Bassically – Prepare For It – Fossil Sounds

Buy Link: beatport.com/label/fossil-sounds/68338

‘Audio Diaries’ follows the innovative and expansive journey of London artist, Bassically. Written in isolation in a self-established, improvised studio during the pandemic.Bassically is one of many projects masterminded by Raz Olsher, the founder of Fossil Studios. Raz has worked with the likes of Gilles Peterson, Lemar and M. J. Cole and recently writes as Raz & Afla; A new exciting musical duo making waves on the UK Afrobeat scene.This stunning new album came about when Raz, stranded in quarantine on a remote beach in Thailand, challenged himself to write a track every day through the month of April. The 30 resulting tracks have been narrowed down to 13 and are now presented on this immersive journey into the mind of a musical mystic. Theaudio journal takes listeners on a deep adventure through a dynamic range of UK dance genres.

Raz’s vision and project attracted the attention of e-instruments and Electronic Groove, amongst others, who requested to interview him. In this inspirational interview, Raz speaks of his COVID-19 period as one of seclusion and incubation in which he overcame adversity to grow and create. The resulting three-minute video
has been approved by the UN’s Office for Partnerships as part of a World Health Organisation’s messaging
campaign, using one of Raz’s quarantine compositions as the soundtrack.

“I was confronted every morning by a blank canvas which excited me immensely. Audio Diaries is as much
about the apocalyptic state of the world as it is about the small things in our immediate environment”. – Bassically

This UK dance voyage kicks off with ‘Prepare For It’, tantalising deep house with rippling chords and an apocalyptic Sun Ra interview. ‘What Will Happen’ brings toe-tapping, funky drum programming and tropical
bass. ‘Skylarking’ is a bottomless dub, utilising well-treated vocal samples from the iconic reggae cut of the
same title. ‘Hands On’ then picks up the mood with a vibey house groove that plays tribute to the late Bill Withers. ‘Ephemeral Skies’ brings organic flavour and an invitation to reground, and ‘Listen Carefully’ offers that slinky bass house we all crave. Amongst many other standouts, lush and soulful jungle defines ‘Coming To An End’ and the epic closer ‘Optimism of Will’ is a brilliantly sunny and loose broken-beat jam with gorgeous jazz chords.

This is an album of real musicianship, and one that explores a whole world of beats and grooves while fusing
studio synthesis, spoken word and organic sounds to an escapist and immersive effect.

Bassically ‘Audio Diaries’ drops on Fossil Sounds on November 27th, 2020.

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@bassicallymusic