Morcheeba to headline Product Earth Festival.

Morcheeba’s global success is no surprise. Being one of the first Western acts to tour China, their melting pot sound has been border-hopping ever since the London-based band emerged from the mid-’90s trip hop scene that made them household names at home. Several line-up changes later and the departure of DJ/producer Paul Godfrey in 2014 – Morcheeba have never been busier or more in tune with the times.

Blaze Away, their positivity-packed ninth album, marks both a fresh start in its organic approach and a return to the joyous genre-mashing of their early days. There was no template for its ten, extraordinary, future-facing songs, no self-imposed limits on style, no themes to be adhered to or rules in place to break.

Not long after writing began early last year, Morcheeba met the rapper Roots Manuva at a festival in Moscow.

“We were backstage and all pretty smashed,” recalls Ross. “He is such a great performer and character, I invited him to my studio when we were both back in London. I sent him a beat and a riff for the song Blaze Away and he came up with some lyrics, then lost them.

“Half an hour before the recording, he wrote new lyrics that had such incredible energy that they completely changed the dynamic of the album. Roots said in rap what we had been trying to express more wistfully. He cuts straight to the chase, which inspired us to be more raw and forthright.

“The early Morcheeba records are really mellow and slow, which is nice when you’re chilling out. But right now, we’re plugged in to playing live, which means being more raw and upbeat. We’re not afraid to have big fuzzy guitar riffs or be a bit rough round the edges.”

Another fortuitous turning point was working with the French star Benjamin Biolay, who duets with Skye on the sensual Paris-sur-Mer.

Morcheeba returned to London fired up by the unexpected turns the album was taking.

“We felt like the guests had come in to play with our toy and destroyed it, which was fantastic,” says Ross. “We didn’t know what would happen next and we thrived on that feeling of freedom.”

Between touring commitments, Ross and Skye continued to send songs back and forth to each other, Ross starting them on guitar and synths in his studio, Skye composing the melodies and lyrics and recording guide vocals in her sewing room at home.

The first song completed was Blaze Away’s hypnotic opener Never Undo, for which Morcheeba worked with the electronic musician Robert Logan, who provided the glitchy beats. Among the last was the sensational It’s Summertime, for which Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner wrote most of the lyrics.

“ It’s a real happy song, about celebrating positivity and overcoming obstacles that chimes with the rest of the record.”
https://www.morcheeba.uk/

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