Up by System 7
UP - first released in 2011 - was the first album of new System 7 material to follow 2008’s Phoenix, the project that was heavily influenced by the work of Japanese manga pioneer Osamu Tezuka.
Much of the UP album, including the two tracks with A Guy Called Gerald, was written in Berlin - and regular exposure to the contemporary Berlin techno scene influenced System 7’s Steve Hillage and Miquette Giraudy to work with somewhat slower tempos than previously. Accordingly the new album has more of a techno and tech-house feel to it, still showcasing the unique System 7 psychedelic sound with ultra modern production and a feeling of positivity..
Also featured is System 7’s remix of Josh Wink’s “Dolphin Smack” – with the full approval and collaboration of Josh Wink. There are also collaborations with Rovo electric violinist Yuji Katsui on the track “Berimbau” and Japanese guitarist/DJ Funky Gong Minoru on the track “Funky Gong”.
“One of the things we have noticed about the current techno scene in Berlin is that the crowds at the clubs tend to be quite joyful and happy while at the same time totally digging the specialist Berlin techno sound in an educated way. This positivity we found very inspiring and has directly led to us titling our new album UP”.
The album was followed by the single PositiveNoise with remixes by Detroit techno luminary Carl Craig and leading Japanese techno artist A.Mochi. Carl Craig worked with System 7 on several tracks in the 1990s and two of his mixes are featured on the successful recently released digital catalogue album System 7 Classics.
PositiveNoise is one of the collaborations between System 7 and British acid house music legend A Guy Called Gerald who was living at the time in Berlin. It also has a video produced in Japan by ace animation team Mood Magic, who also made the acclaimed video for System 7’s Hinotori released in 2007.
Tracklist
| 1. | PositiveNoise | 8:38 |
| 2. | Funky Gong | 7:08 |
| 3. | Berimbau | 7:24 |
| 4. | The Mind Boggles | 7:39 |
| 5. | At Last | 6:28 |
| 6. | E-Fusion | 8:42 |
| 7. | Josh Wink - Dolphin Smack (System 7 Remix) | 8:18 |
| 8. | I Seem To Be A Verb | 7:15 |
| 9. | Plasmatic Park | 5:42 |
| 10. | Chiringuito (Up Remix) | 8:17 |
Videos
Credits
Tracks 1 & 8 are collaborations with A Guy Called Gerald
Track 3 is a collaboration with Minoru "Funky Gong" Tsunoda
Track 7 is System 7's remix of Dolphin Smack by Josh Wink
Tracks 1 & 8 written by Steve Hillage, Miquette Giraudy and Gerald Simpson, and published by Stage Three Music Publishing Ltd / Nanoplasmic Publishing
Track 3 written by Steve Hillage, Miquette Giraudy and Minoru Tsunoda, and published by Stage Three Music Publishing Ltd / copyright control
Tracks 4-6, 8 & 9 written by Steve Hillage and Miquette Giraudy, and published by Stage Three Music Publishing Ltd
Track 7 written by Josh Wink and published by Wink Like That Music
Track 10 written by Steve Hillage and Miquette Giraudy, and published by BMG Chrysalis Music
All tracks mixed by Steve Hillage and Miquette Giraudy at A-Wave Studio, Notting Hill, London February - March 2011
Mastered by Shane McEnhill at Finyl Tweek London March 2011
Released by A-Wave - distributed by SRD
Ⓟ and © 2011 A-Wave.com Ltd
Artwork and Design by Andrew Debens www.designbyz3.com
Live Visuals by Antonio Pagano
www.facebook.com/System7page
License
All rights reserved.
SYSTEM 7’s Steve Hillage and Miquette Giraudy have had a strong influence on the birth of psychedelic dance music and it’s journey up to the present, forging a unique and bang up-to-date identity on the genre map, in a space where techno, progressive and trance meet - and with the added element of Steve's highly specialised techno guitar.