Aruba Red

Aruba Red

Aruba Red performing live at the Royal Festival Hall.
Background information
Birth name Natascha Eleonoré Bruce
Born Stuttgart
Genres Trip hop, dub, acoustic, experimental, electronica, downtempo, glitch
Occupation(s) singer, songwriter, lyricist
Instruments Vocals, cello, percussion, electronics
Years active 2008 – present
Labels Independent Artist
Associated acts Riz MC, Jah Cure, Natty, Maverick Sabre, Plan B, Jack Bruce
Website reverbnation.com/arubared

Aruba Red (born Stuttgart as Natascha Eleonoré Bruce) is a London-based British soul and trip hop artist named after a female pirate legend.[1] Aruba Red's music has been said to cross traditional boundaries,[2] she has described her sound as "Rebel Soul with melancholy undertones, influenced by trip hop, minimalist electronica, glitch, soul, acoustic folk and dub".[3] She is also the daughter of iconic Cream bassist, vocalist and songwriter Jack Bruce[4] and recorded backing vocals for his most recent album Silver Rails which was released on 24 March 2014 on Esoteric Records.[5] Her lyrics have been said to be passionate and intelligent, dealing with emotive subject matter.[6]

Biography

Aruba Red first appeared as a featured artist on Nitin Sawhney's album London Undersound released on Cooking Vinyl in 2008, on the track Last Train To Midnight which she co-wrote.[7] This collaboration was born out of Aruba Red being selected to work on Sawhney's project Aftershock London which led to an 18-month residency at London's Southbank Centre with artists including Camilo Tirado, Riz MC, Ayanna Witter-Johnson and Sam Carter.[8]

Other collaborations and features include Riz MC's All of You which also features Plan B. Aruba Red is rumoured to be appearing on some of Riz MC's forthcoming material due for release on Brighton based independent record label Tru Thoughts[9] She also collaborated with Jamaican Reggae Artist Jah Cure on her track Light Up Light Up released on the Jamaican record label TAD's which was play listed on Irie FM[10] alongside her collaboration Struggling with Reggae artist Jah Mason.[11] A video was shot for Light Up Light Up in Montego Bay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwUUXnzfc04. The video was directed by Aruba Red's sister Kyla Simone Bruce who also directed the video for Never Die which was shot at Boardmasters Festival in 2012.

Artists Aruba Red has toured with include Maverick Sabre, Natty, Fat Freddy's Drop and Ms. Dynamite.[12][13] Aruba Red has performed at festivals including Glastonbury Festival, Boardmasters Festival, Big Chill Festival, Freeze Festival, One Love Festival, Rise Festival, and Thailand's International Hot Air Balloon Festival.[14]

In 2012, Aruba Red released an EP entitled Demos In Disguise independently via Ditto Music. Initially the release was only available in digital format, a physical edition was later made available in 2013 featuring several bonus tracks.[15] The digital version of the release features 5 original songs whereas the limited Red String physical edition features 8 original tracks and an acoustic mashup cover version of Nirvana's song Something in the Way and Ladysmith Black Mambazo's Homeless. There is also a live performance version of this cover featuring guitarist Charlie Laffer and cellist Ayanna Witter-Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brt-DiMN9MM.

Aruba Red has been reported to be currently working on new material with her long-term writing partner; multi instrumentalist, composer and producer, Camilo Tirado for a new project entitled Aruba In Wonderland which has been described as "Donnie Darko meets Watership Down"[16] In March 2014 Aruba Red released a free download on her SoundCloud page, a cover of John Legend's 'Set Me Free'.

In March 2015 Aruba Red was featured on 'Rip Me', a song released by 'Halflife', the collaborative project between Riz MC and dubstep producer DJ Distance.[17] In the same month, Aruba also wrote and recorded an exclusive song with Nitin Sawhney for Sawhney's BBC Radio 2 show 'Spins The Globe'. The track 'Fractured Heart' was written about the last few days Aruba spent with her late father Jack Bruce before his death on 25 October 2014.[18]

On October 24, 2015 Aruba Red performed at her father's tribute concert 'Sunshine Of Your Love - A Concert Celebrating the Life and Music of Jack Bruce' which she co-produced with Nitin Sawhney. The event featured artists including Joss Stone, Ginger Baker, Ian Anderson, Mark King, Liam Bailey and others. Aruba Red sang We're Going Wrong and Folksong. Over £30,000 was raised for Bruce's local children's hospice EACH.[19]

References

  1. ↑ Dennis, Amy(August 19, 2010). "Interview With Dub Reggae Star Aruba Red", CornwallsCoolest.com. Archived from the original on September 20, 2010. Retrieved June 19, 2016. "... the fresh, soulful and rebellious songstress Aruba Red (who is touring in the right part of the world considering she is aptly named after a female pirate legend) has just finished touring Cornwall including a performance at the SAS Ball."
  2. ↑ "her music crosses traditional boundaries, with ease. It’s refreshing to hear an artist with soulful vocals who works with a variation of different sounds and makes it work." Richard Sudan, The Independent: http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/06/28/exclusive-aruba-red-feat-logic-‘take-me-to-the-light’/%5B%5D
  3. ↑ Interview with Dub Reggae Star Aruba Red, Cornwall's Coolest: http://www.cornwallscoolest.co.uk/arubared2010
  4. ↑ http://www.epiphone.com/News-Features/News/2009/Epiphone-Supports-The-Big-O-Birthday-Bash.aspx
  5. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 13 February 2014. Retrieved 2014-03-04.
  6. ↑ Richard Sudan, The Independent: http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/06/28/exclusive-aruba-red-feat-logic-‘take-me-to-the-light%5B%5D
  7. ↑ London Undersound
  8. ↑ Southbank Centre Annual Review 2008-9: http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/sites/default/files/documents/Annual_Review_0809.pdf
  9. ↑ Lisa Jenkins, God is in the TV: http://www.godisinthetvzine.co.uk/author/lisa-jenkins/page/2/
  10. ↑ Digital Gig: http://www.digitalgig.co.uk/aruba-red_issue-3_page-1.html
  11. ↑ Digital Gig: http://www.digitalgig.co.uk/aruba-red_issue-3_page-1.html
  12. ↑ http://www.cornwallscoolest.co.uk/arubared2010
  13. ↑ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/06/28/exclusive-aruba-red-feat-logic-‘take-me-to-the-light’/%5B%5D
  14. ↑ Reverb Nation, Aruba Red Past Shows: http://www.reverbnation.com/artist/artist_shows/316014?class=prev&page=1&past=true
  15. ↑ http://www.arubared.bigcartel.com/product/limited-edition-red-string-demos-in-disguise-cd
  16. ↑ "London based glitch-soul duo Aruba in Wonderland, described as "Donnie Darko meets Watership Down." provide a delicious yet haunting vibe, drenched in tripped-out atmosphere." – Tara Arts: http://tara-arts.com/show-archive/raga-to-reggae-aruba-in-wonderland-ums-2013
  17. ↑ stereogum: http://www.stereogum.com/1789093/halflife-rip-me-stereogum-premiere/mp3s/
  18. ↑ BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02m4572
  19. ↑ EACH: https://www.each.org.uk/family-zone/milton-families/news/details/jack-bruce-tribute-concert-and-special-sotheby-s-auction-raises-over-30-000
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