August 5, 2013
Southern Fried Records
Following their huge success starting in 2011 with The Olivia EP, 'The Native EP', 'Scarlett Groove' (featuring Saint Saviour) and an impressive string of stellar remixes under their belt the burgeoning Maribou State continue their relationship with the inimitable Southern Fried Records. The next release comes in the form of the 'Tongue EP' In a short space of time these guys now count Bonobo, Pete Tong and Diplo as fans and have found themselves spearheading a new wave of British producers making ingenious dance music. For those who don't know Maribou State are Hertfordshire natives Chris Davids and Liam Ivory. A beautiful meeting of 2 worlds - indie rock and bedroom production; Chris and Liam have been making music together since their university days. Ever the brilliant A&R Man, Norman Cook heard their latest demos and signed the music. Their first project for Southern Fried was a remix of 'Hummus' by Crookers, which hit the top of the Hype Machine chart during the spring of 2012. Then the 'Native' EP dropped in June and one of the tracks from it, 'The Look', was promptly given 10/10 and awarded Tune Of The Month by Mixmag. Along with underground fans, key tastemakers were beginning to take note with Hype Machine, Radio 1, XFM and just about every other credible outlet singing the praises of Maribou State, even if they don't know what the band's name means or where it comes from... Their remix of Ultraista's 'Gold Dayzz' went viral, putting the pair at the top of the Hype Machine chart once again and hitting over 200,000 plays on Soundcloud. 2013 is already set to be a vintage year with the release of double A side 'Tongue' and 'Larks Rise'; the perfect example of pioneering, organic and thoughtful dance music has been displayed once again with this EP. 'Tongue' features the sublime vocals from Holly Walker and is equally gorgeous home or club listening. 'Larks Rise' is a considered and softly driving offering. Forging field recordings and live instrumentation with broken house rhythms and waves of sub-bass is where their heads are at, and it's producing some very pleasing results indeed. The remixes for this EP are second to none with edits from James Welsh and new comers Drew Hill. Drew Hill hail from Southampton and have been enjoying support and acclaim from the one and only Pete Tong of late; their take on Tongue breathes a fresh, punchier acid laced version. Whilst Welsh is the perfect hybrid of glitchy, and dreamy glory. Also keep your eyes peeled for a massive Fatboy Slim remix... surely a pinch yourself moment for any artist.