Leila Adu has mastered the art of forging smart outsider music with a warm accessible core.
Her new album “Ode to the Unknown Factory Worker” is a determined step in a journey towards a new artistic folklore merging a century of musical traditions with an electronic future. It speaks the language of pre-war blues, world music, post rock electronica and truly eclectic folk‐pop.
Leila Adu celebrates global CD release on Rai Trade/Tracce, the Italian National Radio label
New York, NY—Leila Adu reemerges to the international music scene on January 18th with her powerful new album “Ode to the Unknown Factory Worker.” The 11 song CD is a raw musical travelogue of uncertainty and triumph in the exciting nomadic life of the popular New Zealand/Ghanaian singer-composer-multi-instrumentalist. Touring the globe solo and with band throughout 2009-2010 in support of her Steve Albini produced “Dark Joan” LP, Leila received a spontaneous opportunity to return to the recording studio from Rai Trade/Tracce, the Italian National Radio label. The resulting album, “Ode to the Unknown Factory Worker,” primarily features her dark yet humorous songs in naked arrangements for solo voice and piano/electric keyboards. Accompanied on 4 propulsive tracks by drummer Daniele De Santis, Leila’s quirkily structured compositions speak the language of pre-war blues, sci-fi environmentalism, post-rock world music, immigration electronica and Bing Crosby.
TRACK LIST
Martian Raft
Brazen Hussey
Must Walk Slowly
Trojan Cow
Ode to the Unknown Factory Worker
The One Minute Pastry Song
Fortuna
Glass
Slick Department Store
A Moment of Peace
Cigarettes & Circus Puffs
Leila Adu has mastered the art of forging smart outsider music with a warm accessible pop core. The worldwide CD release of “Ode to the Unknown Factory Worker” on January 18 is a call for celebration and reflection. It is Leila’s determined step in the journey towards a new global folklore merging primal traditions with an electronic future.
“The BeatStylist recently had the pleasure of chatting with singer/songwriter/composer/musician Leila Adu, whose fourth album Ode to the Unknown Factory Worker is out now…”Themes are along the lines of our current armageddon/global disaster zeitgeist, portrayals of women, consumerism and good ol’ attraction and loving woes.”” Read full interview at The Fashion Cult
Review — Italy’s premiere Alt Rock & Experimental Magazine ‘Blow Up’
“This new work recorded for Rai Trade’s beautiful Tracce series, sees her [Adu] in almost total solitude (in four songs she is joined by Daniele de Santis on drums) and comes to grips with a singer-songwriter with extremely sparse piano and vocals yet rich with off-kilter digressions. Splinters of folk, of blues but also hypnotic and ghostly prog [absit inuria verbis!] that move away from the more popular terrains and put her in a personal sphere with which you want a little time to familiarize yourself. Fascinating when you become attuned to it. (Click photo for full review in Italian)
Leila Adu’s new album is OUT NOW online through Cargo Records UK and Goodfellas Italy, licensed by Raitrade (the Italian National Radio label who have released albums by Anthony Braxton, Robert Wyatt & Matthew Shipp.) The album is in stores in Italy where it is already receiving critical acclaim: Sentire Ascoltare and I’ve Always Wanted to be a Gangster
Ode to the Unknown Factory Worker will be in stores in the UK, USA, Japan, Germany and France in January 2011.
Next month, the new album Ode to the Unknown Factory Worker is out on the Italian National Radio label, RAI Trade/Tracce, in the UK, USA, Germany, France and Japan distributed by Goodfellas. Tracce has achieved critical acclaim due to their previous releases including experimental legends Robert Wyatt, Anthony Braxton, Amiri Baraka and Matthew Shipp.
In Atlanta, Georgia, Leila performed on the outdoor stage at Centennial Olympic Park with Stoni Taylor and Miles of Stone and had two promo shoots.
Award-winning Atlanta based UK photographer, Leon Dale, shot Leila who was dressed in African inspired garb by Eighty Jane, the Nigerian/American fashion stylist/poet which will feature in her hip chique fashion blog www.thefashioncult.com.
Tania Calderon, beauty, fashion and commercial photographer, took a series of images at her studio, Calderón Foto.
Also coming up in 2010, Minus Habens, the electronic label who have been releasing legends such Brian Eno, Depeche Mode, Angelo Badalamenti, Aphex Twin and Cabaret Voltaire will release MDF, the electronica project of De Santis. Tracks from the album feature Leila including the pre-release single “prendi uno” which was featured on New York based online community and festival URB ALT’s digital download sampler with Flying Lotus, Gonjasufi and Jneiro Jarel. Leila is now working on a new solo album for 2011 using ‘Ableton Live’ to produce the set of electronic songs.
