| Meet: THE BOTTLETOP BAND |
| Written by Shahlin Graves |
| Thursday, 16 December 2010 11:07 |
 Basically, the important thing to know here is that CARL BARAT of The Libertines, MATT HELDERS of the Arctic Monkeys, DREW MCCONNELL of Babyshambles, and GRUFF RHYS of Super Furry Animals, are amongst those who have banded together to form a new musical collective called THE BOTTLETOP BAND. The band's debut album 'Dream Service' will be released on April 11th in the UK for charity - also featuring the likes of Get Cape Wear Cape Fly, Money Mark, VV Brown, Sam Sparro, Fink, Reverend and The Makers, Eliza Doolittle and Tim Burgess - with the first single 'Fall Of Rome' available for free via the download button (downwards pointing arrow) in the below Soundcloud player... Here's the official spiel: "The Bottletop Band is a cross-pollination of the sounds and stars of Brazilian music with a host of like-minded British musicians. In 2008 Bottletop approached the UK clothing brand Fenchurch with the idea of an interchangeable lineup of leading musicians collaborating on either side of the continent, with the aim of producing a groundbreaking cross-cultural record in support of Bottletop. Bottletop set up recording sessions at Dean Street Studios in Soho with a wide variety of musicians to record a selection of ideas together under the stewardship of producer Jagz Kooner. The loops and live jams were then sent across to Rio de Janeiro for local artists to add their ideas. From here, the first Bottletop Band record was born. The tracks were sent back and forth between the two countries, in a flurry of studio sessions with a host of singers, bands and session musicians until eventually resting with super producer Mario C Jr, in LA, having overseen the entire project, as he eventually pieced together the final material and mixed the tracks to create the full 10 track album Dream Service. The Bottletop Band is a means of raising funds and awareness through credible musical collaborations and is the latest musical initiative pioneered by the charity – it follows in the wake of the hugely successful Sound Affects album series. The first release, Africa was comprised of rare afrobeat remixed by Paul Oakenfold and Quantic amongst others. The follow-up Brazil includes exclusive remixes by Fatboy Slim and Jazzanova, and garnered praise from The Independent, Bob Geldof and Michael Eavis. Bottletop supports grass roots education projects, empowering young people to take control of their lives. We support initiatives in Brazil, Malawi, Rwanda, Mozambique and the UK, addressing key issues such as sexual and reproductive health, substance abuse and gender equality. Bottletop also designs and produces ethically sourced and environmentally friendly fashion products, generating employment in Salvador, Brazil, where they produce products which are retailed across Europe. Well-known fans of Bottletop accessories include Kate Moss, Paris Hilton, Annie Lennox and Rachel Weisz." |
