Produced by Andy Gill of Gang Of Four. (Young Knives, Futureheads, Rumble Strips,etc...)
Remix of "The Last Time" Arthur Baker (New Order, Afrika Bambaata, etc...)
Mastered by Simon Davey (Chromeo, Amy Winehouse,DJ Shadow,Scissor Sisters, etc...)
After 8 months on the hop between London, Madrid and their native Basque Country, We Are Standard’s debut album under their new name, is finally
ready for release. Here in the office, we were wondering exactly how come it took so long. So we came up with a list of possible reasons:
1. They really like London
2. Everyone involved has worked as hard as they could to get this record sounding like it should
3. They want to force their record label into bankruptcy.
4. Other
Let’s settle on option 2.
The idea behind getting Gang of Four’s Andy Gill at the controls, was to give the band a more minimal sound. We figured he’d strip down the recording,
take out some instruments, and give the songs space to breathe. We were expecting something like an electro version of Entertainment!
What we didn’t expect, but were equally thrilled to find, was a producer and a band testing the limits of studio production. At every stage, the
workload has been full on with producer and band dedicating themselves to getting the best possible sound for the definitive dance rock record of
2008. Each kick drum, each backing vocal, every single fucking chime of a cowbell on this record is the result of at least ½ an hour of negotiation. A
monumental number of tracks and takes, resulted in 8 months of constant reworking. An early indicator could have been when the drums started
getting recorded separately. And we’re not talking about a normal overdub here. We mean, each snare, cymbal, and kick recorded separately for every
track, and then put back together in the mix. (It goes without saying that each track has at least 5 different snare sounds)
Guitars of every shape and colour, 18 vocal takes for each track, and instructions from the booth along the lines of “A bit more Soul please Deu”, or “Can
you do that exactly the same but with 5% less volume”…resulted in brains stretched to the point where they threatened to trickle out of Basque ears.
And not just brains but stomachs too. (do you follow?)
Over 8 months Standard managed to notch up 200 kebabs between the 5 of them, and claim to have sampled 18 new types of beer (with Newcastle
brown ale a clear favourite). Not to mention about 500 trips on the tube.
But enough of the music talk. What about the sessions outside of the studio?
Well they’ve had a few adventures. Standing out from the usual background noise of drunkenness, fights, and bickering, was a memorable party in
the pilates gym used by members of the royal family. And you can trust us when we say that it wasn’t half as dignified as all that implies.
This obviously isn’t a normal press release. But we want you to understand that We Are Standard is not a normal record. 8 months of studio time, down
time (and up time), has given birth to a record that grabs you where it hurts and pulls you onto the dancefloor. This hasn’t been a rush job - getting it
down on acetate and onto itunes to catch the hype. Each saturated track is testament to the work they’ve put into it, and a repudiation of what they
set out to achieve. This is a record to let yourself go to, not to sit around stroking your chin and analysing.
Right now, Standard are the band with the golden ticket to the chocolate factory of success. With festival performances in Germany’s Popkomm,
dates in Holland France and Belgium, and a sold out Austin show at SXSW, not only are they adapting their studio sound into a live onslaught, but
they’re also leaving diverse and international crowds raving about one thing. How they couldn’t stop dancing.
125 shows in support of last years record under their previous incarnation of Standard, have prepared them for this record. A record that so far
eclipses the first in terms of sound, ambition and direction that it’s almost like they’re a new band. With remixes by contemporaries such as Bonde Do
Role and The Cazals, and by classic dance producer Arthur Baker set for release, We Are Standard sees them plant their flag firmly in new
territory…and claim it for their own.
pensaba que os tenía agregados! no sé, me hice una cuenta nueva hace un tiempo. A ver sí nos tomamos una después del concierto del jueves! Good vibrations!!
Hyia familia... Somos musicos independientes y como tal, somos musicos pobres!!! Como no hay pasta para comprar una camera de video pero, estamos en un buen momento de creacion, hemos decidido "mangar" una imagenes de otros videos y trabajar sobre ellas. No lo queremos hacer de forma gratuita y, como disponemos de micros en los directos y de una plataforma virtual que nos permite colaborar con la denuncia social, pasaremos a ser un elemento activo de la guerrilla cultural...contamos con tu apoyo!!!Tenemos nuevo cover adaptado a unas imagenes que varias personas han considerado como ¿¿ofensivo??.Te pedimos que lo veas y nos pases tu opinion...
Hola We Are Standard, nos ponemos en contacto contigo porque estamos lanzando un nuevo proyecto musical que pensamos puede interesarte. Necesitamos nuevos grupos y gente del mundo de la música interesados en promocionarse y participar en nuestro proyecto. Te animamos a hacerlo y te adjuntamos un cartel informativo.
Antes que nada, te damos las gracias por estar ahí con nosotros. Nuestro primer objectivo ya esta cumplido...acabamos de colgar los dos ultimos temas de los 14 creados en apenas un més para nuestro repertorio, que presentaremos en directo el viernes 12 de febrero a las 22.00 en la Escola del Cabanyal, en la calle Progreso del mismo barrio de Valencia. La formacion completa que usaremos en directo son, Márinho en la voz y bajo acustico, Vicente "el Mono" en las guitarras y programacion ritmica, António J. Iglesias de Dwomo en las percusiones, harmonica y voces y Miriam Torres de madRefunk en el violin...desde luego estas invitad@ a no perderte este estreno que promete hacer "historia"... Bueno, y para terminar, te invitamos a acomodarte en nuestra "casa" y escuchar algunos de los temas originales y covers que hemos preparado para vuestro disfrute, crítica o un simples comment:
The productive electronic pilot, weird multi-instrumentalist, extraordinary shining performer and magical workaholic. His personal output has already more than 2000 tracks and still counting. This new release "Detimorya" is bursting with beautiful electronic walls of sound and trance inducing rhythms, as you listen disturbing moody soundscapes become uplifting shimmering melodies. Essential.
