Art in the Age of Automation

Description

In 2007, four former ethnomusicology students from the South Bank area arrived with "Knee-Deep in the North Sea," a UFO of unreal ambient jazz boosted by the new sounds of the Hang, a percussion instrument similar to the steel drum, haunting electro loops, ethereal saxophone flights, and a stripped-down bass. In a perpetual quest for a new sound, Portico Quartet will enrich its universe, continually adding more musical layers to its complex and minimalist cocktail. After "Isla" in 2010 and "Portico Quartet" in 2012, the group becomes a trio following the departure of percussionist Keir Vine and immerses us, in 2015, in a luminous electro-pop with "Living Fields."
With "Art In The Age Of Automation," released this year on the Manchester label Gondwana Records, Portico Quartet rises from its ashes and rediscovers its unique and futuristic sound identity. This new journey feels familiar but surprises and captivates when the repetitive piano motifs, voice samples, cellos, violins, or flute add their layer to the saxophone, the hang, and the transcendental rhythms of Duncan Bellamy. Portico Quartet remains a master in the art of alternating meditative tempos and extraordinary rhythms." FIP