https://soundcloud.com/holy-strays - Spirals Ep [KTW012] 
W/ Frànçois Atlas, GLITTERڭليثر٥٥, Boubacar Cissokho & Stranded Horse
Mastered by Paulie Jan at Agit Prop Studio

'Spirals' is a series of electronic improvisations initiated by Sébastien Forrester in Essaouira late june 2019, while the Paris-based, Franco-British musician was performing with Frànçois & the Atlas Mountains and Maâlem Saïd Boulhimas as part of a residency at l'Institut Français. 
Deeply moved by the intensity and intricacy of the traditional Gnawa ritual, also known as lila, and the shady mystics surrounding its existence, Forrester tried to capture that special, stupendous energy with no other intention than archiving spontaneous sonic memories. 
It is only after Vincent Leibovitz, Kowtow Records' founder and curator, heard the sketches, that the idea of completing the pieces and releasing them properly first came to their mind.

Presented as pure sound impressions, the so-called 'Spirals' do not aim at mimicing Gnawa music in any sort of way, but try to draw from its complex and relentless rhythmic schemes as a tribute to its immense mediation power. Built on a dying laptop with nothing more than a pair of headphones, very often outside, alone at night, the seven tracks roll out as fugitive dreams, somewhere between frenetic trance-inducing soundscapes à la Lorenzo Senni and lush atmospherics, sometimes reminding of James Holden's Gnawa-infused modular experiments. FM synthesizers echo the guembri, hypnotic basslines meet ambient rave tropes and impromptu field recordings: most percussion sound were indeed made out of on-the-fly iPhone recordings of rock noises, claps and snaps...

Only afterwards were added vocal arrangements and instrumental contributions by super talented friends who all happen to have strong links with different forms traditional music: Frànçois Atlas drops his signature guitar sound and future folk vocal textures on 'Spiral Line', Paris-based Moroccan DJ and vocalist GLITTERڭليثر٥٥ reinvents a popular Gnawa chant on 'Spiral Column' while Dakar-based griot and renowned kora player Boubacar Cissokho and Normandy-based singer-songwriter Yann Tambour, also known as Stranded Horse, lay elegant and timeless kora lines on top of 'Spiral 34-52' and 'Spiral Motion'.

Mastered by Paulie Jan at Agit Prop Studio (Mind Records, PRR! PRR!, Gravats, Le Turc Mécanique...), 'Spirals' is out april 3rd on Kowtow Records.

Sébastien Forrester - Spirals Ep [KTW012]

Spiral

Spiral Still

Sebastien Forrester - Spiral Still

Sebastien Forrester - Spiral Motion

Sebastien Forrester - Spiral Shriek

Sebastien Forrester - Spiral 34 - 52

Sébastien Forrester, 'Spiral Line (feat. Frànçois Atlas)' (2020). Courtesy KOWTOW Records, Paris.

Read more about Sébastien Forrester's forthcoming EP 'Spirals', on CxC: couvrexchefs.com/sebastien-forrester-spiral-column-glitter-kowtow

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[PREMIERE] Sébastien Forrester - Spiral Column (feat. GLITTERڭليثر٥٥) [Kowtow Records]

buy there : http://smarturl.it/spiralsep

After a trilogy of percussive club-ready EP’s on his own label Afraa Productions last year, Paris-based Franco-British composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Sébastien Forrester is back with a new project on Kowtow Records. Heavily inspired by the intricacy and unique energy of the Gwana ritual, Sébastien explores a new intersection between contemporary electronic music and the ancestral rhythms of traditional Gnawa chants on his ‘SPIRALS’ EP. 

Equally at ease making club music as he is building tense, misty soundscapes or producing for rappers and pop artists, Sébastien Forrester has always held a deep passion and appreciation for traditional folk music. His very first encounter with music and percussion as a child, whilst living with his family in Gabon, was indeed the Bwiti ritual drums. Feeling deeply moved by the intensity of the traditional Gnawa ritual and the shady mystics surrounding its existence, Sébastien has sought to capture the special, stupendous energy of the ritual across the forthcoming EP. 

Recorded during his trip to Essaouira and Agadir, Morocco last year, whilst performing as part of a residency with l'Institut Français, alongside Frànçois Atlas and Maâlem Saïd Boulhimas, ‘SPIRALS’ EP forms a sonic travel diary that brings together a series of electronic improvisations initiated by Sébastien. Across the EP, Sébastien does not seek to mimic Gnawa music, but instead draws from its complex and relentless rhythmic patterns as a tribute to its immense meditational power. Put together on a dying laptop, very often outside in the open air, with nothing more than a pair of headphones, the seven tracks roll out as fugitive dreams. 

Sitting somewhere between frenetic trance-inducing soundscapes and lush atmospherics, across the EP, we find a marriage of hypnotic basslines and ambient rave elements. FM synthesizers echo the sound of the Guembri string instrument, whilst impromptu field recordings form most of the percussive sounds with on-the-fly iPhone recordings of claps, snaps and rocks thrown together. 

Teaming up with talented friends who also have strong links with different forms of traditional music, we find added vocal arrangements and instrumental contributions from Frànçois Atlas (of Frànçois & The Atlas Mountains) who drops his signature guitar sound and future folk vocal textures on ‘Spiral Line’. Alongside, Paris-based Moroccan DJ and vocalist GLITTER, reinvents a popular Gnawa chant on ‘Spiral Column’ whilst Dakar-based griot and renowned kora player, Boubacar Cissokho and the Normandy-based Boubacar Cissokho, lay elegant and timeless kora lines on ‘Spiral 34-52’ and ‘Spiral Motion’.
 
Altogether, ‘SPIRALS’ EP is the natural convergence of two distant worlds, reconnected through the vision, passion and respect of Sébastien Forrester. A singular musical experience that sees contemporary electronics meet the flux and waving rhythms of the Gnawa ritual. The unique syncopation and constant movement of rhythm across the EP proves both eminently soothing and dancefloor-friendly.

Spirals

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PREMIERE : Sébastien Forrester - Spiral 17-22

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