Joe Downard, one of the most in-demand jazz bassists in the UK releases his new EP in collaboration with Todd Speakman: Seven Japanese Tales – THE REMIXES!
The jazz bassist Joe Downard partnered with his long-time friend and collaborator Todd Speakman on a new EP, ‘Seven Japanese Tales – THE REMIXES‘.
The release follows the success of Downard’s debut album which was released in June 2020. The project is supported by the Lottery-funded arts council program and looks to explore the intersection between jazz and electronic music.
“This project was all about bringing my music to life in a new and experimental way. The combined styles of where we both sit musically was something that I wanted to experiment with. It really creates something unique and exciting with bursts of jazz, experimental, analog and electronics that bring together followers of both Speakman Sound and myself in the corners of the musical world that we represent! Lastly a huge thank you to Arts Council England that has supported this project.” said Joe Downard
The EP is a new direction for Joe Downard which sees him partner with Todd Speakman. This long-term collaboration between both artists recreates two tracks from the album, ‘AGURI‘ and ‘APOS‘ which are morphed by Todd’s foothold in the realms of experimental underground electronics and combined with Downard’s routing in jazz and world music. The result is a balance of acoustic contemporary jazz with modern electronic stylings and sound design.
“To collaborate with Joe on taking the album tracks further – twisting them and bringing them into the more electronic world of my Speakman Sound project was an absolute joy! Joe’s ear extends wide and he is always looking to experiment, merge and cross pollinate with new styles and ideas. Sampling up and messing with his stems was a fascinating process” said Todd Speakman
The remix EP is now available to stream and purchase via Bandcamp, HERE. The vinyl version is also available to pre-order and includes two exclusive bonus tracks.