earsthetic is back… with DJ, producer and Bloc Party guitarist Kele in tow!
Kele heads to Brighton Dome for an intimate concert on Thursday 11 December where he’ll perform tracks from new album Trick as well as music from his previous releases The Boxer and The Hunter set to visuals by David Altweger.
Following his success as lead singer and guitarist with Bloc Party, Kele embarked on a new phase of his career at the end of 2013. Swapping out the angular guitars and anthemic choruses from the band, he headed straight to the dancefloor, producing a shimmering triumph of an album with The Boxer which melded influences as disparate and surprising as two-step, Italo-house and old school garage with seamless ease.
‘Most people know me as the singer in a bloc party, but anyone that knows our music knows that we have always been very honest about our love of dance’, says Kele
Producing and releasing the EPs Heartbreaker and Candy Flip on pivotal UK dance label Crosstown Rebels and Berlin’s Studio !K7, he’s made DJ appearances across the world; experiences that have fed into the creation of sophomore record Trick. A different, sleeker beast than previous releases - with a newfound emphasis on Kele’s soulful vocals - it’s a darker, more sensual and personal release which boldly stands at the crossroads of club history, old school soul and modern electronic R&B, with a distinctively British twist.
‘It’s been quite eye-opening, seeing how you can manipulate a crowd by tweaking a mixer. It’s exciting seeing how the similarities of seemingly disparate worlds come together,’ he adds
Check out Doubt from new album Trick
Meshing together visual art, new electronic music and experimental soundscapes, earsthetic aims to celebrate artists who break new ground with their symbiosis of sound and visuals. The season of events also includes a mixture of live shows, DJ sets and installations from analogue heroes Simian Mobile Disco, electroclash and multimedia artists Chicks on Speed, experimental pianist Sarah Nicolls, abstract techno-merchants Emptyset and composer and artist Claudia Molitor.earsthetic is produced and curated by Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival’s music producer Laura Ducceschi. Her aim is to work with musicians and musical projects in the same way as one would visual art, stepping aside from the typical music industry model and working with artists directly to develop their ideas and concepts, understand their practice, take risks and give full attention to the detail of their presentation
Laura Ducceschi explains ‘earsthetic is a very intentional collision of the visual and sonic worlds; it exists to present artists and projects that are embedded in these two mediums from the start - works that could equally be presented in a gallery, arts space or live arts venue. It exists to honour and support this art form and serve the palate of inquisitive audience members.’