An improvised electronica / techno track recorded live in a London studio in December 2014. Watch the music video here: youtu.be/tdiHk0mnc3M

With an eye on jazz funk, and a reconnection with my electric bass, I found the need to produce a track combining elements of jazz, funk, and techno; the result is Squish. This is my first release as Epistrophe Smith, and as such I felt it important to reference my musical upbringing.

The initial idea was built by improvising on my electric bass around the horn stabs I placed on the first beat and the offbeat of beat two. It’s a simple, but effective idea, and a solid base to build a track from. By adding digital AWM tone generator conga and hi-hat samples from my old Yamaha PSR-22 keyboard the track has taken on a retro feel.

Inspiration for this track is mainly pulled from the beat of Eddie Harris’ 1975 track Carnival, along with his downtempo I Don’t Want Nobody, which offers a wonderfully funky, (and equally as inspirational), bass line played by Rufus Reid.

By looking back and thinking forward the hope is that this track embraces multiple genres and tries to dissolve the borders between them where possible. I designed the album cover to reflect this idea by creating artwork reminiscent of the classic 60/70’s Blue Note album covers (particularly Don Wilkerson’s 1963 album, Shoutin’).

The version released is a live performance recorded in a friend’s studio space in north London, near where I grew up. At the time I recorded three other takes, but felt this version was the most genuine so it found it’s way into the hands of the mastering engineer. Although it’s a little rough around the edges (which is the way I like it) there are certain elements that work well in this track, and for me the live playing gels comfortably with the various electronic elements. Hopefully it will stand the test of time and when I look back on it in years to come I’ll still feel the same way.