Danny Valentine and the Meditations
London, England, United Kingdom | Established. Jan 01, 2006 | SELF
Music
Press
Imagination; it takes a bit of that to start a band and write songs but Danny Valentine And The Meditations seem to have been allocated
way more than their fair share, to the point where the world in which they live has almost completely morphed into a fantasy land. Danny
Valentine is a psychotic poet who fronts the band, Jesus Hydes fulfills duties on the drums and K.Goff plays bass, a swirling mass of other musicians come and go from the band, making their musical contributions before running for their sanity we would expect. Their new E.P entitled ‘The Lion, The Fish And The Bear’ is named after the three personalities in the band. “I like poncing about and shouting,” says the Lion (Danny). “I’m really good at lifting stuff,” says the Bear (K.Goff). “I like
hitting things and dancing to Roxy Music,” says the Fish (Jesus). They believe these are all excellent qualities for a surrealist indie pop group - a ponce, a grunt and a glam thug. According to their MySpace the band
live in the 19th Century and have a time machine which allows them to put digital things into the digital realm (us either) but in real life, they live in South London and make excellent pop music with a dark edge, we are not the only ones who think so as well as their first double a side single ‘Architect Of My Love/Killling Floor’ completely sold out.
Just how seriously this lot are taking themselves is up for debate and as always, the line between genius and madness is a thin one indeed, but in the mean time their unique brand of eccentric music is ours to enjoy, from
a safe distance of course - Global net
Danny Valentine & The Meditations – Architect Of My Love
This two-track single may be self-released, but the quality – of both the music and the production – belies its DIY nature. Layered thick with lush yet organic instrumentation, unexpected noises and some sublime backing vocals, the title track is a happy-go-lucky, spritely number about obsessional – and perhaps unrequited – love, its deliberately offhand insincerity set to an infectious and oddly dark melody. The b-side, Killing Floor, is a slightly darker, brooding, moody song – imagine Blur’s Beetlebum slowed down and turned on its back, or even inside out. Again, the depth of instrumentation is impressive and disturbing – and it could serve easily as the soundtrack to a David Lynch dream sequence. Otherwordly, sinister and intelligent, this is a heart-stopping, jaw-dropping triumph of a single - Backlash
Cynical electro rock you can dance to - Moose Factory
Breathtaking Intellectual Pop - Logo Magazine
So right it can't be wrong - BBC 6 Music
A tasty combination of skittering disco beats, squelching electro, and shout-along choruses -- antagonistic and groovy! Recommended if you like: Hercules and Love Affair, Does It Offend You, Yeah? - Spin Magazine
Discography
Architect of My Love / Killing Floor (His Dark Master 2008)
The Lion, the Fish and the Bear EP (His Dark Master 2009)
Shoot Yourself to Freedom, Kid! LP (His Dark Master 2011)
Photos
Bio
Danny Valentine and the Meditations are underground indie survivors. Formed in South London in 2006, they have been a commonplace feature in independent music venues across the capital and south east England. Latterly, they have been in hiding, working on their latest album, “Parapraxis,” appearing occasionally to perform in Europe and elsewhere. Having sometimes extended to 13 members, they have settled on a core membership featuring main protaganists DHR Gibbs (vocals, guitar, synths), Dan Hydes (drums), Philip Dawson (bass), Lisa Moore (vocals, omnichord), Jimmy Bracher (guitar), Dan Darriba Esq (congas), Andre Canniere (trumpet) and Kirsten Neil (vocals, guitar). Members have also occupied themselves working with diverse artists such as Lene Lovich, Moloko, Faust and Gobsausage. Dark denizens of the burgeoning music scene developing around RMS Studios in SW London, Danny Valentine and the Meditations will be announcing tour dates later this year.
They released their first single in January 2008, which subsequently sold out of its physical print and received heavy rotation in American indie clubs and plays on KRCW over there and the Beeb over here. Throughout the late naughts they toured across the south of England and Wales, honing their live performance – the BBC broadcast part of one exuberant Reading show – and working on their next release. They ran their own club night in Kilburn, too, mixing up West London dub DJs with East London noiseniks. Songs received airplay on BBC 6 Music and they released their first LP, The Lion, the Fish and the Bear in 2009.
After playing many shows to critical acclaim, the band returned to Courtyard studios to start work on their second album, The Darkest Days of the Empire. This ended up taking 9 years to complete and was finally released on vinyl and online in 2018. Featuring many guest musicians including Eddy Stevens (Moloko, Roisin Murphy, John Grant), Davide de Rose (Joan as Policewoman, Electric Jalababa) and Takatsuna Mukai (Gobsausage, Ten Minutes with My Dad), this album was a darker effort, featuring extended sections of free jazz improvisation, abstract noise as well as some mighty, soaring nuggets and gospel influences. Again, more shows followed and slowing the band, which had been more of a collective up until this point, began to focus on the line up you see today.
In between, the band in different guises released 103 Seconds, an entirely improvised work inspired by the art of Rainer Stolle and Dandalf and Giromir - A Forest, An Ocean, a largely acoustic based collaboration between DHR Gibbs and Dan Darriba produced during lock down. A live album of the band's 2019 return to 93 Feet East also made its way onto streaming services.
Exit from the pandemic meant getting it all together again and in 2021, Danny Valentine and the Meditations entered the famous Foel Studios in Wales to start work on what would become Parapraxis.
This new LP is now ready for release and will be available to stream or buy on vinyl from 7th February 2025.
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