The solo debut from the producer behind Sage Francis' "Hell of a Year"!
No Passenger, the debut release from Australian producer
Kurtis SP, is the culmination of ten years' development. Kurtis first
made a name for himself in the late 90s while playing drums in one of
Australia's first live hip hop groups, Shin-Ki-Row. The Human Drum
Machine (as he was once billed) was renowned for simulating the feel of
programmed drums on a live kit. Then, wanting the freedom to work
independently, things took a turn, 180 degrees:Â he sold off his drum
kit, replaced it with an SP-12 and started programming chopped breaks
to sound like live players. Â
Early experiments spawned an album's worth of material (including the
beat that later became Sage Francis's "Hell Of A Year" (from Human The Death Dance),
but something wasn't quite right;Â Kurtis scrapped the album, packed
his bags and set off traveling, eventually landing in the UK. He picked
up work at one of London's biggest recording studios where he went on
to engineer sessions for production legends Trevor Horn and Timbaland.
But the big budget pop wasn't tapping his buttons. He longed for grit.
He longed for 12 bit.
Back to the bedroom. To the samplers. To the records. To vintage gear and instruments. To music with soul. Â
No Passenger weaves hundreds of disparate samples, along with
touches of live instrumentation, into a thoughtful and evocative
tapestry. Introspective and melancholy, yet positive and hopeful, No Passenger is the soundtrack to loneliness and isolation, and to freedom and strength.
No Passenger is released in December 2009 on independent label Root and Stem, with US distribution through Strange Famous Records.
Tracklisting:
1 - Sleep-free
2 - When The Dust Settles
3 - Kent St
4 - More Soul
5 - The Lost Man
6 - Patience
7 - Rivotril
8 - Brown Out
9 - 11e
10 - El Trieste