Performance of The City & The Voodoo Lady @ Urb Alt Fest 2010, 92Y, New York
URB ALT Fest 2010 @ 92Y Tribeca, New York, 25JUN10
Stateside Summer and New Releases
URB ALT Fest 2010 @ 92Y Tribeca, New York, 25JUN10After performances in LA, Chicago, New York and Washington DC, Leila Adu will play her final US date in Atlanta before returning to perform in Italy and the UK. Leila’s trio show in New York for URB ALT Festival with Federico Ughi and Andrew Weeks was described by Bold As Love’s, Rob Fields: “Usually, when a singer-songwriter strips a song down to just voice and piano, it provides for more space around the song, and lets it breathe. In Leila’s case, she’s dealing with such melodically dense concepts that the addition of the other instruments actually served to better ground me as a listener… The additional instruments help you experience her on a macro level. And that’s good, because what she’s exploring is sonically compelling and adventurous.”
With over 13,000 downloads of their previous sampler, the latest URB ALT Sampler-Tres Free download was released in June to celebrate the URB ALT 2010 Festival launch and includes ‘prendi uno’ the new single by MDF Feat. Leila Adu. Electronica producer MDF‘s solo album ‘Horus’ was released this year and labels are already interested in his next release which will include ‘prendi uno’ and other tracks in collaboration with Leila Adu. The URB ALT Sampler-Tres Free download features artists who performed for this year’s festival:Muthawit, Oh My Goodness, Dearling Physique, The Twin Shadow, MiLo and Lou Rossi, as well members of the URB ALT community from around the globe such as Gonjasufi/Flying Lotus, Dave I.D., Tuneyards, Faith, Jneiro Jarel and more.
Leila Adu’s fourth studio album of songs ‘Ode the the Unknown Factory Worker,’ solo piano, organ and voice with four tracks accompanied by drummer Daniele De Santis, is set to be released by RAI TRADE/Tracce and distributed worldwide in October 2010. ‘The Shoreditch Concert,’ an acoustic free improv concert released last month on Amirani Records of the group of Hannah Marshall_Nicola Guazzaloca_Gianni Mimmo_Leila Adu’ is receiving consistent reviews and radioplay in France and Italy. ‘Dark Joan’ the album produced by Steve Albini out on Frizz Records, is now being physically distributed in New Zealand stores and sites by Border Music www.youtube.com/bordermusicnz
Leila performs at URB ALT Fest 2010 (Underground Railroad Broadcasting Alternatives) for their 5th Anniversary in lower Manhattan at 92Y Tribeca’s concert hall on June 25. After song shows in Rome, London, Chicago, LA with punk improv bassist Orlando “Oddrocker” Greenhill and around New Zealand solo and with top rock, jazz and pop musicians – she also appeared at improv shows with ‘Melancholy Babes’ members and ‘Lippizanas’ at Auckland’s boutique liquor-house ‘The Winecellar’ who will release the concert on the venue label later in 2010. At 92Y, Leila will perform alongside the godfathers and mothers of psychedelic hard rock Muthawit and the première film screening of indie horror psychodrama, “Phlo” directed by renowned American director and cinematographer, Jim Fielder.
With already 7,000 downloads URB ALT Sampler-Dos – featuring MuthaWit, Gil Scott-Heron, GrizzlyBear, BLK JKS, Leila Adu and Meshell – is going strong, free to download and only available till mid-June
See the new Dark Joan Music Video on Leila Adu’s Youtube Channel. Shot in Rome and directed by award winning movement theatre director, Stephen Bain (NZ), it stars Leila as a modern day Joan of Arc (kind of) pitted against a girl army with crazy cardboard costumes
North Island for New Zealand Music Month
After a sellout Christchurch show, the North Island concerts begin at Wellington’s San Francisco Bathhouse on Sunday 2 May where Leila will be joined by some of the great names of the New Zealand music scene – guitarist David Long (The Mutton Birds), saxophonist Jeff Henderson (Syzygy, the Melancholy Babes) and drummer Chris O’Connor (SJD, Don McGlashan’s Seven Sisters.) The show begins with Crown Julz & the 24 Carats the latest incarnation of songwriter and lyricist Crown Julz – Vocals, Electric Guitar, Ukulele with Ben Lemi Wood on drums (Hikoikoi, Urban Tramper) and bass legend Patric Bleakley (BLERTA.)
Wellington tickets are available at Real Groovy and Under The Radar has an exclusive online offer to book tickets online at door entry price including booking fee and the option to download Dark Joan at a discounted price Discounted Dark Joan Album Download Deal
UP & COMING NZ Tour Dates
2 May – The San Francisco Bathhouse with Crown Julz & The 24 Carats – Wellington
5 May – Sound & Vision NZ Music Month SOLO – Palmerston North
7 May – The Winecellar with Jenny Lange & Dean Roberts – Auckland
