Man, legendary British supergroup 3Head are back and we can’t be more excited. Following their previous release, “Jah Jah Bless” (which we loved), 3Head are back with their latest single “Afnaz“, a wonderful, heavy bass dub with a tasteful flow and underground vibe. It’s all about that bass and them long a$$ delays/reverb.
If you don’t know by now, 3Head is comprised by a number of quality & recognised musicians: Al Macaulay: composition, percussion, keys & production (ex Tindersticks), Calina De La Mare: composition & violins ( she has played with everyone from Paul McCartney to the late George Michael), Spider Johnson (Lee “Scratch” Perry, Mad Professor, Scientist, Big Youth, Horace Andy, Dizzie Rascal, Tinie Tempah, Madness & Kioko to name just a few). Ras B (The Bug & On U Sound), Lara Basacinci (Turkish singer extraordinaire), and Duncan Forbes (Spooky, DJ Sasha & Duncan Forbes) as co-producer and mixer.
Between all of them they have so many achievements that I’d need to write a whole other article. The Band was formed In Brixton, London in 2000 by Al Macaulay as a group that initially just jammed together between projects until they decided to take it live and then got signed very quickly and developed into a powerful live act.
Their influences would span Arvo Part right up to John Coltrane, taking in post punk and dub.
“Afnaz” is a smooth AF indie reggae song interlinked by two parts, one with ethereal female vocals and other with Spider Johnson’s molten toasting. Its bass will carry you away for ages, the percussions extend all the way into your subconscious and the wailing guitars will lift you up to gates of heaven. “This is a track of beauty and hope.”
Afnaz stands for African/Nazarene and it was written about a friend who used to come around to their studio who was both African and Nazarene Christian. “She had terrible problems living in london in an arranged marriage…”
“[…] The studio folded when the bailiffs came round, although it wasn’t our fault (we were conned into being there) and we lost touch with her. It’s just a testament to a beautiful soul.”
“The percussion at the start of the song is North African to reflect this…although there is sadly no Nazarene music in this one..“
The 3 track EP contains two remixes by the legendary Dennis Bovell (The man behind (Oscar winner) Steve McQueen’s recent hit film “Small Axe” as well as the music behind all of Linton Kwesi Johnson’s ground breaking albums). His remixes comprise a Dub and vocal version.
Both the singles and the whole a forthcoming 10 track album were recorded and co-produced virtually in Spain, London & Istanbul. It was then further produced and mixed by Duncan Forbes in Jersey (Channel Islands) and mastered at Abbey Road in London. With the remixes by Dennis Bovell done in London.
We are really excited and looking forward to 3Head’s forthcoming track, we seriously can’t wait. In the mean time we have three amazing singles with remixes for two of them so, plenty for now!
“3head are not an easy band to categorize. Their sound is a hybrid of steaming dub, flecked with frantic toasting, molten soul vocals all underpinned by deft breakbeats, classical, electronica and filmic noir.
We relish the clash of styles in the same way as a band like the Clash. In reality, our vibe and interest come from merging many things, it inspires us, that’s what makes us original and not easily “in one box”. We are 3head!“
Don’t forget to support this project and to follow on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Spotify.You can also check out their official website. If you enjoy their music and are able to provide monetary support, you can download their music on Bandcamp.
It also helps to stream and share their music; you can obviously find it in the following Playlists: Less Than 1,000 Followers, Debut Bands (Off The Radar), Fresh Singles, Indie Only, and Alterindie State Of Mind
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