Kid Koala: Lost At Sea feat. Trixie Whitley
The ace Montreal turntablist/composer previews new album Music To Draw To: Io with this beguiling track featuring ethereal vocals placed amidst an evocative synths-drenched soundscape.
By Kerry Doole
Kid Koala: "Lost At Sea feat. Trixie Whitley" (Arts & Crafts): On Friday (Jan. 25), famed Montreal turntablist/composer/producer Kid Koala (Eric San) releases Music To Draw To: Io, the second volume in his transportive ambient-vocal collaboration series.
Inspired by music that allows space for the listener’s ideas, the Music To Draw To series is described in a press release as "an unfolding universe of wintry soundscapes and enchanting vocal journeys. Io is a constellation of electronic meditations that glint with the otherworldly blues of singer Trixie Whitley on six of its eighteen songs."
One of these tracks, "Lost at Sea," is now out, and it whets the appetite for more. It features the haunting voice of Whitley placed amidst Kid Koala's dreamy and mesmerising soundscapes. He creates all the music here, abandoning his turntables in favour of a dazzling array of synthesizers, including the trove of rare instruments at Calgary’s National Music Centre.
Lyrically, this song (and the album) is inspired by the Greek mythology of Io, an unwilling mortal lover of the god Zeus, with "Lost At Sea" depicting the character's emergence from darkness. Sample lyrics: "out of range, lost at sea, it took me years to return to me."
Collaborator Whitley (known for her work with Daniel Lanois in Black Dub) praises KK's talent, describing him as "a thinker, creator, and artist, with the incredible ability to invent new artistic dimensions, and fill them with uncanny characters.”
Kid Koala launches the album with Montreal shows at SAT, Jan. 24-25, followed by North American touring. Canadian dates are in Ottawa, at Black Squirrel Books on Jan. 30, and at St. Catharines' FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, Feb. 18-20. Full itinerary here
Links:
Publicity: Kim Juneja, Take Aim Media
Kid Koala - Lost At Sea feat. Trixie Whitley (Official Video) from kid koala on Vimeo.
