Off the back of a fantastic summer for Jon Hopkins, we see him continue to bring forth some exquisite electronic sounds as he announces March 1st as the release of his addition to the Late Night Tales album series.
Dappled in the sepia tones of the Dimensions Festival in Croatia, he demonstrated why his ambient and techno vibes are so good in a live arena, and fuelled by his Mercury Music Award win, he joined his friend and creative collaborator Nils Frahm for a monumental live performance that I would have killed to have attended.
Back in November, his Essential Mix for Pete Tong showcased an array of unknown and unreleased sounds, including Joy Orbison and Boddika within his two hour mix and is surely one of the Essential Mix’s highlights from the last six months at least.
On the Essential Mix series, he recently spoke;
“It feels amazing to be part of a mix series that has been going for 20 years, and to join a line up that has included so many people whose music I admire. I put a lot of work into this, trying to showcase the tracks that have influenced my recent album and live shows, and trying to build a real musical structure and journey over the 2 hours. I really hope everyone enjoys it.”
Now he turns his hand to the hallowed ground of Late Night Tales, where Bonobo, Röyksopp and Franz Ferdinand have recently blessed.
“Putting this album together was a unique opportunity for me to present music that I have been listening to for years, free from the constraints of a club setting or from trying to stick to one genre. I chose tracks not just because they have been important to me but because of how they sit together, putting as much thought into the transitions and overall narrative as I did into the track choices. I mixed by key and by texture more than anything else, using original sound design, pivot notes, and often recording new synth or piano parts to link things together in a way that flows as naturally as possible.”
– Jon Hopkins, December 2014
Sit back and prepare to experience the most hypnotic five minutes of your life with this album sampler (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7G8m9f4XK4#t=129).
Jon Hopkins can be found in the southern hemisphere touring with the Laneway Festival over the next month, returning to the fantastic Brixton Academy in April. Tour dates below.
01-26 Auckland, New Zealand – Laneway Festival
01-31 Brisbane, Australia – Laneway Festival
02-01 Sydney, Australia – Laneway Festival
02-06 Adelaide, Australia – Laneway Festival
02-07 Melbourne, Australia – Laneway Festival
02-08 Freemantle, Australia – Laneway Festival
04-24 London, England – Brixton Academy
Follow Late Night Tales online: http://facebook.com/latenighttales1
Pre-order / Download the album from iTunes: http://hyperurl.co/JHITUNES