Formed in 2019, Lawne is the result of a meeting of minds between old friends and self confessed music nerds Joe Nicklin and Joe Martin. Their sound draws upon myriad influences with dub, electronics, hip hop, psych, jazz, post-punk and Afrobeat all somehow ingrained within the mix.
Heather’s Leather, the second single to be taken from the pair’s debut LP, due for release in the autumn, is in a similar vein to previous single Beta Pan in that it has distinctly different A&B sections. The duo wanted to shift through the gears even quicker this time though, so they looked for inspiration from opposite ends of the pool, as Joe Martin explains:
“Heather’s Leather was something of an anomaly on the album in how quickly it all came together. I’d written the original chord progression on piano years prior but never got round to developing it into a full tune; the switch between the A and B sections feels quite drastic because there’s a change in tempo and key centre, something that we hadn’t experimented with before.
I was obsessed with the opening track from Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, Star Treatment. You can hear its influence on the first part of the track and Joe’s drumming compliments the feel of it perfectly.”
Joe Nicklin goes on, “We’d learned from the pandemic that working remotely really suited us. You get time to mull over ideas and not run away with things, especially when there’s no added pressure of being on the clock in a studio. Joe (Martin) sent me the song and it was already really far down the line. He usually adds some placeholder midi drums but this time he hadn’t. It’s usually nice to have the midi drums to set you on your way, but I think only being able to work solely off the synths and guitars forced me to come up with something I otherwise wouldn’t have, especially for the B section. You find yourself being reminded of an artist when hearing the demo and then asking ‘what would their drummer do?’”
Comparing Lawne’s sound to that of Mildlife, Nu Genea, Harvey Sutherland and Khruangbin wouldn’t be far off the mark, but such contemporaries form only part of the duo’s sonic soundscape as Fela Kuti, The Beach Boys and Herbie Hancock also weigh heavy on their repertoire, as Joe Nicklin explains:
“I had been working mainly as a live session drummer for a few years and missed being able to get my teeth into a project of my own, collaborating and building something that reflects my influences from the ground up. I knew Joe (Martin) a bit from home in North Oxfordshire but we reconnected after both moving to London and decided to start sending ideas back and forth shortly after. Originally we set out to make dance music with live instrumentation, but a shared love of psychedelic, jazz-funk and hip hop eventually saw our music also reflect these styles.”
Joe Martin goes on, “I’d been engaged on a solo electronic project for a few years but soon began to miss working collaboratively and writing music with instruments rather than creating solely on a laptop. I knew Joe from home and when he asked if I wanted to get together to make some music, it seemed like the perfect time. We’ve spent the last couple of years exploring different sounds and trying our best to work outside of our comfort zone; listening to a wider range of material as well as incorporating that into our own music.”
Is it Balearic? Quite possibly.
Lawne’s debut album will be released in November 2024 on Wah Wah 45s.
Reactions & Radio Play
Radio play from Deb Grant & Tom Ravenscroft (BBC 6 Music, UK), Kev Beadle (Totally Wired Radio, UK), Ingrown Radio (USA), Jazzcat (Fresh Faves, Italy), Simon Harrison (Basic Soul, UK), Aja Allsop (Ketch-A-Vibe, UK), Karl Phillips ( Source FM – Eternal Fusion Radio – Liskeard Radio, UK)
Featured on the Soundtrack For playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3CjPuOpcgIhPbAJkLKibzW
The Bristol Funk playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5FU2D47XRG1EbX9ga2tZJV
The DMY playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0zUOcpRfYVYTbyvBKOIP83
Qboz Playlist https://open.qobuz.com/playlist/2098537
open.qobuz.com/playlist/
“Great!” Gilles Peterson (BBC 6 Music / Worldwide FM)
“How good is that? POW!” Deb Grant (BBC 6 Music, UK)
“Wicked, thanks. Very into this… grooves in your face!” Tom Ravenscroft (BBC 6 Music, UK)
