Good things come to those who wait. The album 'The Children of Scorpio' by Project Gemini aka Paul Osborne is a result of his steeped 30-year musical journey that’s seen him dig deep, study his record collection and re-emerge to fine-tune his craft. 

A cinematic musical journey that plays out like a long-lost soundtrack (think cult B-movies of the 60s and 70s); 'The Children of Scorpio’ was formed from Paul's love of a myriad of genres; from European library music, acid folk, psych-funk, vintage soundtracks and the contemporary breaks scene. The album draws on iconic classics such as the masterful cinematic funk of Lalo Schifrin's 'Dirty Harry', Ennio Morricone's 'Vergogna Schifosi’ and Luis Bacalov’s 'The Summertime Killer’, to name but a few. You can also hear the folk sounds of Mark Fry's iconic 'Dreaming With Alice', the Britsh folk-jazz of The Pentangle and the David Axelrod-produced 'Release Of An Oath' by The Electric Prunes, woven into the cultural tapestry of this gem. The influence of these vintage productions of the 60s and 70s is evident; however, it could be argued that there’s also echoes of the funkier psychedelic moments of bands such as The Stones Roses and The Charlatans, alongside contemporaries such as The Heliocentrics and Little Barrie, thus giving the album a broader crossover potential beyond the world of crate digging and vintage soundtracks.

A bass player and musician since the age of 16, the arrival of his first child in 2010 saw Paul move away from live performance and retreat to his home studio, recording a wealth of music that was destined to never be heard. One of the first tunes to be made was a demo entitled ‘The Children Of Scorpio’, inspired by his long-time obsession with Lalo Schifrin’s soundtrack to violent Clint Eastwood cop classic 'Dirty Harry'. Recorded for fun, the track was fated to sit in the archives untouched. However, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, connections to a wealth of inspirational musicians and labels would re-ignite Paul's musical fire and give him the impetus to develop his slept-on ideas into something more concrete. Firstly resulting in releasing two limited 7'' records on Delights Records and now the long-player for Mr Bongo. 

Assisting in the recording of the record were several close friends that have helped spark Paul's musical creativity along the way, including well-renowned guitarist and Little Barrie frontman Barrie Cadogan (who contributes killer six-string guitar to four tracks), Delights Records head-honcho Markey Funk (who adds spooked out keyboards to ‘Path Through The Forest’), Kid Victrola, the chief songwriter and guitarist with French psych girl group Gloria who added wild 12-string to ‘Scorpio’s Garden’, Haifa-based multi-instrumentalist and producer Shuzin who brings the heat behind the drum kit, and Paul Isherwood, co-founder of Nottingham’s The Soundcarriers, who mixed the album on his wealth of vintage gear.
We are delighted to be releasing this slowly-brewed timeless classic that manages to achieve that rare feat of keeping one foot firmly in the past whilst still sounding totally contemporary.

Project Gemini - The Children Of Scorpio

MR BONGO_part2

'The Children of Scorpio’ is the first single and title track from Project Gemini’s forthcoming album. Project Gemini, aka Paul Osborne, has created a cinematic musical journey that plays out like a long-lost soundtrack (think cult B-movies of the 60s and 70s); 'The Children of Scorpio’ was formed from Paul's love of a myriad of genres; from European library music, acid folk, psych-funk, vintage soundtracks and the contemporary breaks scene. 

The single ’The Children of Scorpio' started life as a demo 12 years ago, when Paul's time playing in various bands had come to an end and he started recording music at his home studio. Paul took inspiration from many sources including his obsession with Lalo Schifrin’s soundtrack to the Clint Eastwood film, 'Dirty Harry’, and artists like David Axelrod and his work on The Electric Prunes 'Release of an Oath’ LP. Paul channelled these influences into his creation, titled it in a nod to the villain in 'Dirty Harry', shelved it and moved on. 

After the release of his first single as Project Gemini in 2019 Paul decided to start work on an album project and revisited the original demo. He described the process, “I stripped it right back to its bare bones and started reconstructing it from scratch (although the vocals and middle guitar break survived from that original 2010 demo), and once I’d nailed the bass sound it all came together. Haifa-based multi-instrumentalist Shuzin brought some serious heat on the drums, and Barrie Cadogan, aka Little Barrie, put the icing on the cake by adding the solo you hear at the tail end of the track. It turned out to be the creative trigger for the whole album, and for that reason, it’s a really important track for me personally.”

Download

‘June’ is the third single to be taken from Project Gemini’s forthcoming album. Project Gemini, aka Paul Osborne, has created a cinematic musical journey that plays out like a long-lost soundtrack (think cult B-movies of the 60s and 70s); 'The Children of Scorpio’ was formed from Paul's love of a myriad of genres; from European library music, acid folk, psych-funk, vintage soundtracks and the contemporary breaks scene. 

Every good soundtrack needs a love song, right? 'The Children of Scorpio' is no exception. 'June' takes a left-turn from the tough and funky psychedelic tracks and eases us into a gentle, brief calm to cleanse the palette. It is reminiscent of a late 60s pop and folk-rock love theme that draws inspiration from The Free Design, Wendy & Bonnie etc. Calming, beautiful and warm, but with a slight sinister shimmer. 

Paul Osborne describing the lyrics and production said “The original intention of the lyrics was about the passing of Summer to Autumn, but as the narrative thread behind the album is about a missing person, they became the mysterious June of the title. Paul Isherwood (from The Soundcarriers) who mixed the album added the final touch with the spooky 2 second intro.  I try and shy away from doing vocals these days but needs must for this tune and I was actually really happy with how they turned out which never happens. The closest thing to a proper ‘song’ on the record!”

Project Gemini - The Invitation (Interlude)

Mr Bongo