Foothills, by marshall watson

Foothills

by marshall watson

supported by

Denis Heaney (Balearic Sessions) thumbnail

Denis Heaney (Balearic Sessions) Huge fan of Marshall Watson's work, 5 Sunkissed wonderful Balearic downtempo loveliness..
All tracks are on the money on this release... Summer 2023 has arrived.. 10/10

Sean Holland (AKA Alexander Rhodes) thumbnail

Steve KIW (BAOL/Andres y Xavi) thumbnail

Alex Ruder / Hush Hush Records thumbnail

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Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
4 original tracks plus a Seahawks remix cut to vinyl with artwork by Mr Vincent, NuNorthern Souls longstanding visual artist and graphic designer.

Includes unlimited streaming of Foothills via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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1.	High Desert 07:07	buy track
2.	Open Sky 07:08	buy track
3.	The Landscape 06:06	buy track
4.	Sweet Sounds 08:07	buy track
5.	High Desert [Seahawks High Sky Remix] 07:28	buy track

about

Over the course of a 19-year career, Marshall Watson has released all manner of musical treats for a similarly wide array of labels, yet it’s the effortless beauty of his downtempo works – and particularly his ambient and Balearic excursions – that have often left a lasting impression.

It certainly caught the attention of NuNorthern Soul founder Phil Cooper, who brought the West Coast producer to the label in the summer of 2021. That EP, Sunsets on Larkin Parts 1 & 2, was undeniably special. The same can be said about his belated return to the label, Foothills, an EP packed to the rafters with slow-burn melodies, sustained chords, becalmed textures and gently unwinding grooves.

Watson’s distinctive take on Balearic naturally comes to the fore on EP opener ‘High Desert’, a soft-focus delight where languid electric guitars, starry electric piano lines, echoing chords and gently pulsing electronics stretch out across a shuffling groove. While tailor-made for watching the sun set off his beloved Pacific Coast – and over the Mediterranean Sea – ‘High Desert’ offers a dose of hazy sonic sunshine that can brighten up even the greyest of days.

Fittingly, the accompanying remix comes from long-time friends of the label Seahawks, whose textured, layered and atmospheric productions similarly blur boundaries between Balearic, ambient, pitched-down dancefloor grooves and glassy-eyed psychedelia. Employing opaque, shape-shifting pads, effects-laden guitars, subtle spoken word snippets and yearning, almost melancholic chords – all atop a crunchy, head-nodding beat and toasty bassline – the duo deliver a remix that’s as emotive and sonically stunning as Watson’s original mix.

The EP’s three other tracks amply demonstrate the subtle variety within Watson’s downtempo output. Vocalist Julie Childe makes her mark on ‘Sweet Sounds’, a brilliant blend of warming deep house and laidback Balearic nu-disco that sports subtle hints to his work as one half of synthwave duo Causeway, while ‘Open Sky’ brilliantly wraps undulating TB-303 acid lines and echoing Spanish guitars around a hypnotic, locked-in dancefloor groove.

Then there’s ‘The Landscape’, a deliciously saucer-eyed slab of breakbeat-powered, TB-303-sporting genius that evokes the immersive, early morning waviness of the ambient house era, the beach party psychedelia of San Francisco’s free party movement, and the bleeping wonder of turn-of-the-90s UK dance music. Like the rest of the EP, it’s an enveloping, head-soothing and mind-expanding treat.

credits

released April 28, 2023

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about

marshall watson San Francisco, California

Marshall Watson is an ambient music composer with a long list of releases under his belt. He has released 3 albums and many singles since his first release on Highpoint Lowlife in 2004. His latest album I'd Rather Be in Space was released on Looq Records in April 2017. He lives in San Francisco with his wife and two cats. ... more

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