Told through narrative interludes and a musical score capturing windows in our tale; ‘A Wandering Journal’ is a voyage through experimental electronica; the debut long player from London-based producer, Sabre, and the first solo artist album on Critical Music.
Hailing from north London, 27 year old DJ turned Producer ‘Sabre’ has slowly been risen through the ranks of the global electronic music fraternity, securing as he goes a reputation as a twisted yet soulful thinker, bringing a grittier sound to the deeper spectrum of the drum and bass scene and experimental electronica.
After having spent his earliest years in the Seychelles, Sabre moved to the UK in 1989. Reaching his early teens, he found a passion for Hip-Hop and turntablism, and equipped himself as a bedroom DJ. The subsequent vinyl addiction was cemented by the arrival of the Jungle Era, and overwhelmed by the richness of the music, Sabre started to purchase the occasional release eventually switching focus away from Hip-Hop entirely in the late 90’s with the arrival of more futuristic, industrial sounding drum and bass, from artists like Future Forces, Photek, Teebee and DJ Trace.
After stints on pirate radio stations such as Rude FM a course in music technology followed and armed the young DJ with a firm grasp of studio technique; the first releases came in 2002 under the guise of the collaborative ‘Intimidation Collective’ project, a two man, self- driven enterprise selling white label music from car boots straight to the shops. The profile was growing at grass roots level in the underground, and now approaching 2004, small and mid sized labels started picking up on the ‘techy/soulful’ mix of dance floor drum and bass being produced by the newcomer. The first throws at starting a brand within music came the year after with the launch of London Zu, the now retired drum and bass club night formerly held at Londons’ La Scala venue.
“Still perhaps the most exciting era of my life, around 2002-2004 when I started to first find support in this music, mingle with people who had been my heroes for years, finally knowing that I had a niche and a following, which is all I really wanted.”
In the years since those first opportunities, Sabre’s grown to emerge as a global DJ with residencies across Europe, and secured releases and remix work for labels including Metalheadz, Renegade Hardware, Critical and Shogun Audio. Spanning many styles, this initially dance floor-orientated catalog has since evolved itself towards a more minimal and experimental outlook, resulting in 2007 with a commission from Capitol films to contribute toward the film score for the Tony Kaye feature ‘Black Water Transit’. The view looking to the future is spread across the musical and multimedia spectrum.
“Writing ‘A Wandering Journal’ has been liberating beyond expression. It’s a project I’ve had developed and hibernating for so long that looking back, I know that if it’d been left any longer it wouldn’t have been realised to its true potential. All the unwritten details of the concept and the loose narrative would have faded in my mind. Creating it when I did, whilst the concept was still strong in my mind, and my musical output was amongst the most free-spirited of my career was perfect timing. And it’s spurned me on to be even more ambitious with what I create in the future. I have to approach a new frontier now that this album is complete, and the current multimedia landscape is the perfect playground in which to elaborate on what I stand for creatively.”
CRITCD04 / CRITLP04
Sabre
A Wandering Journal
CD1:
1. Day One
2. The Intrepid
3. Quarters feat. Noisia & Icicle
4. Day Four
5. A Wandering Journal
6. Escapade
7. Follow Polaris
8. Day Eight
9. Peril
10. Ash
11. Marvel
12. Levelling Out Pt. 1 feat. Maxwell Golden
13. Have It Your Way feat. Alix Perez
14. Day Fourteen
15. Havens Verge
CD2:
1. Peril (Club mix)
2. Marvel (Club mix)
3. Quarters feat. Noisia & Icicle (Club mix)
4. The Intrepid (Club mix)
5. Javelin feat. Alix Perez
6. A Wandering Journal (Rockwell Club mix)
7. Curious
8. Levelling Out Pt. 2
9. Follow Polaris (Club mix)
10. Have It Your Way feat. Alix Perez (Club mix)
3×12″ Version:
1. Peril (Club mix)
2. Quarters feat. Noisia & Icicle (Club mix)
3. The Intrepid (Club mix)
4. Javelin feat. Alix Perez
5. A Wandering Journal (Rockwell Club mix)
6. Follow Polaris (Club mix)
Release date: 29th March 2010.
Out Now: A Wandering Journal – Sampler
CRITLP04S
Sabre
A Wandering Journal LP Sampler
a) Marvel
aa) Barefoot (Ft. Ulterior Motive)
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Links:
http://www.youtube.com/awanderingjournal
http://www.criticalmusic.com
http://www.myspace.com/sabrelondonzu
http://www.myspace.com/criticalmusic
YES YES YO!
What a project, this is like your final project at University, which would be too complex for the simple minded lecturers.
Big up Sabre, pushing the bar where there is no limit
Can not wait!
The depth and quality of this album surpasses all other producers / musicians / songwriters, some may beg to differ, be it as it may. This is an album for the methodical thinkers, people who like some sugar in their morning tea / coffee.