‘Like Tom’s Diner crossed with Nellie McKay. Gorgeous minimal percussion and her joy shine bright. You can’t help but revel in the creativity of Ms Rawson’s occasionally wild, sometimes tender composition’ Planet Sound
Falling squarely into the anti-folk category by way of a manipulated, punk-y violin, ROXY RAWSON has been a cult presence on the Parisian and London music scenes with her unique blend of impish violin vocals and classical/ jazz influence. Now based in San Francisco Bay and ready to release her long awaited second full length album, this is a singer songwriter whose flair for the alternative demands the world’s attention.
Born into a Mormon community in Hitchin, UK, she was introduced to music through Church hymns, but first found her feet in Paris where she studied violin and piano. Surrounding herself with local jazz performers, she joined several orchestras and spent much of her time studying classical and baroque styles of music. Rawson found her own voice however, developing a unique vocal style through singing ‘jumping jazz intervals’ on the streets of the French capital. She also joined an African Choir, adding yet another multi-cultural layer to her sound.
MONDRIAN is a new live project from long term friends and collaborators Stu Barter (Left with Pictures, Stats) and Tom Walker. Using an array of modular electronics, looped vocals and live strings, Mondrian create multi-layered, longform, improvisatory pop music.
Combining the percussive and choreographic talents of Carli Jefferson with the four octave range and haunting overtones of trans folk singer Clair Le Couteur, Lunatraktors use the basic ingredients of body and voice to conjure up expansive, unexpected spaces. While the material is traditional, the themes of institutional violence, forced migration and personal hardship that echo through the songs are strikingly contemporary. The overall feel is of defiant, transnational protest laced with dark humour – an urgent political necessity in Brexit Britain.
