In the midst of a global pandemic that has seen gigs, club nights and festivals cancelled, and tens of millions around the world in some kind of lockdown or quarantine, the need for musical escapism and aural daydreaming is greater than ever. It was this search for creativity and positivity that led to the recording of Sunday in June, the gorgeous and sun-kissed debut album from Hillside.

The outfit’s origins lie in the ongoing friendship and musical relationship of guitarist/bassist Alex Searle, percussionist Patrick Dawes and Claremont 56 founder Paul ‘Mudd’ Murphy, a trio who have been playing on each other’s records since the dawn of the millennium. They began jamming and creating instrumental music together for what would become the Hillside project a few years back, but the pace of production increased during the pandemic year of 2020, with multi-instrumentalist, composer and arranger Michele Chiavarini (an experienced solo artist and long-term member of Dave Lee’s Sunburst Band) coming on board to help shape the sound of their eight-track debut album.

Built around warm, languid grooves, expansive musicality, simmering strings – arranged by Chiavarini and replayed live by Pete Whitfield – and seductive solos provided by a handful of guest musicians (most notably flutist Tamar Osborne and violinist Mike Piggott, who has previously worked with Ralph McTell, Pentangle and Bert Jansch), Sunday in June could be considered an imaginary soundtrack to a long, lazy drive down the U.S West Coast.

The collective’s intent is exemplified by stunning opener and title track ‘Sunday in June’, where soaring strings, eyes-closed guitar solos, expressive keys and subtle percussive touches seemingly dance atop a sun-soaked groove that sits somewhere between jazz-funk and vintage West Coast rock. It can be heard, too, on the low-down hustle of ‘Trinity Strut’ – think Steely Dan doing Blaxploitation movie funk and you’re close – and in the languid drift of ‘Aguila Negra’, with its heart-aching orchestration, jazzy guitars and sunset-ready synths.

Sunday in June has many subtle twists and turns. Check the swelling, flute-sporting, organ-rich breeze of ‘For Daniel’, a track written in tribute to an old friend of Murphy’s who passed away in 2020, and the kaleidoscopic, smile-inducing positivity of ‘1939 Grand Avenue’, whose title references the address of a favourite San Diego hang out. There’s also room for recent single ‘Walpole Days’, a gorgeous downtempo odyssey, and a new album mix of the combo’s most Steely Dan-esque cut, 2019 single ‘Hidden Port’.

Rounding things off is a rather impressive bonus cut: a previously unheard ‘Spiritual Healing Mix’ of ‘Walpole Days’ by the great Joaquin ‘Joe Claussell’. Whereas his previously released versions of the track were largely percussive and dancefloor-friendly, this interpretation takes us deep into the world of weightless new age ambient, with Hillside’s impeccable instrumentation slowly rising above immersive chords and pads.

As usual with Claremont 56, the album’s artwork is every bit as detailed and painstakingly crafted as the music, with the stunning cover illustration coming courtesy of regular label collaborator Mark Warrington. His vibrant vision is naturally a perfect fit with Hillside’s colourful and emotion-rich music.

07 1939 Grand Ave

This track is from a collection of tunes from the live streamed sessions with Slamhaus. While bands or users will inspire me, every song was composed live on stream without any pre-thought melodies, progressions or beats. Watch a piece of music composed 100% in front of your eyes.

Watch this track composed lived from here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMX23L3L-4w&ab_channel=Slamhaus

Be a part of the music making! Watch Tunesday at 2pm CT every Tuesday!
www.twitch.tv/slamhaus

Album Artwork by Chris Amhaus

Tunesday, Vol. 20

March 9th {Tired of Pretending}

This track is from a collection of tunes from the live streamed sessions with Slamhaus. While bands or users will inspire me, every song was composed live on stream without any pre-thought melodies, progressions or beats. Watch a piece of music composed 100% in front of your eyes.

Watch this track composed lived from here: Coming Soon!

Be a part of the music making! Watch Tunesday at 2pm CT every Tuesday!
www.twitch.tv/slamhaus

Album Artwork by Chris Amhaus

Tunesday, Vol. 24

January 4th {Jelly Rock}

The brothers Nikolaj & Mikkel Hess have shared 40 years of musical explorations. In these recordings, they’ve combined their talents and efforts as pianist Nikolaj interprets Mikkel’s Hess Is More discography. Like most other creative endeavors, this concept didn’t occur overnight, rather it’s based on tradition.

'Piano Chronicles Vol. 2' →https://linktr.ee/musicfordreams

Since the first Hess Is More album was released in 2005, it’s been a recurring practice, that Nikolaj would perform “solo piano remixes” of the material live in concerts - often as opening sets before the live shows.
For about as long as the brothers have practiced this tradition, they’ve dreamt of making a full album, consisting of recording sessions on the piano.

Now, almost 20 years in, the material seemed fully ripe. Therefore, Nikolaj and Mikkel have had some intense recording sessions on the beautiful Steinway C grand piano at ‘The Village Recording’ in Copenhagen.
The result is playful, daring, yet at the same time mature and immaculate in its form.

