Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff
Tue 17 May
Those of you who keep abreast of the afrocentric, tropical soundscapes of jazz, funk, cumbia, bossa nova and reggae will likely have caught wind of the British multi-genre music producer Will Holland. If you’ve heard of him then you’ll doubtless be very aware of his primary project Quantic. Under its various guises you’ll also probably be aptly mystified when taking into account the staggering traversal and sheer mastery of different musical territories (under aforementioned musical class) Holland has explored within the project.
The Flowering Inferno iteration sees a prevailing focus on reggae with notable tie-ins to Latin and South American sounds. 2016’s soon to be released 1000 Watts however moves into far more traditional roots reggae and dub domains and still maintains an air of innovation.
This freedom of focus Holland seems to maintain could at least be partially attributed to his affiliation with Tru Thoughts, a Brighton based independent record label. A cursory glance will tell you that have a significantly eclectic roster of high calibre artists on their books.
Holland’s diverse sound is no doubt influenced by his continual globetrotting and international dwellings. Perhaps most tellingly a seven-year stint in Cali, Colombia arguably honed those sun-drenched, tropical qualities of his music. He now resides in Brooklyn so perhaps we can expect a resurgence of jazz flavours in his next releases.
Holland has toured extensively with a plethora of different live setups and all are recognised for having top musicians playing a top repertoire encompassing all of Quantic’s different musical angles. Indeed, it seems touring is somewhat of a comfort for Holland as it provides him with the means to revisit previous works and establish a well-rounded, seamless live show.
Suitably named the Tropical Elevation tour, there has quite possibly never been a more exciting time to catch one of the finest world music groups to visit the capital than this.
Tickets: ÂŁ16. Info: 029 2023 2199
CHARLIE PIERCEY