New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Following the official release of their new album Free Swim last Friday, August 21st, long-running instrumental-electronic quintet Lotus are releasing the full collection as a special in-studio video album, featuring footage from the recording sessions at Spice House Sound in Philadelphia. The Free Swim Video Album premieres tonight at 7pm PT/10pm ET on the Lotus YouTube page with band members joining the live chat - PRESS HERE to watch. The video shoot was produced by Darkslide Media with editing and generative animation programming by the band's
Jesse Miller. Free Swim, the band's highly praised 10th full-length studio album, mines dance grooves from soulful funk to dirty disco to build instrumental songs with a signature Lotus sound.
"The Free Swim Video Album consists of in-studio videos of all 10 album tracks, each with their own unique style," explains
Jesse Miller (bass, modular synth). "It gives a close-up look of the recording process from the tracking room at Spice House Sound. Some of the videos also include animation layers using the same custom system we recently started using live with Lotus. Different generative programming patches respond to kick and snare triggers, MIDI data tied to the music and real-time movements on controllers. This brings a subtle element of the live light show into the studio."
Free Swim, available digitally and on vinyl, pays homage to the greats of music's past, built on the bones of what the five members of Lotus listen to and have absorbed over time. Written and produced by the group's
Jesse and Luke Miller, the new 10-track independent album is an eclectic and groovy instrumental mix of funk, disco, jazz and psychedelia, looking to bring happiness and joy to listeners. From the jazzy-house of album opener and lead single "Catacombs," which was inspired by everyone from
Daft Punk and
St. Germain to Nile Rodgers, to the vintage funk of "Sepia Rainbow" and "Earl of Grey" and the head-bopping cosmic disco tune "Bjorn Gets A Haircut," Free Swim will make you want to move. Track listing for Free Swim below.
On Friday,
September 4th, Lotus will celebrate the release of Free Swim with a live performance at the parking lot adjacent to Citizens Bank Park in their hometown of Philadelphia, part of the Live-In/Drive-In concert series presented by Live Nation Philadelphia and Budweiser Zero in partnership with the Philadelphia Phillies, marking the band's only live show for the remainder of the year. PRESS HERE for tickets and more info.
Lotus - Mike Greenfield (drums),
Jesse Miller (bass, modular synth), Luke Miller (keyboards, guitar), Mike Rempel (guitar) and Chuck Morris (percussion) - has always been difficult to define musically; an instrumental jamband that has favored groove-based improvisation instead of gaudy solos and noodling. Influences of classic electronic dance music, funk, post-rock and dance-rock have all made their way into the Lotus sound. Over the years, their unique musical blend helped forge a new path in the jamband landscape, influencing many younger bands in the scene. Albums such as their debut studio release,
Nomad (2006) have become a touchstone for how to organically fuse elements of electronica with jam music, and the band continues to evolve through each tour and album bringing in new sounds and writing styles. Since their formation two decades ago, Lotus has toured actively throughout the US working their way up from dingy basement clubs to world-class venues such as Red Rocks. They've become festival favorites, playing everything from Bonnaroo, Camp Bisco and Outside Lands to Ultra
Music Festival and Electric Forest, building a hyper-loyal following along the way. Lotus also hosts their annual SummerDance Festival in Garrettsville, Ohio, which will resume in 2021. A Lotus live show is an experience, a uniquely crafted and improvised set taking everyone, the crowd and band, on a journey.
FREE SWIM TRACK LISTING
1. Catacombs
2. Turtlehead
3. Free Swim
4. Sepia Rainbow
5. One-Eyed Jones
6. Bjorn Gets A Haircut
7. Straight Blade
8. Earl of Grey
9. Snake Island
10. Land of the Lush.
