E M P O R I U M have a new album 'The Electric Emporium' released on February 5th 2016. This includes 'Gloomy Shadows' and new single 'The Uninvited' which comes out the same day.
E M P O R I U M are releasing a new single on Whimsical. 'Magical Things' comes out on November 11th 2013, and is a remixed version from their critically acclaimed album THE AFTERLIFE. Take a look at the video for this Lo-Fi Indie-Pop track:
The first new signing to Whimsical Records for several years are Edinburgh 4 piece KUNG FU ACADEMY.
The band will release new single 'Super 8 Flashback', which features as part of a 6 track EP, out on April 15th.
Press Release:
Following the release of a successful debut recording and two years of rigorous touring around Scotland’s best venues, one of the UK’s most vital, cohesive and enthralling young bands, Edinburgh’s Kung Fu Academy, returns to the fore with the dazzling Super 8 Flashback EP.
A natural continuation from their commercially and critically acclaimed Dirty Honey EP, the rousing six-track record, released via Whimsical Records, sees the spritely quartet of Bobby Osborne (vocals/guitar), Laurence Murray (guitar), Duncan Robertson (bass) and Fraser De Banzie (drums) combine infectious funk rhythms with lush harmonies, captivating pop hooks and rollicking classic rock riffs, over the course of 24 riveting minutes. Produced and engineered by the band, and mixed and mastered by Fentek Audio’s Alex Fenton at Swanfield Studios, Super 8 Flashback boasts a clean, crisp and full-bodied vintage sound that rekindles a now-bygone golden era of DIY guitar-music.
The funky, dancefloor-friendly title track (also the lead single) goes a long way toward reviving such nostalgia, albeit with a fresh and contemporary edge, thanks to De Banzie’s solid percussion and Robertson’s reflexive, rolling basslines underpinning Murray’s retro-filtered guitar licks and Osborne’s impassioned lyrical refrain (“My flashback’s in super-8/Every frame has a picture of you”). Destined to soundtrack countless indie club nights across the country, Super 8 Flashback is a bona fide smash-hit in the waiting.
Blitzing into view at a furious pace, the unrelenting The Long Fall possesses all the hallmarks of a future chart topper; duelling guitar riffs, indefatigable ticker-tape drumming, catchy call-and-response lyrics and an irresistibly tight and boppy punk-rock structure. Other highlights include the rocking Junction and melodic Warpaint, which act as calling cards for Murray and Osborne's virtuoso guitar work (think Page, Clapton, Hendrix), while Sally manages to reconcile the disparate elements of funk, disco and soul before climaxing in a thrilling crescendo.
For those encountering the band for the first time, the seeds of Kung Fu Academy were sown while all four members studied music at Napier University. Initially thrust together by their teacher in a kismet act of serendipity for a random, one-off performance, Osborne, Murray, Robertson and De Banzie decided to act upon their undeniable chemistry and pursue their dreams of rock and roll stardom outside the realm of higher education. Their unique and memorable moniker is inspired by an in-joke around the time the boys parted ways with their original frontman, claiming they were attending kung-fu lessons while secretly rehearsing.
Proudly admitting to having played more gigs than rehearsals, Kung Fu Academy has rightly established a reputation as a formidable live act. And with tracks as strong as those on Super 8 Flashback, these Edinburgh upstarts look set to go from strength to strength in 2013.
Super 8 Flashback is released on Whimsical Records – April 15th 2013.
http://www.facebook.com/kungfuacademyoffical
http://www.whimsicalrecords.co.uk
Music Elevator PR +44(0)7941 815 059 mail@themusicelevator.com
DECEMBER 2012
EMPORIUM journey towards THE AFTERLIFE
Recorded over a two year period, The Afterlife is due for release on December 22nd 2012, the day after the end-date of a 5,125-year-long cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, a date suggested by some as marking either the beginning of a physical or spiritual transformation, or the end of the world or a similar catastrophic event. Upon completing promotion of these new tracks, Edinburgh formed Emporium will cease to be after 15 years. The title of the album reflects this time of metamorphosis.
On listening to ''The Afterlife'', I’m not sure whether we are in the 60′s, 80′s, 90′s or the 2000′s. Emporium draw from an enormous bucket of influences. At times I hear The Walker Brothers or Paul Weller’s Style Council, then maybe Julian Cope’s The Teardrop Explodes or The Housemartins and even traces of The Beach Boys. It’s sixties, its Britpop, its post-punk, its mod, its new romantic…the only thing for sure is, its indie.
This is without a shadow of a doubt a fine album. Lyrically it holds its own, rich with feeling, and its upfront, self-confessional honesty, is inspiring and reaches elevated heights both artistically and emotionally. The songs are beautiful and the singing and harmonies on the album are superb.
