Rachael Dadd is our most celebrated female artists on Folk Radio UK and for that reason it is a great pleasure to announce the release of her new album ‘We Resonate’, none can top the anticipation as this promises to be her strongest and most impacting body of work into the public sphere.
Two years in the making ‘We Resonate‘ is an uplifting celebration of life and by far her most collaborative. It sees Rachael joined by Laura Marling’s sideman Marcus Hamblet, experimental Japanese multi-instrumentalist ICHI, Alessi Laurent-Marke of Alessi’s Ark, Rozi Plain, Emma Gatrill of Sons of Noel and Adrian, and Thomas Heather of Woodpecker Wooliams.
Starting life as demos of multi-instrumental layers born from the richness of her nomadic lifestyle, the songs were then recorded in part with a live band in a studio, followed by playful overdubbing in Rachael’s front room where she could prepare the piano and use husband ICHI’s handmade musical inventions. Carving out a niche of its own and crossing genres from folk, through pop and experimental, ‘We Resonate’ pulses with poly-rhythms on prepared-piano, homemade xylophone, voice, clarinets, typewriter, boxes of matches, steel drum, tap-dancing, clapping, and even the heartbeat of Rachael’s baby in the womb. Her love of african field-recordings and the spirit embodied within them, has seeped into the diverse mix of influences, along with Steve Reich, Tune Yards, and the Japanese underground/improv scene.
Three singles from the album will be released between March and June. The first, ‘Make a Sentence’, will be a self-release split 7″ with husband ICHI. The second, ‘Strike Our Scythes’ will come as a postcard on Scottish label Lost Map UK, and the third ‘Wake It’, a summery popsicle, will be set loose in June.
We can’t offer you a taster just yet but for those of you are not aware of Rachael this is what you’ve been missing:
We first made initial contact with Rachael via MySpace many years ago now (not long after I started FRUK in 2004) after which she sent me her demo along with two other demos for bands she performed in: Wooden Bridge and The Hand. We’ve not stopped playing her music since and those first CDs steered FRUK towards the experimental folk scene that we’ve continued to embrace. Within her circles I became aware of Ichi and Will Newsome, both are great artists in their own right and they both regularly share stages with Rachael…one more than the other as she is now married to Ichi and they have a beautiful child spending time between Bristol and Japan. Whilst a lot of may have changed in her life since then a few things haven’t: She is still a creative wonder and I’ve yet to meet anyone who embraces her art so joyously. A creative spark that must be in the blood as her sister Betsy Dadd is also a great artist/animator.
Animation by Betsy Dadd to a song ‘Dove Come Rain’, by Rachael and Will Newsome
Rachael plays a headline show with full band at Green Note Café, Camden on Thursday the 30th January. ICHI is special guest and will be playing his catchy danceable songs, playfully choreographed with handmade inventions, toys and instruments.
Rachael also plays a solo piano show at The Vortex on the 5th of February opening for My Glass World.