| Solemn Camel Crew | |
|---|---|
Solemn Camel Crew performing live |
|
| Background information | |
| Also known as | The Solemn Camel Crew, SCC |
| Origin | Somerset, England |
| Genres | 8-Bit, Bitpop, big beat, electro, electronic rock, electronica, alternative dance |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Labels | Electric Wax, 1st October Records, Turtle Head |
| Website | www.solemncamelcrew.co.uk |
| Members | |
| Jonathan Brammer James Randall Nick Jacobs |
|
Solemn Camel Crew are a British electronic music Bit-Rock band. Their music is influenced by many genres from rock, classical to dance. Incorporating 8-bit synth and sampling the end result is their own unique Bitpop - rock style.
The name Solemn Camel Crew was adopted due to the frequency of cigarette breaks during early production sessions. At the time, both Randall and Brammer smoked Camel cigarettes, according to Brammer.[1]
Solemn Camel Crew formed in October 2002 and are currently signed to Indie label, Electric Wax.[2]
Contents |
Solemn Camel Crew started in 2002 when band members James Randall & Jonathan Brammer met as students of Yeovil College. They began working with a demo version of Fruity Loops 4 to create their first batch of digital tracks culminating in The Gypsy Book & Other Tales From The Phat Kitchen EP. The entire record was recorded and produced on sub standard equipment with demo software that disallowed saving. Consequently, none of the early material has ever been sold or has ever been available for download.
Subsequent recordings were made between 2002 - 2006 to follow The Gypsy Book & Other Tales From The Phat Kitchen. Each with common running themes that have survived to make appearances on later records, namely, Steven Hawking references and The Tony Bear Theme.
In early October 2008 after a long break Randall and Brammer got together to write new Solemn Camel Crew material. Introducing 8-bit chip sounds and focusing on an upbeat, up tempo style, Solemn Camel Crew found its feet and its sound. The Citrus Jaboree called Camelnected By Camelepathy "an anthem".[3] The record paid hommage to earlier records with track eight "The Ballad of Steven Hawking (Episode 2)" and "Exit Music For A Bear" revisiting older themes. The album became a popular electro staple through Last FM Internet Radio.
Finger Party Is Solemn Camel Crew's second studio album. It features more live audio sampling compared to previous release Solemn Camel 3000. New elements such as the use of vocoders showed a development in approach and style alike. Work on the album began shortly after Solemn Camel 3000 was completed in October 2008.
Dodecatuplehedronism is Solemn Camel Crew's third studio album recorded mainly at Electric Wax Sound Studio over Summer 2009.
Beta Metric is Solemn Camel Crew's fourth studio album recorded mainly at Electric Wax Sound Studio in early 2010.
From Mid 2010 Randall & Brammer began working on a fifth Solemn Camel Crew album. After several live shows embracing more live instrumentation the album Kaleidoscopic takes the form of a more rock influenced record.
When performing live Solemn Camel Crew often introduce extra elements to the live sound that do not feature on studio recordings. James uses an array of gadgets and foot switches to manipulate the electric guitar in often unexpected ways and an assortment of added instrumentation (violin, synth etc.) to produce a "one off" unique performance every show. Synth bass is backed by live electric bass performed by Nick Jacobs whilst sequencing, vocals and synth are controlled front of stage by Jonathan Brammer.