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The Cinematic Orchestra

releases

profiles

The Band:

J.Swinscoe - Keyboards, electronics and musical director
P.J.France - Double Bass/arrangements
Luke Flowers - Drums
John Ellis - Keyboards
Patrick Carpenter - Turntables
Tom Chant - Saxophone and Horn

"An unusual and frankly remarkable project" - Mojo

In 1999, Ninja Tune quietly released "Motion" by a group calling themselves The Cinematic Orchestra. It was one of the surprise critical hits of the year, described as "one of the most innovative and brilliant albums the label has put out" (DJ) and ending that season topping the polls of the likes of Gilles Peterson.

The album was the work of one J. Swinscoe - actually a former Ninja employee - and a group of adventurous jazz musicians. Swinscoe’s background took in both playing in various harcore acts and DJing house sets on London pirates, but his method (playing the band samples, getting them to jam around with them, recording that and then resampling and sequencing the results) and the results he got with it captured the imagination of listeners from all musical backgrounds.

The following year saw the release of an album of remixes that won Swinscoe still more acclaim, the broadsheets now taking note and The Guardian claiming that "it’s frighteningly rare that a musician in a contemporary field brings so much generous knowledge and that magical tranforming power to their work, inviting you inside their world and introducing you to a new way of listening."

In addition, the group’s live shows were beginning to gain them still more attention and it was one of these performances which provided the impetus behind the new album, "Everyday". Almost a household name in Portugal, Swinscoe and co were commissioned to write and perform a new score for Dziga Vertov’s avant garde classic Russian film "Man With A Movie Camera" for the Porto Film Festival. Both the track of that title and "Evolution" had their basis in their performance to 3,500 people and other tracks on the album grew from elements in it.

But Cinematic have evolved as a group, too. J. always felt that the rest of the band’s input was underestimated, but now he and bass-player Phil France very much share writing duties (even flying out to St Louis together to record the legendary Fontella Bass). In addition, the input of DJ Food man PC has been invaluable and J. points to the new impetus given to the band by the arrival of Luke Flowers. He smiles when he remembers the drummer’s first show with the group, at Ronnie Scotts as part of Ninja’s ten year anniversary: "He blew people’s minds…"

As for ‘Everyday,’ J. considers it to be a more mature work than ‘Motion,’ not in a tired-old-rocker way, but perhaps in the fact that the increasing confidence of everyone in the group allows them to develop the music at a pace which is right for the ideas, rather than a preconceived notion of a four minute pop song. But J. also points to a new simplicity to the music, an emotional directness that doesn’t have to confuse matters with nods to Lalo Schiffrin or Miles Davis or anyone else.

At root, though, J.’s basic impetus has stayed consistent throughout.
"We’re trying to make music not 'muzak'. We’re trying to make something which can achieve some kind of longevity...."

Maturity, emotional weight, musical longevity. In the days of Pop Idol, these may not be the most fashionable ideas. They can even leave you open to ridicule. But confidence is confidence and the results speak for themselves. If you don’t get it, fuck you. Go and do something more boring instead…

links

• http://www.cinematicorchestra.com (official)

related to The Cinematic Orchestra

Tied and Tickled Trio, HIM, Gil Evans, Jonathan Lomax/Nicholas Wrigley, Ponga, Airto Moreira and the Gods of Jazz, Flanger, The Necks, Tony Williams, Ronald Shannon Jackson & The Decoding Society, Miles Davis, Sun Ra, John Scofield