NEW YORK (Zoe/ Rounder Records) - The sound has been called "Guitronica," undeniably modern yet deeply rooted in the blues - a blend of slide and 12-string guitars layered imaginatively over trippy beats and rhythms. It is the sound that launched iTunes and is pre-loaded on iPods in all Apple stores. It is the sound that is most heard around the world on the popular TV series CSI, the sound that has been featured on shows like "Malcolm in the Middle" and "Roswell" and on film trailers for "Vanilla Sky" starring
Tom Cruise and Viggo Mortensen's "Hidalgo."
It is the sound of Euphoria!
Featuring Toronto-based, Emmy-nominated composer, Ken Ramm, Euphoria rose to prominence in 1999, with the sleeper instrumental hit "Delirium" from their self-titled debut release. It broke onto the American Triple-A radio charts and became a favorite on the playlists of influential stations across the country drawing attention from the worlds of film, television and advertising. To date, every single off the Euphoria debut has been licensed for use, and remixes of "Delirium" by artists like Fila Brazilia and Dave Ball of Soft Cell fame have kept the single perpetually alive.
On their recent album release Precious Time, (Zoe/Rounder Records), Euphoria continues to make its mark. The first single, "Back Against the Wall", is yet again the only instrumental track currently enjoying Top 10 airplay at Triple-A radio. "It's the unique combination of contemporary and retro sounds that I think makes it interesting," says Ramm. "Live drums blended with slide guitar played on a Les Paul set up the entrance for the tough "Chicago" harmonica sound, while electronica textures color the atmosphere around it. It is this future / past combination that gives the track an edge."
Precious Time pushes past the norm by combining live blues guitar with hypnotic beats, while featuring vocals on several tracks. Making their vocal and lyrical contributions on this album are Grammy winner, Danish singer-songwriter of the electronic duo Zero 7, Tina Dico as well as singer-songwriter Tracy Bonham. Both set the tone for what this album offers: simplicity and graceful blends between the organic sound of vocals, guitar and the steely edge of electronica. "I had decided I wanted the vocalists to not only have distinctive voices on this album," offers Ramm "but also that they contribute to the writing of the songs themselves. I think one of the reasons the songs do have an especially natural and personal feel is that the vocalists are, for the most part, singing their own lyrics to the tracks." Ramm also worked with drummer/producer Steve Sidelnyk, a fixture in the U.K. music scene who has collaborated with such artists as Madonna, David Gray and Massive Attack and with co-producer Sean Spuehler (Madonna, Missy Elliot). Also in the mix are Howard Levy (Bela Fleck and The Flecktones) on harmonica as well as recording engineer, Donal Hodgson (Sting).
