Morcheeba in concert tonight – recorded at The Rio Loco Festival in Toulouse only a few days ago (June 11th) by the ever-present and eternally grateful Radio France International.
With eleven albums to their credit, Morcheeba should be a household name just based on sheer numbers alone. They’ve been around since 1995 and have been largely responsible, or at the very least, Pioneers in mashing up Trip-hop, electronic, alternative R&B and Downtempo.
Originally from the small village of Saltwood, just north of Hythe, Kent, the Godfrey brothers—DJ/Drummer/producer/engineer and Lyricist Paul and multi-instrumentalist Ross—moved to London when they were gaining traction from A&R people. Sometime in the mid-1990s, at a party in Greenwich, the brothers met Skye Edwards, who was singing backup in a funk band, and also played the guitar; before too long the three began recording songs together, and formed the trio Morcheeba. At first Paul produced tracks at their home studio in his bedroom. They were eventually signed to China Records (WMG) by Angus Blair (A&R) and the band released their debut Trigger Hippie EP in October 1995. At the same time, Paul Ablett came on board as the second manager. The band’s debut album, Who Can You Trust?, was released in April 1996 and fitted snugly into the trip hop genre through a combination of Paul Godfrey’s hip hop roots, Ross Godfrey’s psychedelic rock influences and Edwards’ soul-styled vocals. A second single, “Tape Loop”, appeared in July 1996 and was a hit on BBC Radio 1 and TV. The band began to play live non-stop in Europe and North America, with a live band that included five additional members. At this point, the band had outgrown the home recording set-up and the brothers were renting their own studio in Battersea as Paul was heavily influenced by the Beastie Boys and wanted total creative freedom, having engineered many different styles in Kent before starting the project. Being a sample seeker, he felt he knew the versatile way to keep albums interesting. In 1997, after a mind-blowing phone call Paul had with a family hero, they contributed to the David Byrne album Feelings, participating in the recording and production of the release when they weren’t on the road.
With a more high end analogue recording set-up, and the fact the brothers had written most of “Big Calm” in an evening in 1995 before the release of their debut, they began developing their ideas for the second album. The band moved towards a more varied sound with Ross’ skills and collaborators brought in by Paul. At the same time, Edwards appeared on the BBC charity single “Perfect Day“.
The follow-up, 1998’s Big Calm, drifted slightly away from trip hop, incorporating a more Californian, folk song-based sound. One of the album’s singles, “The Sea”, became a radio favourite. The album proved to be a big seller and ensured Morcheeba as an influential act of the zeitgeist. In 1998, Morcheeba collaborated with Hubert Laws to record the classic song “Summertime” for the Red Hot Organization‘s compilation album Red Hot + Rhapsody, a tribute to George Gershwin, which raised money for various charities devoted to increasing AIDS awareness and fighting the disease. Their music video “Part Of The Process” are inspired of Jason and the Argonauts (1963 film).
Skye has one of the most recognizable voices on the planet, hearing her smooth, effortless tone teamed with Ross’ psychedelic guitar is an unforgettable, spellbinding experience. Morcheeba’s music style has evolved from their early trip-hop roots to incorporate a blend of soul, folk-rock, and chill-out elements, reflecting a more varied sound over the years. They have consistently experimented with different genres and influences, resulting in a rich and layered musical experience across their albums.
At the end of the concert, there is an interview conducted by RFI – I left it in because it gives further information about a band who are legendary and the interview itself is remarkable. Definitely worth a listen and if you aren’t already familiar with the music of Morcheeba, you have no excuses not to run over to their website and hang-out for a bit.
In the meantime, dive in.
