There were plenty of reasons for Londoner James Mathé to simply keep course after the release of his well received debut album, Chemical Campfires in 2008 on Fence Records: a flourishing reputation as one of Britain's most exciting acoustic troubadours, a prominent spot in Johnny Flynn and Jose Gonzales' backing bands, the roar of applause from the audience at a sold-out show at New York's Bowery Ballroom still ringing in his ears. But Mathé had other ideas. “I loved the acoustic scene, but knew it was not all I was about,” he remembers. “So I dug out all my old Casiotone keyboards, drum machines and analogue synths and just started writing.”

Bloodlines, then, is a compelling reinvention and sees Mathé’s emotive missives from young adulthood rewired into elegiac electronic anthems, dusted with huge spectral gasps of reverb and soul-wrenching organ melodies. Unusually for such an electronic album, it was recorded on vintage analogue gear and straight to tape.  “I really fancied getting back to basics,” says Mathé “I was tired of trying to iron out all the mistakes in modern production. I wanted to record live to tape, keeping all the mistakes in, warts and all.”   

From the sultry ache of opener Bloodline – a nod to Massive Attack's Unfinished Sympathy “about not picking up the bad habits of the generation before you”, says Mathé – to the Pharrell Williams-inspired urban crunch of ‘Turbine’, all the way to ‘The Load’, written when Mathé was indulging in his love of Jurassic 5 era 90s hip hop, Bloodlines is a brilliantly varied listen that pulls and paws at your heartstrings.    If there's a gloriously loose, tenebrous feel to songs like the blue-eyed electro-soul ‘Pagliacco’, it might have something to do with the Londoner's organic approach to song writing. “I just sit down with my dictaphone and make sense of what comes out afterwards. The best stuff usually comes when I’m hungover or not really thinking. The minute I try to be clever with words, it just sounds shit,” Mathé laughs.  Instead, the album's lyrics burn with a simple, poignant immediacy and Mathé sings them with touching, soulful grace. 

Recently signed to iconic London label Memphis Industries (Field Music, POLIÇA, The Go! Team, Dutch Uncles), Mathé is influenced by everything from soul men Stevie Wonder, D'Angelo and Levon Helm to Dirty Projectors and Sufjan Stevens but points to one inspiration in particular for the overall mood of Bloodlines – Vincent Gallo’s cult '90s film Buffalo 66, a twisted romance about a tap dancer who falls for her convict kidnapper – “the end scene which features Yes's Heart of the Sunrise and the scene with Cristina Ricci dancing to King Crimson’s Moonshine at a bowling hall especially,” he notes. 

Tender yet triumphant, Bloodlines marks Mathé as one of Britain's most versatile and adventurous artists.


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contact: info@thrivemusic.com
booking: alex@warpathgroup.com


JRabbit first came into the scene in 2009, with his remix for B.Rich on Party Like Us Records. Shortly after he began working with Reidspeed and her label, Play Me Records, first with the ep I'm so Happy. Then again in 2010 with the Mustardayonnaise EP done with contributing artist Tremourz. He worked with Tremourz again in 2010, with his break through single, Sexy Party. The song gained lots of support from acts like Bassnectar, Excision, Skrillex and many more.
In 2011, JRabbit finished a bootleg of Benny Benassi's classic song, Satisfaction. The song gained lots support from acts such as Diplo,Laidback Luke,Benny Benassi and many more. The song's popularity lead to it's eventual, official release on Ministry of Sound's The Sound of Dubstep Vol. 3.
In later 2011, JRabbit joined Skrillex on his Mothership Tour. Playing alongside 12th Planet, Nadastrom, Dillon Francis, Knife Party and more. The tour covered the United States and Canada and was described by many "unforgettable" and "ground breaking".
In 2012, JRabbit started to blend genres, starting with his Ninja Step EP on Play Me Records. He had other successes with EPs and remixes in 2012 and a single on OWSLA but his next two breakthrough tunes, were his moombahcore bootlegs of Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Del the Funky Homosapien's Mistadobalina. Which gained lots of dj support and attention.
Also in 2012 he toured with Flux Pavilion and Brown and Gammon, on Flux's Standing on a Hill Tour and with Sluggo and Helicopter Showdown on the No Hostages Tour.
Later that year, JRabbit remixed Korn's Narcissistic Cannibal, which was a collaboration with Skrillex, Kill the Noise. The remix was later featured on UKF.
In early 2013, he tour with Big Chocolate on their American Hustle Tour.
he began to blend genres even more with releases on Buygore and Dim Mak. Also with remixes for Ali Love, Flinch, Helicopter Showdown and more. In the summer he released a bootleg of Tequila which gained huge support and popularity both online and at festivals. Now with over 4.5 million views on youtube it has not only become a jrabbit classic, but a staple in trap remixes.
In 2014, JRabbit toured with Terravita on their "Rituals Tour". Shortly after tour, JRabbit released an EP with Slow Roast Records, "Peyote Soda EP".
Now in 2015, after a brief hiatus, due to personal matters, JRabbit has teamed up with Thrive Records and is wrapping up his debut house album. "Give it to Me", the first single from the album, has been scheduled for release 6/30/15.

World Circuit Records has made its reputation by producing some of the finest albums of the past three decades. The label’s prestigious roster includes the Grammy-winning Buena Vista Social Club and associated solo artists (including Ibrahim Ferrer, Rubén González, Omara Portuondo and Orlando ‘Cachaíto’ López), Malian blues pioneer and Grammy-winner Ali Farka Touré, Malian divas and social activists Oumou Sangaré and Fatoumata Diawara, master kora player Toumani Diabaté, the illustrious Orchestra Baobab, musical iconoclast Cheikh Lô, and Fela Kuti’s legendary drummer and co-creator of Afrobeat Tony Allen. 
 
With reissues and brand new releases coming soon, World Circuit continues to bring diverse, genre-defying music to a wider audience.

Audible is audio entertainment that educates, entertains, and inspires. Our unmatched selection of audiobooks and original premium podcasts feature performances by unforgettable narrators and A-list celebrities. Listen anywhere, anytime with our free Audible app.

Cooking Vinyl is an independent record label based in London, UK. A hugely diverse roster of acts are currently signed to the label, from The Darkness to legends including The Orb, Shed Seven, to veteran protest singer Billy Bragg, rave pioneers The Prodigy, plus Elles Bailey and The Jesus and Mary Chain. Cooking Vinyl has been in existence since 1986 and has issued over 400 releases in that time.

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