hmv Next Big Thing 2012: Kwes. + Gang Colours (co-headline gig)

Kwes.
Kwes may be more familiar than you realize. Not because you’ve heard his own material but because he’s been involved in the production processes of some of the UK’s most prolific artists…

The 24 year old musical multitasker has always been into music, his passion for the electronic kind started when his Grandmother bought him a toy keyboard for his seventh birthday. Growing up in South London Kwes, (real name Kwesi Sey) was surrounded by vinyl, tape, CD’s, Top of the Pops, recording the radio onto tape and getting told off for playing around with the two-tier Electone organ in his childhood home.

As Kwes grew up so did technology. The internet would become one of the most important things to happen in Kwes’ musical career. Notable musicians found him via a host of mixtapes he posted online (the most notable being the Kwesachu Mixtape Vol.1 with Micachu). He has produced or toured with Speech Debelle, The Invisible, The XX, Joe Goddard, Damon Albarn and Elan Tamara, but you understand it’s his new material that will really catch you.

This year Kwes was invited to the Democratic Republic Of Congo with a collective of musicians called ‘DRC Music’. He recorded and produced the album ‘Kinshasa One Two’ with Dan The Automator, Richard Russell, Actress, Damon Albarn and Remi as well as 50 Congolese musicians. The end result was released in November on Warp and further cemented Kwes’ fate as one of the most exciting emerging talents in the UK.

His new material shows his natural aptitude to music and showcases a variety of his talent. He plays Bass Guitar, Keyboards, Guitar and his vocals are also featured, a side of him that has never really be explored before. His new compositions draw their influences from a whole range of genres including pop, electronica, R&B and soul.

But forget the past, Kwes has stepped out of the studio and into the spotlight, 2012 is the year when his own creations break him away from the studio and into the spotlight. An EP will be released early next year on Warp.

Gang Colours
It was Ghostpoet, newly signed to Brownswood in March of 2010, who brought the music of Gang Colours to our attention, requesting a remix of his debut single ‘Cash & Carry Me Home’ from the young, Southampton-based producer. His MySpace page was a jumble of off-kilter house cuts and slower, introspective, syncopated ditties – thick with darting synths and hummable melodies – which really resonated with us. As Gilles himself says: “I guess we fell in love with Will's music gradually... he seduced us... but pretty soon we were head over heels. I think he's going to have the same effect on a lot of people.”

Striking out in June 2011 with his debut EP ‘In Your Gut Like A Knife’ – a neat summary of his electronic excursions at that point – the beautifully artworked 12” acted as a portal into a world of daydreams, tumbling into shadows and embracing luminescence simultaneously. Breeding surreal headphone-friendly landscapes, he struck a peculiar and delicate balance between otherworldly and familiarity, at times sneaking a sly glance towards the dancefloor but mostly conjuring a sense of longing and rye melancholy. Ticking with a distinctive bounce and rhythm, it comes as no surprise that Gang Colours was raised on the bump and grind of UKG. But the fact that the 24 year old counts Laurie Anderson (“It’s kind of minimal, experimental and heavy on the spoken word. The production is amazing.”) and Basquiat as well as hometown heroes the Artful Dodger among his influences, it's clear that he is coming from a different perspective altogether.

Taking a step back from chopped ‘n’ screwed RnB vocals and the swing of UKG, ‘The Keychain Collection’ explores more sombre recesses within Gang Colours’ palette. The scattered technicolour synth melodies that characterised his EP are present, but softer… cosier even… weaving betwixt and between forthright piano chords and Will’s own vocals.

Aligning the symbolism of his childhood keychain collection as doorways to distant memories, leagues of meaning hide in the simplicity of the song titles assembled on his debut album. “Tissues and fivers are two of the interesting items that my Nan’s black labrador used to eat” and “Rollo [‘Rollo’s Ivory Tale’] is my grandad’s middle name. I recorded this track on his childhood piano.” Ten tracks deep then, ‘The Keychain Collection’ eloquently captures Gang Colours’ first steps on a long road. We’re looking forward to sharing the journey.

AGE RESTRICTIONS: Upstairs at The Garage: Strictly over 14s only / Under 16s with an adult / Photo ID required