This is a very easy review for me to write as the Sepia demo CD we received for review is becoming a little worn from overplay! There's enough atmosphere on this little disc to cover the moon. It takes me back to my youth, listening to all the latest synthesiser hits and wondering how they were done, but also brings the genre bang up to date and throws in some unexpected guitar work for good measure!
The Sepia consists of Seifert, Rhodes and Smith, a three piece band who describe their music as "Industrio-Ambient Electronic Fusion", whatever the heck that means! Between them, they have a good back catalogue of work and a lot of gigging experience, and it shows in their music. These are true masters of their art, creating incredible worlds of sound that conjure up images of futuristic landscapes and robotics and all the stuff of Asimov's dreams! You could easily expect to find The Sepia producing the theme for the next Ridley Scott Sci-Fi blockbuster, or even the entire soundtrack. If you said to me tomorrow "Oh, did you know that the music to Blade Runner was actually written for Vangelis by The Sepia, I could at least entertain the notion! This is praise indeed, from a reviewer who most certainly knows what he likes...
The Sepia have already done quite well for themselves, having produced the theme to the Channel 5 series "Crash" and remastered several albums for the likes of Marc Almond and Tic and Tok! They are now moving into the world of live music, and will be playing in London's Soho at Gossips Club on the 26th April 2001 (see below for more details) - considering their unconventional music style and the ambience it brings across, this should be quite an event!
The Sepia sound is well suited to dance clubs where the aim of the night is not necessarily to mosh yourself to death. The music is intense and fast paced enough to dance to, but mellow enough to chill out with. It strikes a balance which works for me. To be honest, though, I can imagine more people standing around enjoying the music than going mad on the dance floor.
This is probably the ultimate evolution of music which started with synthesisers in the 80's and has matured over the years into Electronic pop. I'd be surprised if these lads don't turn up in all sorts of places in the future, assuming they sell themselves to the right people!
In the cover-letter we received with the CD, the band state that they find it more satisfying to produce their music purely for their own pleasure rather than trying to appeal to the mass consumer market, giving a clearer definition of their sound. At first this attitude seems a little suicidal, but when you listen to the tracks on this Album you realise exactly where they are coming from. You don't see Vangelis or Jarre playing live every week in Hyde Park, do you - they always concentrate on making their sound something special, and when they do appear live it is a major event!
The band were recently interviewed by South City FM, and a recording of the event is available in realaudio format - minus tracks - on the band's site at www.the-sepia.co.uk/sepia_interview.ram. I would add some comments about the interview here, but unfortunately when I try to play the track on my system I get the first 4 seconds, a burst of static, and then the rest is silence. Realplayer continues to display it's moving timeline, insisting that it is playing me the track, but I can't hear anything. Oh well - that first few seconds was enough to tell me that somebody from the band sounds like Ian Collins from Talk Radio! Perhaps, if the band doesn't work out, you should become a DJ?!?
The only down point? A couple of the tracks on the CD are quite "samey" - perhaps a little more variety between tracks wouldn't go amiss. Having only listened to the one demo CD containing 4 tracks, it is difficult to judge - two of them are totally different, but "I hear screams" and "Dominate" felt quite similar.
Catch The Sepia live at Gossips Club, 69 Dean Street, Soho, London W1 on the 26th April 2001 at 10pm. You'll find the entrance in Meard Street. Nearest tube - Tottenham Court Road. Be there or be an equilateral rectangle! Keep an eye on the KlubKat band news page, as we have regular updates from the Sepia.
Recent news from the band suggests that their debut album is finished and awaiting release, and that there is serious interest from an "influential" source. Perhaps we will be hearing more from this trio soon - watch this space...
