Untold is the soundtrack to a psychedelic blaxploitation film that was too crazy to release. If there is a discernible style here, it is the limitless, post-genre exploration of the restless musical adventurer, whose range is so broad as to encompass itself as it crosses the world repeatedly in a single track. Each song has a core idea - a solid groove and an overarching vibe - but beyond that, the only constant is change – of instrument, mood and era. Having produced film soundtracks for most of his professional career, Fixed Error aka James Orr brings a narrative approach to arrangement, in each track and across the album as a whole. We get the sense that we are hearing a story unfold, with each scene having its own sonic arc.

Kicking off with the funked-up slap-bass car-chase of Out We Go, we are immediately thrown into a world of familiar sounds which are blended and mismatched in the most deliciously unpredictable way. An Asiatic twanging leads into a bombardment of bold brass, soaring strings, DJ scratching and coruscating synth stabs. As the pace subsides, the heavy rhythm gives way to melodic, wistful moments, before plunging us back onto the tarmac with a screech of horns and thud of pumping bass.

After this swaggering, high-octane introduction, we enter the sultry world of Ugandan soul singer MoRoots, crooning a lament to her lost love: Rain On My Skin. As the song develops, an offbeat piano stab and lazy horns turn this into a blunted jazzy Dub tune, as if Shirley Bassey had wandered into a Reggae bar. From track to track, we move into alternative musical universes, from the up-tempo, banging Funk breaks of Wax Lyrical, Flute Fight and Waiting For Time, to the screwed-down, blissful bass vibrations of Flowerchild and Ride The Line, to the psychedelic Disco that is Busted Chops, to the Dub-wise sound system vibes of Salutations. Just as we think we are getting a handle on the flavour of the moment, an incongruous instrument interrupts our reverie (check the rogue accordion on White Label), or Kagayi Ngobi when he captivates us on They Do Not Listen by vividly portraying the impoverished residents of the slums, illustrating their growing frustration with politicians who make empty promises and neglect the marginalized inhabitants of the ghettos.

Fixed Error gathered the material for this album over years, from a bewildering array of samples and live takes from his long career as a professional studio engineer. This is not to say that the overall effect is scattershot or random; Untold is a tightly-formed, polished album whose coherence lies in a deep understanding of how all the diverse elements work and how they can complement each other in new and unexpected ways. Densely-layered, each composition has orchestral levels of complexity, balancing and interweaving a myriad of instruments.

An album that you can get lost in for weeks, Untold is a high-concept, precision-cut musical odyssey that is packed in equal measure with original ideas and funky dancefloor energy.

Untold

Streaming & Download

Busted Chops

SWITCHSTANCE RECORDINGS 
Quality music for advanced listeners!

"Switchstance" is taken from the culture of boardsports, meaning the skill used to change the stance (easily) by switching one's foot position. The stance in freestyle Snowboarding or Skateboarding, is either riding in "regular" (left foot forward) or "goofy" (right foot forward) position. This identifies a really skilled rider and opens up a whole new world of trick combinations.

The label's creed and therefore the style of its producers and DJs is to have ultimate freedom, whether in their musical movements or in "switching" between various styles. The aim of the label is to combine early musical influences such as Funk, Jazz, Latin, 90´s Hip Hop and Reggae with the most progressive techniques of electronic music production in order to create a new dynamic sound that pays respect to the diverse cultures it comes from. It is the soundtrack of the lives of artists that dedicate their time and energy to produce cutting-edge grooves for a conscious and openminded generation.

Inspired by the label members' and friends' lifestyles in music, boardsports, arts and travels; the sound of Switchstance is always in motion and reflects a unique vision and attitude towards modern life. 

Busted Chops

Switchstance Recordings