Nikolaj’s deep foundation in jazz is clear from the first note, as you feel the presence and freshness of improvised music. Yet, you’ll never lose the sense of Mikkel’s strong melodic lines and clear compositions.
Their sound is in the cinematic borderland between jazz, pop, folk, and classical, these recordings can be enjoyed over and over again.

The melodies and harmonies will get you hooked, and the improvised surprises will keep you coming back. Music of the moment, shaped by the shared musical history of these two musical brothers.
A journey through Hess is More’s extensive catalogue, spanning material from all the albums.

Above all, you’ll hear a lot of stunning piano-playing by Nikolaj Hess. It’s in moments like these where Mikkel would sit and listen in awe as it happened – and so will you.

Supported by Koda’s Cultural Funds and Musik Forlæggerne.

Connect with Hess Is More
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1fFTIIHpCj2a0Xv5Xls50Q
FB : https://www.facebook.com/hessismore
TW : https://twitter.com/hess_is_more
YT : https://www.youtube.com/hessismore
IG : https://www.instagram.com/hess_is_more/

Nikolaj Hess
Spotify : https://open.spotify.com/artist/3j1aerNPNVeAjD4GgI3xJQ
FB : https://www.facebook.com/Hessmusic
TW : https://twitter.com/NikolajHess
YT : https://www.youtube.com/user/nikohess
IG : https://www.instagram.com/nikolajhess/

Connect with Music For Dreams
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/musicfordreams
FB : https://www.facebook.com/musicfordreams
SC : https://soundcloud.com/music-for-dreams
YT :https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo8HNI0C0QGdOoHWrTqhVWA​
IG : https://www.instagram.com/musicfordreams/
TW : https://twitter.com/musicfordreams
BC : https://musicfordreams.bandcamp.com/
Home : https://musicfordreams.dk/

Hess Is More & Nikolaj Hess - Piano Chronicles Vol. 2 (Full Album) - 0242

Nu Disco Fever

Infinite Love

LUSTRE

Lost Souls

Chasing storms

Did you miss out on any of the super collectable cover versions recorded that were especially for each Late Night Tales album? Well, you can now get them exclusively in one special package.

Little nugget of info: the version of the Groove Armada track on the album was banned as it has the NASA recordings of the first moon landing that they didn't give CD permission for at the time!

Tracklisting:

1. Groove Armada – Fly Me to the Moon (originally recorded by Frank Sinatra)
2. Belle & Sebastian – Cassaco Marron (originally recorded by Trio Esperanca)
3. Sly & Robbie – La Isla Bonita (originally recorded by Madonna)
4. Nouvelle Vague – Come On Eileen (originally recorded by Dexy's Midnight Runners)
5. Tommy Guerrero – Come Together (originally recorded by The Beatles)
6. Zero 7 – Truth & Rights (originally recorded by Johnny Osbourne)
7. Turin Brakes – Moonlight Mile (originally recorded by The Rolling Stones)
8. Fila Brazilia – Nature Boy (originally recorded by Nat King Cole)
9. Howie B – Under the Boardwalk (originally recorded by The Drifters)
10. Kid Loco – Paralysed (originally recorded by Gang of Four)
11. Nightmares on Wax – Brothers on the Slide (originally recorded by Cymande)
12. Rae & Christian – Flashlight (originally recorded by Parlament)
13. Four Tet – Castle Made of Sand (originally recorded by Jimi Hendrix)
14. Fatboy Slim – Radioactivity (originally recorded by Kraftwerk)
15. The Flaming Lips – Seven Nation Army (originally recorded by White Stripes)
16. Groove Armada – Are ‘Friends’ Electric? (originally recorded by Gary Numan)
17. Lindstrom – Let It Happen (originally recorded by Vangelis)
18. Snow Patrol - New Sensation (originally recorded by INXS)

Follow Late Night Tales:

Web: http://latenighttales.co.uk
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/latenighttales1
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LateNightTales
SoundCloud: http://soundcloud.com/latenighttales
YouTube: http://youtube.com/latenighttalestv
Instagram: http://instagram.com/latenighttalesofficial
Spotify: http://goo.gl/Q98T7d
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/curator/late-night-tales/1233898093
Bandcamp: https://latenighttales.bandcamp.com/

Sly & Robbie - La Isla Bonita (Late Night Tales: The Cover Versions)

Sunset Walk

This track is from a collection of tunes from the live streamed sessions with Slamhaus. While bands or users will inspire me, every song was composed live on stream without any pre-thought melodies, progressions or beats. Watch a piece of music composed 100% in front of your eyes.

Watch this track composed lived from here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9GswX_8x4I&ab_channel=Slamhaus

Be a part of the music making! Watch Tunesday at 2pm CT every Tuesday!
www.twitch.tv/slamhaus

Album Artwork by Chris Amhaus

December 1st {Compass}

Claremont 56 is an independent label  dedicated to releasing beautiful music.

Please don't message me here as I don't read them, please get in touch via the website, thanks.

07 1939 Grand Ave

Claremont 56

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