Standouts are the album opener “The Afterlife”, the languid ballad “Bluebell Wood”, the track “Magical Things”, “Beautiful Insanity (Don’t Fit In)” and the piano-driven “The Umbrella Shop”.
Music, like all art, is a medium of communication and never has communication been more pure and enlightening than this. The lush, melodic sound of this album is so rich and entrenched that it seeps into the soul of the listener.
“The Afterlife“ which is a colourful collection of largely nostalgic sounding songs, in my opinion has many surprises, curious tangents as well as both soul and beauty in abundance. Tracks that re-treat older ground with a fresh new view. Like a lot of timeless music, it sounds deceptively simple at first but hides a musical complexity which gently unfolds as much as you, the listener, let’s it.
Emporium bring superlative mid-sixties pop, fast forward and straight into today. They migrate a mix of Burt Bacharach and Phil Spector sounding orchestrations into now, and throw in their swirling vocal harmonies to match.
“The Afterlife” is a different kind of album, unlike most you’re currently likely to hear, and through it, Emporium transport our musical nostalgia into the future.
(http://jamsphere.com/newreleases/emporium-upcoming-album-release-the-afterlife)
The album The Afterlife is released December 22nd 2012 on Whimsical Records.
Includes singles 'The Umbrella Shop', 'Magical Things' and 'Funeral'.
CD at Amazon, download from all stores.
FEBRUARY 2012
Emporium Best Of brings you sounds “From Another Planet”
......and a new single - The Umbrella Shop (released 26/3/12)
Edinburgh band, Emporium, celebrate their 14th anniversary with a seventeen track compilation, From Another Planet - The Best Of Emporium (1998-2011), and a new single, The Umbrella Shop.
Memorably described in Scotland’s premier tabloid newspaper as "a psychedelic cross between The Small Faces and The Beach Boys”, new single The Umbrella Shop showcases everything that makes their psych-indie-pop melange an attractive treat.
The unique sound of Emporium first came together in January 1998 when they started work recording what became their debut album, A Fine Fine Line, which emerged blinking into the world, in 1999. Right from the off, acclaim was theirs, with the track Sleeping Dogs featuring in the NME published year-end top 10 songs of BBC Scotland’s Beat Patrol show, along with a 5-star (out of 5) review in Guitarist magazine for the Happy High EP. Naturally, the boys in the band let this go to their heads, and embarked on a wild time, which culminated in the Elevate single collaboration with Freddie Phillips, best known for his work on the "Camberwick Green", "Trumpton" and "Chigley" TV programmes.
The arrival of the 21st century saw Emporium lay siege to the airwaves with Zombie appearing on the legendary Steve Wright’s radio show and Happy High on BBC Radio One’s The Evening Session, amongst many others. The album It’s The Thought That Gets You High arrived, and the single Lisa On The Screen saw the band expand internationally, with airplay in Germany, Holland and America.The next record, Hallucinations was album of the month on Popscene (Netherlands) and Planete Indie (Belgium).
Then, their country came calling, and Emporium answered that call.The Scottish Arts Council gave a grant towards the next album, Silver Brainwaves, conferring money and status upon the band. The single Wasted received some of the best reviews to date, but save for a remix of Dice Man on the Whimsical Records compilation “Elevate”, everything went quiet for several years, as the band concentrated on developing their Whimsical label and its subsidiary, Platform Records, yielding over 20 releases and winning critical acclaim and indie chart placings with numerous artists.
But with the music industry in freefall, Emporium have decided the time is right to return, in an attempt to save the day. Their pop music from another planet with sixties keyboards, Beach Boys harmonies, ethereal falsetto vocals and slightly twisted melodies, has always been timeless, but that time is actually now. The world doesn’t need more bad karaoke. What it needs is the feel of Soft Cell getting it on with the Stranglers while Brian Wilson watches from his sandpit.
And you get all that and more, across the seventeen tracks on From Another Planet...., as well as the unsettling sense of someone looking at you skew-wiff through a telescope.
Emporium have the capability to take you on a true listening experience with their song writing and new single The Umbrella Shop reinforces their unique take on modern indie pop music, with floating melodies that are constantly on the move. It's B-side She Won't Come Out To Play, a track from 2001 offers a lighter taste of the band, harking to their Silver Brainwaves period, with prog, psychedelic undertones so fundamental to their dynamic.
Emporium are a rare beast of their own making and their sound is genuinely difficult to type cast. It's all rather strange and eccentric but you won't hear many other tunes like these, so go get some now.
The album From Another Planet - The Best Of Emporium (1998-2011), and single The Umbrella Shop are released March 26th on Whimsical Records. CDs at Amazon, download from all stores.
