Sola Rosa set to get town grooving

Heavy bass lines, catchy melodies and heavenly harmonies have been created by producer Andrew Spraggon in his studio laboratory, and now his band Sola Rosa is on its way to get Queenstown grooving.

After the success of Get it Together and its accompanying remix album, Sola Rosa released their fifth studio album Low and Behold, High and Beyond on August 10.

A star cast of singers lent their vocals, including longtime British collaborator Spikey Tee, who has worked with the likes of Roots Manuva, Jah Wobble and Morcheeba, and Anglo-American singer Olivier Daysoul, who is a frequent confederate of Hudson Mohawke, Oddisee and Onra. L.A. Mitchell, regular vocalist for Isaac Aesili and Fly My Pretties and kindred Kiwi and Harbour City Electric singer Ned Worboys also collaborated.

Speaking from his home in Auckland this week, with toddlers around his feet, Spraggon joked he felt "relief" the album debuted at the top of the iTunes chart on release and reached No 2 on the New Zealand Top 40 album chart, and No 5 on the overall album chart.

"I felt it was a really good album when I finished it and you have to go with the feeling you had when you first started working on the tracks," he said.

"I thought they were really great at the time, then you keep working and eventually you kind of lose touch with your original excitement for it because you hear the tracks so many times.

"The band think it's a really great album and they've always liked what we've done, but this is the first time they're saying to me, 'Wow, it's a really great album,' so let's hope everyone else is digging it."

The genre-splicing artist said he wanted Sola Rosa to evolve away from expectations of releasing more Latin and reggae-infused sounds and embrace his appreciation of hip-hop beats and contemporary funk and soul.

Collaborations were sometimes from afar, Spraggon devising the sample, beat and bass line to get an idea happening, and band members then stepping in to add instrumental layers. With two or three minutes of tracks happening, he bounced them to singers Olivier Daysoul in the United Kingdom and Miles Bonny in the United States for their feedback and contributions in their own studios.

"I did work in the studio with Spikey Tee, Ned Worboys and L.A. Mitchell because they're here and it's always better," he said.

"I have developed a shorthand with Spikey. I've been working with him since 2005, so I know what he can do and he's a bit of a night owl. If he hasn't had enough sleep, better to do it on another day!"

Sola Rosa bolstered its following in North America with a 10-date tour earlier this year.

The band is releasing Low and Behold, High and Beyond in Australia in September and will tour the country for eight weeks, before returning to the United States and Europe in October, and finally to New Zealand for the summer.

Sola Rosa are in the middle of their nine-date nationwide tour, which has its grand finale at the World Bar, Queenstown on Saturday, September 8.

"We're known for putting out quite mellow albums, but we like to bring it heavy when we play live," Spraggon said.

"I've spent quite a bit of time down there snowboarding back in the day, but there's never any time for that [now]. It is the last date, but knowing me I'll probably have to get back to the family.

"I've got two kids now so my time at home is precious and there seems to be less and less of it."


Win a double pass
The Queenstown Times has a free pair of tickets to see Sola Rosa play at the World Bar on Saturday, September 8, for the first reader who emails us with the correct answer to this question: What is the title of the debut album by Sola Rosa?

Email news@queenstowntimes.co.nz with your answer, name and contact number. The winner will be contacted today.


 

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