Friday, September 12, 2014 Follow us on Twitter @Argus_The Guide AndyHowells chats toWelsh singer /songwriter RachelKCollier about her newrelease
Curious over new release
CURIOUS, the new single from Ray Foxx featuring Ra- chel K Collier, is the latest collaboration from the duo, following on from last sum- mer’s infectious Top 20 hit ‘Boom Boom (Heartbeat)’. The 23-year-old singer/ songwriter Rachel who hails from Swansea and is a former student of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, has had quite a busy year since her last chart appear- ance. “I’m working on an EP now
and another commercial re- lease which will be coming quite soon after Curious,” she says, “I spent a bit of time in LAlast year just song writing not only for myself but for other artists and other pro- jects. I came back last sum- mer and it all kicked off with the Boom Boom which was amazing because we got to play Majorca Rocks and the RadioOneLive Lounge. Since then I’ve been working on my own stuff and getting all my solo material together.” Anyone who hears Rachel’s music is usually struck by her diversity, she is equally at home playing piano and sing- ing as well as laying down beat hooks for new dance tracks. “I love dancing and I love
Interview
writing over a beat, but scrape all that back and I’m a singer/songwriter,” she continues, “I play piano and write stuff with chords, if you take away the beat there will always be a strong song there. Sometimes it’s quite hard knowing where to fit yourself in.” Rachel’s musical success is
a far cry for the young girl from Swansea whose initial interest was drawing. “There was a piano in the house which my mum played a bit when I was small. One day I just switched from drawing pictures to playing around on the piano every night. It was like a complete transi- tion; I found the piano and started experimenting on there, copying tunes from the television. I never really read music until I was about 18. I had a really good group of supportive friends who would just listen to me.” Since studying a Music
Tech course at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama Rachel has fronted her own band and released several recordings before signing to Island Records. Re- cently Rachel had to turn her
RIVERFRONT SHOW: Preston Reed
NEW RELEASE: Rachel with Ray Foxx follow up Boom Boom with Curious.
skills to acting for the Curi- ous video inwhich she is seen swimming with a male mod- el. “We shot it in Ibiza dur- ing July, I was quite nervous because it was an acting role. I did a bit of acting in school at the Glamorgan County Theatre. To be honest I didn’t like acting, I just used to like the singing and the dancing. There was this moment in the boiling sun when I was just about to swim in the water to do this underwater kiss scene and I thought, “Actually the West Glamorgan county thea- tre had its uses!” Does Rachel have a particu- lar formula she follows when
collaborating on a track with another artist? “With Ray Foxx it’s been a song before- hand and then he’s taken a song and made a wicked beat. Then Ray and I work on it to make the chorus strong. But in my next commercial re- lease, the producer just sent me the beat. He said “can you write me a melody and lyr- ics over this?” In that case it can be beat first, it varies. It depends on the producer you are working with.” A varied approach to music ensures Rachel won’t be re- strained by a specific genre, so music fans can expect to be hearing more from her in
coming months as a singer, songwriter and producer. “There’s lots of ways you can go about making music especially for me, because I can go about making bang- ing dance music or stripped back vocal and piano. With my forthcoming EP I want to get a blend in there I make a lot of music just from my vo- cal sounds. I do like to have a variety of what I can do. It’s definitely a challenge.” Curious by Ray Foxx featur-
ing Rachel K Collier is avail- able on Island Records now.
Veteran rockers have no doubts
When it was first released at the start of 1991, Jesus Jones’ second album Doubt quickly became a phenomenon. The London band’s debut album Liquidizer (1989) had set out their blueprint for en- ergetic, sample-driven pop, blending house and techno into short, sharp bursts of noise. They’d had their first taste
of success with the single Real Real Real in the sum- mer of 1990, which saw them storm the charts (and Top Of The Pops), but Doubt was the album that saw the band achieve worldwide success. It entered the UK charts at num- ber one, and gave Jesus Jones their first gold disc. It would also see massive sales around the world. The success of the album enabled them to play to 200,000 people in Brazil, at the Hol-
lywood Rock Festival, to Sup- port INXS at Wembley Sta- dium, and to appear on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury. Since then, Jesus Jones have released a further three al- bums, and have remained to- gether, touring around the UK and the rest of the world. Now, a quarter of a century
after the songs were written, they’ve decided to play Doubt in full for the first time ever. Front man and songwriter,
Mike Edwards, explains: “We revisited our debut album Liq- uidizer for a one-off gig last year, and the entire process was not just great fun, it was a revelation: there were songs we’d almost forgotten about, that we learned not just to play again, but to love again. “That’s why we decided to do Doubt in full. I can’t wait to get back on the stage!” The band have only ever had
REUNION: Jesus Jones
one line-up change in their entire career, when original drummer Gen left at the end of 1997, Now Gen has rejoined the band and the original line- up are back together again. Edward says: “We’ve grown
up together, and it’s a privi- lege to all be on the same stage, playing the songs that kick- started our entire career.” Catch Jesus Jonesat The
Fleece in Bristol on September 14.
PERCUSSIVE finger-style gui- tar master Preston Reed is back at The Riverfront with a new show on Saturday 20 Septem- ber at 7.45pm. Using the two-handed per- cussive acoustic technique he pioneered in 1987, Reed fuses chord-based grooves, soaring melodic runs and percussion that integrate the potential of the guitar body. Reed doesn’t need a band. He is the band. Today at the top of his game,
Reed’s recordings and live performances still define the sound of the pioneering com- positional guitar genre he in- vented over a quarter of a cen- tury ago. Reed’s live shows are full of contrasts, by turns explosive and sweetly lyrical. He riffs with the conviction and guts of a rock band, yet plays with the subtlety of the most deli- cate jazz pianist. With a career spanning over four decades this trailblazer still tours and records with a passion that flows into the hearts, heads and feet of his audience. Call 01633 656757 for booking information.
34th & Final Annual VINTAGERALLY
Tredegar House&Park Newport, South Wales(1/2 mile,Exit 28 M4) SUNDAY 21st September
VINTAGE&CLASSIC :- * Cars *Motor Cycles *Commercial Vehicles *Tractors *StationaryEngines *Military Vehicles *Steam Engines
Varioushistoric encampments Inc: WW2 &American Civil War
OVER 1,500 EXHIBITS.
ADULTS ...................... £8.00 CHILDREN.................. £5.00 SENIOR CITIZENS... £7.00
FAMILYTICKET......... £20.00 2Adults &upto4 Children under 16 yearsofage
Dogs on leads welcome
FURTHER INFORMATIONTEL: 01633 -895145/891262 E-mail:
LeukaemiaRally@TredegarHouse.co.uk Website:
www.TredegarHouseRally.co.uk TO DONATE PLEASE TEXT: BEAT15 £(Amount)to70070
Rockwood DogDisplay Team and otherarena events •WorkingCraft Marquee •Children’s Amusements •AutoJumble, Trade Stands •SideShows
Vintage/Classic Car Auction by Newport Auctions
3 Music
Virtuoso Reed at Riverfront
FREE PARkING
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12