Athens Of The North

Athens of the north is not just here to release great music but to support our artist development and experimentation, to this end we always try to bring good people together to work on new music. This LP fuses two massive talents, for the first time to AOTN we introduce House and Techno legend Linkwood, joining him is one of the |UKs most respected Jazz Artists Greg Foat, who will need no introduction to AOTN fans'Linkwood & Foat' is the first LP to be recorded in the new 'Athens of the North Studio', which was designed and built specifically for our artists so that they can create without the time pressures or expenses of studio hire elsewhere. With no fixed plans, no rules or expectations, the pair relaxed in the new studio and started making music. The result is very special indeedLinkwood had just returned from walking in the wilds of an Ibiza summer and Greg had similarly been immersed on the sun drenched south coast of the Isle of wight. This freedom and sense of space saturates the grooves of the LP juxtapositioned against a deeper late night basement club feel they both love so much, the pull between nightlife and the freedom of nature. It's extroversion and introversion, the freedom and escapism of the two seemingly opposing environments permeates this recording.

Athens of the North is very pleased to introduce part two of our nod to the world of library. This time round Greg Foat journeys into the world of synthesis with good friend James Thorpe. This new LP was recorded in the old Bees Studio on the Isle of Wight earlier this year,a special, different piece of work which I was delighted to receive on ¼ inch tape without warning. Greg's output continues to be prolific without ever tiring, he never plays it safe and is always looking forward whilst having an ear for our musical heritage.

Recording at Malcom Catto's analogue studio has been an ambition of Greg's for a long time, not only for the studio itself but for Malcolm's skill using this vintage equipment, very few people can achieve such an incredibly big sound.Earlier this year we grabbed the chance to get the full Greg Foat group joined by Binker Golding (Binker and Moses) on Tenor Saxophone, Malcolm Catto on drums and Hugh Harris (The Kooks) on Guitar on the session.Moving to a more rhythmic space, you could call it Jazz funk or Fusion, but labels suck so just listen and appreciate the pure sense of space Malcom achieves with this recording. Instruments float in space, aided by the Vintage EMI desk and a host of valve equipment which has taken Malcolm a lifetime to collect. In amongst the more rhythmic pieces we also have some classic Foat style compositions; 'Lake Kussharo' and 'The Dreaming Jewels' as emotive and personal as ever, a feeling that can only be expressed and articulated in music. These past few years will no doubt be looked back on with great favour in musical history, with prolific and high quality output in all his various projects this LP is his crowning achievement of 2019. A strong year indeed!

Athens of the North is back on the boogie tip with top Miami rarity MYTH. Recorded and mixed in Fort Lauderdale in 85 both the original 12s are pretty rare and both strong. We decided as it had never been on 45 and suits the format to d a little AOTN magic so here we are. you know what to do.

Greg Foat's 9th album 'The Mage' joins the dots between the past and future of British jazz. Enlisting the talents of jazz/library/soundtrack legends Duncan Lamont, Art Themen, Ray Russell and Clark Tracey to collaborate with their modern contemporaries Greg Foat, Moses Boyd and Heliocentric's drummer Malcolm Catto to create something undeniably British but outward looking and global.A long time personal ambition for Greg was to work with Trinidadian songstress Kathy Garcia, on 'The Mage', this wish is granted as she joins him to re-imagine the deep Xian masterpiece 'Of my Hands', 45 years after recording it as a young girl.Greg's compositions and arrangements showcase the old and new, downtempo folkscapes, free jazz with notes of hip-hop and soul from the young team flavouring the mix. Featuring Simon Ljungman and Friends as a male choir, Greg's EMS Synthi AKS experiments (made famous by Dr Who) the album is a testament to the versatility and pure musicality of all those involved and Greg Foat's ability to bring artists together to record beautiful, timeless music.

This Hampshire & Foat project should not come as too much of a surprise to those familiar withGreg& Warren's music, influenced heavily by not just Jazz but the library sound of the 60s and 70s along with film soundtracks from the same golden era.Greg& Warren are avid collectors of this music,Gregsends me links night and day to LPs he has picked up digging on his travels. This constant search sends him down new musical pathways and often sparks a whole new concepts for projects. Warren and Gregare both fiercely creative talented individuals which means we have to keep them working, a challenge for us all, but the music rewards the effort many times over.We had talked for a long time about doing a Library style LP (somethingGregis very passionate about) so during different recording sessions Greg& Warren started laying down various tracks with a view to the LP we have here.Side one is 5 tracks in very distinct styles, musical paintings for the big screen. The vast sound of the Japanese influenced Jasmine, The Spaghetti Western melancholy of Mariposa Lily, The call to action that is Antonio's Theme, The Breezy Vintage sports car in the sun that Coastal Drivepaints, and Lost in Nostalgia, a late night Poirotesk piece.Side two is a classic library suite, whichGregdescribes as a Detective's theme with different variations on the motifs.