Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
This band has no press
Discography
X Amounts of Niceness
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Cottonbelly is Stuart Matthewman, the Grammy-winning songwriter, multi-instrumentalist
musician, soundtrack composer and producer behind Sade and Sweetback. Stuart has played
guitar, sax and handled programming duties for every Sade album, sales of which have totaled
over 40 million albums worldwide. Stuart is also credited as a key player in the early
success of Maxwells career, having played and produced several songs for Maxwells three
albums. Not one to sit around, hes also worked regularly as a film composer, composing the
soundtrack to the hit 1999 independent movie "Twin Falls Idaho" and the follow-up Polish
Brothers films "Jackpot" and "Northfolk" (starring James Woods and Nick Nolte).
X Amounts of Niceness is Stuart Matthewmans long-awaited debut solo album a limited edition
of which (made solely for his friends) ended up selling on eBay for over $250 recently. It is
a sonic journey into Matthewmans distinctly warm and accessible sound and an exploration
deep into post-dub territory. X Amounts of Niceness is an intriguing snapshot into the mind of
this captivating, multi-faceted and ground-breaking artist. The album encompasses over a
decade of both outstanding original tracks and well thought-out remixes for the likes of reggae
legend Gregory Isaacs (check the incredible bass on Matthewmans remix of the classic "Night
Nurse"), Cirque Du Soleil, Sade, Ananda Project, Seek, Sky-Fi, Noiseshaper and Maxwell.
Matthewman started releasing some of this material in the mid-90s on rare, highly sought-after
12" singles, but the majority of the material here is new, original work. Even some of the remixes
havent appeared in their current and often extended form on CD until now.
This is not just another compilation of tracks by another hot producer/remixer du jour, this is
a body of work, a real record with a beginning, middle, and end by a quiet and behind the scenes
icon who shares his name with the fat villain in the obscure Kung Fu classic Wing Chung.
His name is Cottonbelly and his style is furious.
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