THE BEST OF WHIMSICAL - 21 TRACK COMPILATION - Released February 7th 2011
Ever since the emergence of the Edinburgh born Whimsical Label in 1999 and their subsequent growth spurt in 2005, their artist roster has grown to an impressive and deep quality in a short period of time. With the likes of Jack Butler, Alfie Kingston, The Encierro and Natasha England releasing incredibly strong material on Whimsical or subsidiary label Platform, it is not forthright of them to release what can be deemed as simply an excellent ‘Best Of’ LP. This record makes even more sense in light of the support the label has been receiving throughout the industry via such respected institutions as XFM, NME and BBC Radio One.
The beauty of this ‘Best Of’ is immediate. The quality and diversity of the collection showcasing some enthralling sounds, demonstrating that Whimsical supports fantastic music rather than a particular ‘look’ or genre to back up it’s existence. The amount of variety contained on this LP makes it a true pleasure to listen to.
As well as including Whimsical’s biggest and crowd pleasing releases on here that have already received rave reviews from the industry such as Jack Butler’s “Velvet Prose” and Sunshine Variety Club’s “The Girl With The Crooked Smile”, there are as one might expect some beautifully crafted tracks to be admired and enjoyed over and over again. An album which takes you from 0 to 60 and back down again as quickly as you got there, making you sit up and take note of the truly excellent music. Refreshing turns such as the jazz like breezy ramblings of Natasha England on “I Casually Strolled By” contrast the more traditional Indie musings of Vegas Nights in “It Came As No Surprise” and then again to the haunting key sounds and beautiful harmonics of Emporium’s “Mind Games”. Dig deeper, and you get to see the real secret to this compilation’s appeal - it’s diversity.
If you want 21 songs that exemplify not only the richness of new music as well as the strength of a relatively experienced independent label, then you would be incredibly hard pushed to find any collection of tracks that does so as easily and as effortlessly as this one. An album which will absorb you from start to finish and surprise you on the musical voyage it takes you through.
(Mark McDermott)
The Best Of Whimsical is released on February 7th 2011
www.myspace.com/whimsicalrecords
platformwhimsical@themusicelevator.com
+44 (0) 7941 815 059
----------------------
LATEST NEWS (Updated June 2010)
JACK BUTLER have been selected to play a showcase in front of some major brand names, including Honda and Nokia. The event is organised by Ricall and takes place at the Wieden + Kennedy HQ, London E1, on June 3rd 2010. Check out the new Jack Butler profile page.
----------------------
JACK BUTLER's debut album 'Fit the paradigm' originally hit the stores on May 11th, and gets a re-release on November 23rd. Includes the new single 'Surgery 1984' - released on October 26th. Previous single 'Hit it out the park,son'is accompanied by a rather excellent video. Take a peek and let us know what you think!
----------------------
London 4 piece The FIRM have released their debut single 'Dismal Results' on March 9th 2009. The record has received some wonderful reviews and has been gracing the Top Shop Radio airwaves over the last few weeks! Also due to be added to the H&M playlist throughout April in 24 countries accross the globe. Check out the amazing video and leave a nice comment please :)
----------------------
Dec '08:
Following a period of relative calm, there is an atmosphere of organised chaos once again here at Whimsical HQ.
Stirling 4-piece JACK BUTLER have been grafting away on their debut album which has finally been completed, and well worth the wait it is too.Due for release in early 2009, 'Fit the paradigm' will be preceded by 2 singles - the first being the ridiculously catchy 'Are you a hustler?' which is available as a digital download from December 15th. Listen to it now on the Jack Butler Myspace player!
Following our expansion from Edinburgh into the Big Smoke, we have just signed our first new act in 2 years. London band THE FIRM have been wooing crowds at gigs with a brand of post punk indie, their 'edgy poetic wall of sound' catching the attention of Whimsical's A&R man Paul Grassick who describes their performance as 'truly mesmorising'. A recording and publishing deal was swiftly inked, which will lead to their debut single 'Dismal Results' being released in early '09.
More updates soon!
Camilla Royle x (Whimsical PR dept)
----------------------
The critically acclaimed Whimsical compilation 'Elevate' gets a re-promotion this month, with a re-release on June 28th. Expecting further media reviews and airplay to appear over the next few weeks.
----------------------
Alfie Kingston's debut album 'Creatures and people's ways' gets a download release through Whimsical on December 3rd. The set includes the singles 'I will wait' and 'She's scary'.
----------------------
Two Whimsical songs have been licensed to U.S feature film 'Pinko's Place' which has just completed production. Sunshine Variety Club's 'The Girl with the crooked smile' and 'W.Fire' from Jack Butler are both included in the movies's soundtrack.
