Will Saul presents ‘Simple Sounds’, a double CD that serves as an insight into where both of his influential labels stand in 2007, five years after Simple’s creation. Will has gained an admirable reputation over the last few years as not only a show-stealing DJ, but also a talented A&R and producer. His previous albums for the label include ‘Simple One’, the first label compilation that elegantly encapsulated the sound of Simple, and his critically acclaimed debut album ‘Space Between’, a soulful and melodic journey geared towards home listening rather than the dancefloor. He is resident at The End in London and Weekend in Berlin, and most recently has remixed for Freerange, Initial Cuts, Fresh Meat and Phonique’s summer anthem ‘Bang’ on Dessous. Acting as A&R, artist and DJ for the project, his intention is to blur the distinction between the traditional artist LP and DJ mix. Will contributes new and exclusive tracks, selects remixers to work on some of his older material and sequences a mix that captures the sound of both of his labels, Simple and Aus. CD 1 exhibits Will as an artist and A&R. Influential artists such as Partial Arts, Gui Boratto, 2020Soundsystem and Wahoo (Dixon from Innervisions) are invited to reinterpret tracks from the catalogue and Will has produced four new tracks for the project. On opener ‘3000 AD’ a soothing synth breeze unveils space soon occupied by spasmodic, shifting percussion and liquid bass. ‘Kitt’s muted guitar strides through a wilderness of ghostly echoes and metallic glitches. The Partial Arts remix of Will & Lee Jones ‘Hug The Scary’ plunges into the deep, as futurist frequencies radiate and escalate into a stringed choral crescendo. Wahoo’s take on Will’s sublime ‘Mbira’ offers a densely layered latin rhythm with melodies that hark back to the early days of Detroit, before Sideshow sends ‘Sequential Circus’ floating off on a cloud of dub. ‘Cubrika’ continues with themes of space and compression, opening with epic synth lines and driven to its climax by laser pulses and bubbling bass. ‘Out There’ peaks with euphoric arpeggio lines, before Gui Boratto dives headlong into deep melodic techno with his fresh rework of ‘Sequential Circus’. Will’s bumping remix of Chicken Lips ‘Motion Sickness’ is low riding electronic house, that leads us 20:20 Soundsystem’s closing take on ‘Pause’, which slathers the original with electric funk. All the tracks have been lovingly re-edited by Will with the aim of ensuring a better home listen.On CD 2, contrast brings definition, and this mix serves to make it clear that Aus is the organic to Simple’s electronic; two polar opposites seamlessly reconciled by Will’s careful track sequencing – a fitting reflection of his successful running of both labels. Warm, spacious, immersive and with loose traces of disco, soon the groove gets jacked and moves from Aus, closer to Simple territory. The CD opens with Aus Music cuts from Lee Jones’ solo work as well as in his alter ego as part of Berlin bliss troupe My My. Sideshow then weighs in with two tracks, both taking on disco from his unique perspective, while Phonique, Jimpster and Spirit Catcher transport us back to the realm of Simple electronics over the past 5 years with radical interpretations of Simple mainstays. Canadian wunderkind Mathew Jonson and deep master John Tejada both dissect Sideshow, Will Saul revises Content, Sebo K & Metro take a turn then Motorcitysoul and Alexkid close the curtains on a real high.Further to the CD, 3 vinyl EPs will be released over the Autumn with the exclusive tracks and remixes commissioned for Simple Sounds plus a ‘vinyl only’ Putsch 79 rework of ‘Speak & Spell’. The Simple Sounds tour commences at the end of the summer – heading first to Bestival then on to Brazil and back across Europe visiting Sankeys, Basics, Watergate and a host of other great spots all the way to Russia.



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