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ZIQ269_Solar_Bears_Inner_Sunshine
09-08-2010
Solar Bears
Inner Sunshine E.P.
ZIQ269
  • Buy in the Planet Mu store

Hailing from Ireland, Wicklow and Dublin to be precise, John Kowalski and Rian Trench met at Pulse Sound Engineering School, formed Solar Bears and just recently signed to Planet Mu. This EP is a taster before their full length album ‘She Was Coloured In’ which is released in September.

Solar Bears’ music is a many-faceted soundworld that hangs together through a mix of the rich colours of hip hop inflected analogue electronica with touches of the shimmering neon synths of late 70’s early 80’s Kosmiche music.

It’s warm and organic with a languid, pastoral grace that intertwines acoustic and rock instruments with electronics. Their tracks twist through prog rock’s structures and sounds, occasionally making sharp turns into noisier, tense post rock territory.

Check the way ‘Trans Waterfall’ gently builds from its synth lead melody through passages of tense guitar building into gentle acoustic guitars and flutes. Or the way ‘Photo Negative Living’ rolls along dreamily on a 4/4 beat before the slicing guitar riffs crash in. This is gorgeous stuff.

On Side B, ‘Crystalline’ gets a remix by Letherette which deconstructs the original and spins it through a head nodding hip hop remix, whilst Werk records star ‘Lone’ gives ‘Twin Stars’ off the album a pulsing, atmospheric, upbeat Detroit techno influenced rub.

 

01 Trans Waterfall
02 Photo Negative Living
03 Inner Sunshine
04 Kill On
05 Crystalline (Letherette Remix)
06 Twin Stars (Lone Remix)

Releases
ZIQ362_LOPM
17-11-2014
Various Artists
Life On Planet Mu
ZIQ362
  • Buy at the Planet Mu store
ZIQ334_SolarBears_Supermigration
15-04-2013
Solar Bears
Supermigration
ZIQ334
  • Buy at the Planet Mu store
ZIQ314_KeepShellyInAthens
05-12-2011
Keep Shelly In Athens
Campus Martius E.P.
ZIQ314
  • Buy at the Planet Mu store
ZIQ295_Various_14Tracks
31-01-2011
Various Artists
14 Tracks From Planet Mu
ZIQ295
  • Buy at the Planet Mu store
ZIQ270_Solar_Bears_SheWasColouredIn
27-09-2010
Solar Bears
She Was Coloured In
ZIQ270
  • Buy at the Planet Mu store