“Ticking all the right boxes so far!” Colleen Cosmo Murphy (The Loft / Worldwide FM, UK)
“Funky psychedelics.” Thristian Global Roots (Rinse FM, UK)
“Yes! So Powerful! Bravo!” DJ Soulist (Souleance, France)
“A lot going on musically in this one but it works.” Kev Beadle (Totally Wired Radio, UK)
“Cool track- I like the abrupt tempo change..” DJ Angola (Wonderwheel, USA)
“Simple and beautiful and surprise!” Dazzle Drums (Block Party, Japan)
“Great music!” Llorca (Various, France)
“Super smooth & lively.” Ahu (Various, Turkey)
“Simply poetic music.” Cesare Cera (Bologna Uno, Italy)
“I like leather!” Sjoerd Neggers (Dfelic, The Netherlands)
“Excellent title in 2 times slow and acceleration rhythm in second part.” Veronique Prebolin (Radio Krimi, France)
“Did not expect that from the intro. Very nice!” Kengo Oshima (Cuban Brothers / 4 To The Floor, UK)
“Nice.” Toshio Matsuura (Inter FM, Japan)
“A whole array of sounds on display with this release.” Steve Johns (Solar Radio, UK)
“Superb uplifting disco monster! Builds up and blows you away! Perfect across the boundaries sound.” Oliver Korthals (Mojo Club, Germany)
“LUVVVVV tha Vybes!” Michael Stukes (WHCR 90.3 FM, USA)
“Huge! Played the first single and will definitely play this too!” Breakplus (Mythstery Records, Switzerland)
“I do like this – I love the upgear change especially and the lightness infused.” Debbie Golt (Resonance FM, UK)
“I LOVE the laid-back vibe and the rhythm change halfway through the song. Instant analogue goosebumps. Sign me up for the vinyl please.” Xander Roozen (Royal Groove, The Netherlands)
“Lovely tones, vibe and groove.” DJ Mr Lob (Various, Australia)
“Feelin this lovely chilled out groove for sure..!” Raj Selli (Solar Radio, UK)
“Getting things started. Perfect when the crowd is just waiting for the right groove / beat to drop.” Rene Josquin (Format Analog, Germany)
“Really dig the spacey sound!” Jason Palma (Footprints, Canada)
“Jazzy Afrobeat and more.” Jean-Marc Baehler (Couleur 3, Switzerland)
“Beautiful stuff for radio Oxigenio and my pool side DJ sets.” Tiago Santos (Radio Oxigenio, Portugal)
“Now… that’s a TUNE.” Simon Harrison (Basic Soul, UK)
“So brilliant! Love it!” Olivier Cavaller (De La Bonne Musique, France)
“Nice one.” Tjerk Coers (Armada Music, Netherlands)
“This is LUSH!!!!!!” DJ Junior (Record Breakin’, USA)
“Great!!!!” DJ Malaka (Global Funkers, Spain)
“Super nice!” Karsten John (Vinyl Vibes, Germany)
“Expect the unexpected … nice second part!!!” Markus milk (Radio Corax, Germany)
“Great track.” Sista Selecta (2bob Radio, Australia)
“Delicious!” Eric Tchaikovsky (Night Light Radio, Ukraine)
“The track definitely has two very distinctive parts but I like how it’s put together. This is a really strong duo and I’m looking forward to hearing the full album. In the mean time I’ll be supporting this.” DJ Nelito (Power FM, Netherlands)
“Nice tune!” Sven Thomschke (Radio Z, Germany)
“Great track.” Rado Tomek (Nu Spirit Club, Slovakia)
“Nice and dreamy this one then… hang on… 3 mins in… I’ve sat up with a jolt and we’re off. Lovely stuff.” Bean Noodler (Soul Buggin’, UK)
“Amazing vibes!” Enrique Domenech (Freeform, Spain)
“Exceptionally tight grooves.” Jack Duckham (Band On The Wall, UK)
“Nice.” Robert Lochmann (Radio X, Germany)
“Love how this moves along.” Bob Hill (Illicit Grooves, UK)
“Love the change of tempo works really well. Gonna be a big one over the summer.” DJ Expression (What’s Hot Radio, UK)
“Great one as usual..” Amar Kabouche (Fauve Radio, Hong Kong)
“Fantastic.” Jon Brent (Dusk Dubs, UK)
“Can’t wait for the album!” Marcio Martinez (BBE, Brazil)
“Chilled to the max.” Aja Allsop (Ketch-A-Vibe, UK)
“Sparkling with energy!” Jon Freer (Various, UK)
“Lovely stuff.” George Higham (Shades Recs, UK)
“Perfect follow up to ‘Beta Pan’ Balearic? I’d say… and more. Who’s up for the ‘Leather Lane Market Mix’?” Gerry Hectic (You And The Music, UK)
“Love the laid back groove of the first half – cosy!” Nigel Wood (Various, UK)
“A nice leisurely jazzy vibe, reminds me of a lot of stuff that was coming out early this century – Groove Armada & the like. When it kicks up the tempo mid-way with odd keyboard sounds and urgent beat it brings the sound more up to date – Mauskovic!” Drummie Dave (Various, UK)
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