LITHIUM
P
ROJECT
WORDS
:
KINGSLEY
MARSHALL
PICTURE
:
COURTNEY
HAMILTON
))MARS PLASTIC:
LITHIUM PROJECT
))
With Bryan Gee tapping into the samba vibe, liked. Originally the biggest interest came from “I don’t know how to best describe it either,” offers
so Hydrogen Dukebox have chosen to follow on Moving Shadow but, as they were so involved with Jason. “Just before we took the break from recording
from the recent Caribbean excursions of label veteran drum & bass, we figured that we’d be better off with we were seeking out a few more live players and
James Hardway with a taste of the Americas from a more diverse label and ended up with Clear.” heading into a similar sort of vibe that 4 Hero had laid
drummer Jason Farrall and studio wunderkind Kenny down within ‘Two Pages’. Would people call that a
Clarke. The first taste of the project takes the form of All was not well however, with the trio only managing drum & bass album? Playing the tracks out live was
‘Passo Fundo’, a mini-LP which was nearly released to release a remix and an EP before the label folded. always the original intention and we’ve always had a
on the now defunct Clear nigh on two years ago - the “Maybe it’s us,” laughs Jason. “The guy who signed problem with samples, where it would perhaps be
longevity of the six tracks testament to their quality - us had made us a bit wary as he didn’t want to do easier to do something minimal over the top of some
with the live percussion and complex key work of any marketing or anything but that seemed OK at the great loops as Massive Attack did with Billy Cobham
the title enriched by the Good Looking atmospherics time, with it being a small label and everything. We’d or Portishead with the Lalo Schiffrin tracks - so as
of ‘Earthly Egos’ and the techno infusion of ‘Moments had some good reviews but the whole scene seemed opposed to trying to find loops that fitted we found it
In Neon’ which spills over into the meandering a little weird at the time, where nobody seemed to easier to drum them ourselves or whatever. For us if
fusion of ‘Resurgan’. know which direction drum & bass was taking and we we haven’t created most of the element there in the first
were pretty shocked to see it fragment as it did when place it just doesn’t feel right.”
“We worked in the same studio in Basingstoke for the movement seemed to be so strong at that time.”
Network Records around 1993 onwards,” opens Jason With bass player Raj having “disappeared” and
in describing how he came to meet up with Ken. “I was Hardly surprisingly with the carpet pulled from under keyboardist Dove joining the project full time, expect
part of an act called Aquarelle and Ken was training to them for a second time, the Lithium’s took some some more material within the next few months.
be a sound engineer. We both worked with Mark time off. “We had a total break from music for just “We’ve decided that ‘Passo Fundo’ is a one sided
Archer and Danny Taurus, who had gone on to form over a year. It had been difficult going financially album, six tracks instead of twelve. We’re intending to
Slo-Moshun just after Altern-8, before going our sepa- prior to the whole thing with Clear and we essentially follow with some more recent material, which will
rate ways when Network folded.” just had to get out there and earn some cash! include some songs, in around six months or so.”
We’d spent a little bit of time trying to knock
Continuing he says, “We hooked back up a little something out quick to make some money, as When questioned about the title of the mini-album,
while later and really enjoyed what each other was everyone does from time to time I’m sure, but we just Jason pauses for a second - “Where did we get that
doing. Ken had been working on house before dabbling weren’t able to do it in that we’d get a few samples from?” he asks Ken, before laughing. “I know it had
in drum & bass while I had gone off on a tangent together but ended up going off in another direction something to do with Dove doing a Spanish course -
working with a couple of other guys using live and doing something different.” maybe it was off a map? Essentially we wanted to
instruments and stuff.” reflect that whole Cuban thing. We’ve always been into
This year has seen a turn of fortunes with Hydrogen the percussive side and I think with things like the
It was from these foundations that the Lithium Project Dukebox label manager Doug Hart signing the band Buena Vista Social Club and stuff people have started
came about, crafting the best parts of these disparate and choosing to release ‘Passo Fundo’ having heard to reconnect with it - sometime you can hear that
elements into a single entity. “Ken, myself and Danny some Lithium tracks at the MIDEM music conference. sunshine in music and I think that’s the vibe that whole
were doing reviews for DJ magazine and had got to Though broadly drum & bass the material sits carnival style puts across.”
know a few labels, so following the demise of Network uncomfortably with the category with strains of 70s
we figured we’d send out a few demos to those that we fusion, techno and bossa all clambering to the surface. ‘Passo Fundo’ is available now on Hydrogen Dukebox.
50 KNOWLEDGE
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51