Micachu & The Shapes are set to release a live album based on a concert with London Sinfonietta.
Micachu & The Shapes are a unique proposition. The band make their own instruments, with debut album ‘Jewellery’ being a remarkable statement of individuality sluiced through a classic pop template.
Overlooked by the mainstream in favour of more pedestrian fare, Micachu & The Shapes caught the imagination of London Sinfonietta. One of the world’s leading contemporary orchestras, the two groups combined last year for a highly unusual concert.
Re-working Micachu’s material into something startlingly new, the resulting concert is due to be released as the live document ‘Chopped & Screwed’ on March 28th.
Taking place last May, the concert saw London Sinfonietta radically re-work some material Micachu composed entirely for the event. A series of workshops prior to the event brought the groups closer together, allowing for dialogue between The Shapes and the contemporary ensemble.
Micachu chose a hip hop flavoured concept. ‘Chopping and screwing’ was a technique developed in the Houston hip hop scene, involving halving tempos, skipping beats and affecting portions of the original music.
Urban myth claims that ‘chopping and screwing’ was inspired by the locals love of the cough mixture Purple Drank…
Set to be previewed by a new mixtape, the concert used some specially crafted instruments from Micachu & The Shapes. “Our own instruments sound a bit percussive, a bit like samples, a bit different. When I write songs on a guitar I find my hands falling into the same bar chords all the time, but if you have something new in front of you there are no rules”.
“No one else has ever played one before so you can approach music differently just make it up as you go along.” She adds, “Doing a project with the London Sinfonietta is an amazing opportunity for us.”
Micachu & The Shapes / London Sinfonietta are due to release ‘Chopped & Screwed’ on March 28th.
