Enigmatic electronica powerhouse lets fly
Who?
Good question. This GRANDAD is a truly mysterious entity, real name, at present, unknown. What we do know is that they create marvellously haywire electronica, permeated by trippy vocal samples and pseudo-percussive synthetic textures. Though relatively nascent as a standalone project, GRANDAD’s list of purported prior collaborators is formidable, dropping names as far and wide as Loraine James, Anna Meredith, Actress, Hannah Peel, William Basinski, Oliver Coates, Rival Consoles and even the London Contemporary Orchestra. In the musician’s own words, “Joyous musical adventures, of course, yet bubbling under the surface has always been GRANDAD’s real love: writing electronic music”. All is well and good so far.
Why GRANDAD?
The debut self-titled GRANDAD EP is a trip. Lurching from one phenomenally detailed soundscape to the next, it collages humour into deadly serious compositions with aplomb. We’d be complaining about the whiplash if it wasn’t so darn good, resting somewhere between Anna Meredith’s ‘Bumps Per Minute’ album and Aphex Twin at his most outre. If these first offerings are anything to go by, then you’d do well to keep an ear on what GRANDAD gets up to this year.
Tell Us More…
And if you need yet more convincing, the EP’s physical iteration is packaged in a fully biodegradable case, grown – I’m not joking – out of mycelium. The literal fruits of a special collaboration between GRANDAD and The Magical Mushroom Company, whose mission is to replace plastic packaging with “the magic of mushrooms”. The packaging is supposedly the first CD case of its kind, but collectors be warned – it’s set to completely biodegrade after around 30 years. If you’re still curious, you can order one to see for yourself.
The ‘GRANDAD’ EP is out via Bandcamp
