Melting Vinyl: Bringing the cream of live music to Brighton.

 “Amazing percussionist and Hang player” – Björk

“Intriguingly beautiful… A mercurial sound indeed” – DJ Mag

“A man with a head full of ideas” – Songlines

 Celebrated percussionist, producer and composer Manu Delago returns to Brighton on 29th March at the Hope and Ruin to mark the release of his third solo album, ‘Metromonk’ (Tru Thoughts). ‘Metromonk’ finds this boundary-testing artist distilling and delicately exploring extremes of dynamics and mood; manipulating the Hang drum in experimental and inventive ways, the many voices and tones of this rare instrument are given top billing among a minimalistic palette of beats and acoustic sources.

 “I wanted to create fresh, electronic soundscapes that are generated through live performance and therefore feel organic and human”, Delago explains. Almost all of the effects on the Hang are applied live during one-take performances. “It may initially sound like programming or production, but it’s all happening there in the moment”.

 This new music builds on an illustrious spell for Delago, whose ambitious 2015 LP ‘Silver Kobalt’ won over tastemakers from BBC 6Music’s Tom Ravenscroft and Don Letts to Radio 2’s Alex Lester, Nitin Sawhney and Jamie Cullum (who snapped him up for a Maida Vale session), and was also loved by i-D, Clash, DJ Mag and more.

 Meanwhile, the Austrian prodigy maintained his busy schedule of engagements as a go-to musician for some of the world’s leading artists. Recording and playing live with Björk, and drumming for The Cinematic Orchestra, he also co-wrote Anoushka Shankar’s ‘Land Of Gold’ LP and is a key band member on her world tour, rocking iconic concert halls, festivals and even Spain’s spectacular Alhambra Palace.

 The world’s leading Hang player, Manu Delago has had over five million YouTube views and featured heavily in BBC Radio 4’s recent documentary on the instrument. While his last album saw him diversifying with multiple layers of synths, electronic production and a wide range of instruments, ‘Metromonk’ restores his virtuosic Hang playing to centre stage.

 “Captivating and compelling… truly mesmerising” – i-D

“An incredible musician in everything he plays” – Nitin Sawhney

“A masterful and sensitive musician” – The Telegraph

Support comes from:
Pete Josef
A heartfelt, genre-bending combination of jazz, soul, pop, and electro comes from UK singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Pete Josef.

Eva Bowan
Originally from Poland but now residing in Brighton, Eva Bowan performs analogue soundscapes, ethereal ambient music and vocals that soak into the mind and spirit, she creates captivating surreal worlds and electronic soundscapes inviting on an introspective journey. Her works are a mixture of dreams, hidden fantasies, haunting fears, observing the nature and overanalysing the world around and within.

Mark Johnson (DJ)
Mark is the presenter for Slipstreem Worldwide Beats on Radio Reverb. Slipstreem worldwide beats is your weekly journey through global grooves form everywhere on the planet. Live every Saturday 2-4pm and repeated on sunday 11am-1pm, and Thursday 6pm