Unboxed by Sir Real

As it turns out, this will be the second in a series of three albums, although I didn't realise that when I wrote the first one, 'In a box on the lawn, on an Autumn day', back in 2012. It was only when I got some way into writing 'Unboxed' that I saw a clear arc from what had preceded to what will follow.

'In a box' was very much an ambient album. The moods it was intended to evoke required that there be no obvious dominating rhythm, and certainly no drums. With 'Unboxed', there was a definite idea for it to move beyond ambient...while it is still intended to be, in a sense, 'background music', the energy it hopes to create is very different. This is music to accompany activity - whether it be physical or mental. Ideally, engaging enough to gently drive & motivate, without being at any point too distracting or dynamic, and simultaneously avoiding being wishy-washy or bland.

This was a very fine line to walk compositionally, and I knew from early on that I would not have the necessary skills to provide the live rhythm section. The first compositions and musical sketches for this album included rhythmic parts all created from 'prepared piano'. The piano in question is our old upright that has been stood in the garden exposed to and degraded by the elements for a number of years - 'prepared' by nature. I built a sample bank from recording each key (whether 'functional' or not), and these recordings feature in every track on the album in a variety of ways. Initial demos used programmed drums and loops to accompany these rhythmic elements, and sounded fine, but lacked some kind of spark and finesse that a truly fine player would provide. Live drums had always been the plan, and luckily, I knew just the man for the job, and Laurence Hunt was that man. An accomplished player, his subtle interpretations of my original sketches lifted the tracks when they needed lifting, and sunk them into the depths when that was required...all of them came to life, sometimes in very unexpected ways.

I don't know when the third album of the series will spring forth, but I do know that as the progression to this one from the first involved introducing rhythm & drums, so the next one will introduce vocals, and move the whole mood of the music from background to 'just there' to foreground. I have no idea yet exactly how that will sound, but I'm very much looking forward to finding out.

I hope you enjoy this album for what it is - music to accompany action - whatever that action may be.

Neil Spragg (aka Sir Real) has been a musician for more than 30 years - as a drummer (for 7shades, Omnia Opera, Sendelica, Blim, Sand and Mocca amongst many others), and DJ at notorious Brummy clubs House of God, Third Eye, Contact and Spunky Town. As Sir Real he is a prolific producer, releasing several well-received EPs on his own labels [k]racktroni[k], Snafu, Tronika and Round Records.

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