----------------------
JACK BUTLER have released their second single for Whimsical Records - the AA sided download and ltd edition cd - 'BOY vs.BEAST'/'SURGERY 1984' came out on August 13th. The band recently performed at festivals GO NORTH and CONNECT. For more info on this great band, visit their MYSPACE
----------------------
Check out a feature on Edinburgh labels including an interview with Whimsical in the current edition of lifestyle magazine INSTANT. www.instantmagazine.co.uk
----------------------
Whimsical is one of the very first labels in the Uk to make use of ADSTREAM's new DMDS (Digital Music Distribution System). As part of this initial trial, Whimsical has been given the fascility to deliver its music electronically to hundreds of Uk radio stations and dj's,while being able to monitor receipt of each file.Watermarking also allows confirmation of who downloaded and listened to a track.
----------------------
Whimsical is the first label to license its complete catalogue to new Glasgow company 'Open Ear'.This will provide a further platform for artists by way of airplay in restaurants, bars, pubs, exhibitions and other outlets. Working in conjunction with Radio Magnetic, 'Open Ear' is a specialist 'music design' consultancy offering innovative solutions to companies who use music. The world is a huge musical composition and there is a massive need for a better designed audio environment. 'Open Ear' helps companies play the right music for the right place at the right time, offering better experience for the customers, staff and also improving their brand identity. Apart from general airplay, the company will provide product placement for new releases, as well as a text message info system, so that the public can find out info on the tracks being played. Initially,'Open Ear' have designed a stream which will be played in The Lighthouse (centre for design) in Glasgow, with development to other venues in the coming months.
----------------------
The eagerly awaited Whimsical compilation cd has finally been unleashed! 'ELEVATE - 21 pop and indie gems from the underground' features 21 great songs and productions including tracks from all Whimsical artists released during 2006 and into 2007, accompanied by numerous underground indie gems. Release date is April 2nd 2007.Read the press release in the 'Media Reviews' section....
----------------------
Adam Tedder is a London based singer/songwriter who released his debut single for Whimsical Records - 'It'll be soon'/'Eastern Girls' as a AA side on February 19th 2007.It was produced between London and Edinburgh by Adam, and Whimsical's Ewan McKenzie, and mastered at the legendary Abbey Road Studios by Adam Nunn (Radiohead, Franz Ferdinand etc).
----------------------
Recent signings BIG LIFE DESIRE and JACK BUTLER have both had their debut singles released on Whimsical. JACK BUTLER are a 4 piece band from Stirling, Scotland who have been making a major impression in their home country, securing a place on the T Break stage at T IN THE PARK festival back in July. The 3 track single and download 'Velvet Prose' showcases an exciting blend of psychedelia and funk with swirling guitar melodies and frenzied vocals. Released on September 25th 2006,the single reached number 27 in the official Uk indie chart. BIG LIFE DESIRE are London based and have been described as ‘‘Syd Barrett meets Blur’’.Clever pop with hooks aplenty, the songs on this release are reflective,gentle and meticulously well crafted.'Your love is' (cd single and download) was released on August 21st 2006.
----------------------
EMPORIUM had their AA single 'Wasted'/'Don't be alarmed' released via Itunes on May 15th. This follows a 7'' red vinyl version from last summer. Visit the band's Myspace page to hear more of their music.
----------------------
A recent Whimsical signing is singer/songwriter ALFIE KINGSTON. This Bristol based artist released his debut AA single 'I will wait'/'Regard me 14 days' on April 17th via Itunes and Napster and numerous other DD stores.Check out some great feedback on this release by clicking on the 'media reviews' page.
----------------------
Whimsical Records/Songs signed up SUNSHINE VARIETY CLUB for release and publishing.Their debut single appeared in shops and via digital download (Napster,EMusic and HMV etc) on January 16th 2006.Great pop songs with references to The Kinks and The Smiths, their AA side includes 'The Girl with the crooked smile' which picked up national airplay on BBC Radio 2 and received a glowing review on 6 Music's 'Roundtable'show, with Steve Lemaq making it his 'single of the week' during the first week of January.
----------------------
EMPORIUM released a brand new 13 track cd on October 10th 2005 called ‘Silver Brainwaves’.
Released on Whimsical and distributed by Shellshock/Pinncale the album includes the coloured vinyl single 'Wasted'.In all good shops and available from DIGITAL online stores (ITunes,HMV etc).Check out the band's official website for some excellent media feedback on this release.
----------------------
Adverts have recently been placed in music press requesting submission of demos and finished masters for possible release on the Whimsical label, as well as song publishing by Whimsical Songs. Suitable genres:indie pop or psychedelic pop only. The emphasis is on great songs. **** We have been inundated with cds, so until further notice we cannot accept any more submissions. Please check back soon to see if we are requesting music again......