Melt at the summer festival

Melt Yourself Down will turn up the heat at Lancashire’s Cloudspotting festival next month on the back of their stunning Glastonbury set.
Melt Yourself DownMelt Yourself Down
Melt Yourself Down

The band’s sound fuses a wash of African tinged rhythm and grooves, tenor saxophones and a flow of tribal vocals from lead singer Kush.

All this mangled up with electronic treatments rooted firmly on the dancefloor, will be sure to fire things up in the Gisburn Forest as they headline the Friday slot.

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“The whole idea for Melt Yourself Down came to me when I was DJing at a party – I played this African track (Ali Hasan’s Habibi), everyone went mental and it came to me in a flash,” said saxophonist and group founder Pete Wareham.

“Melt Yourself Down reflects what I’d been listening to. I was getting into a lot of electronic ‘Trap’ stuff and I thought I’d like to morph that into some futuristic African techno flavours.”

Trap-style drum patterns, practiced by producers such as Diplo and Bauer had their foundations in hip-hop and grime, but have since infiltrated the mainstream, with the likes of Katy Perry and Lady Gaga embracing the sound.

But Wareham’s take on things is definitely more leftfield.

Founder of avant-garde jazz group Acoustic Ladyland, he has also been a prominent member of Polar Bear, but it is Melt Yourself Down that allowed him to distil his ideas through his bandmates, all prominent collaborators and members of other musical projects.

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Alongside saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings, Melt Yourself Down also includes two percussionists Tom Skinner and Satin Sinsh, bassist Ruth Goller and theatrical frontman Kushul Gaya.

His vocal style brings an appropriately mystical edge to this most vibrant of acts.

Melt Yourself Down’s self-titled debut album was released last year on Leaf Records, but it appears to have taken a few months to incubate, enjoying much acclaim via social networks and increased amount of airplay on national radio.

Tracks like Fix My Life and Release have established themselves as frenzied dancefloor anthems.

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This buzz – and the band’s reputation for explosive live shows – has earned Melt Yourself Down a host of festival bookings this year.

“Playing Glastonbury was an amazing experience, and we are really looking forward to Cloudspotting, a really lovely festival,” added Wareham.

Melt Yourself Down are at Cloudspotting Festival on Friday, August 1, Stephen Park, Gisburn Forest, Slaidburn.

Tickets are available for via the Grand Theatre box office, Clitheroe (01200 421599) or online at www.thegrandvenue.co.uk or www.wegottickets.co.uk.

Tony Dewhurst

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