer-songwriter Elisa gives a feminine edge to “Brainwashed Again” and Jamaican Reggae vocalist Kenny Knots goes deep with the ecclesiastical “Strictly Goodness”. Other notable guests include pioneering down-tempo dub producer Dub Gabriel on “Barracudub”; UK Breakbeat duo Far Too Loud and emerging electro-breaks producer Tom Real; who contribute to “No more blood” and “Bad Boy Bass” respectively. No Prisoners as the title suggests, is an album made without concessions, each track uncompromising in the delivery of its sonic payload. It is a fresh and versatile album with the potential to become an original classic. © Wordsmith, 2010 Tracklist: 1) Bad Boy Bass 4.54
Musicians involved in the making of No Prisoners: Michael Franti – voice on “There’s Enough” Produced and arranged by Gaudi
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