Karl's fourth album of original bass-led material, 'And/Or', is a unique glimpse into the creative process. He explains: "When I compose, I usually start with a very simple set of chords that suggest a melody. When I'm happy with that melody, often I will then strip the original chords out and substitute a completely different sequence, creating a kind of eerie disjointedness between the melody and the chords which I find very appealing. In the process of doing this, I will often try out four or five different chord sequences or arrangements until I arrive at the one that best fits the mood I'm trying to create. Those other versions are no less 'valid' or interesting as pieces of music - they just weren't quite what I was looking for at that moment. On this album, I thought I would let the listener in on this process and offer an alternative version of each track and let them decide which they prefer".
'And/Or' consists of 8 tracks (including two previously released on Karl's earlier albums, 'Nomad' and 'Navigator'), each presented in two radically different versions, the first being Karl's 'definitive' version, and the second an alternative version that was considered during the creative process. Sometimes, the changes can be minor, as in the case of Le Zoulou Blanc, where the first version is a full-band performance and the second is a solo bass arrangement; other times, the differences can be extreme, as is the case for Samurai, where the Thundercat-esque lazy neo-soul lope of the original version is replaced by a frenetic double-time d'n'b barrage.
credits
released December 6, 2024
All tracks composed, performed and produced by Karl Clews
except: saxophone and flute on tracks 2, 4, 5, 7, 10, 12 & 15 by Bertrand Huvé; drums on track 7 by Richie Dittrich; trumpet and flugelhorn on tracks 7 & 15 by Michael Barkley
'And/Or' consists of 8 tracks (including two previously released on Karl's earlier albums, 'Nomad' and 'Navigator'), each presented in two radically different versions, the first being Karl's 'definitive' version, and the second an alternative version that was considered during the creative process. Sometimes, the changes can be minor, as in the case of Le Zoulou Blanc, where the first version is a full-band performance and the second is a solo bass arrangement; other times, the differences can be extreme, as is the case for Samurai, where the Thundercat-esque lazy neo-soul lope of the original version is replaced by a frenetic double-time d'n'b barrage.
credits
released December 6, 2024
All tracks composed, performed and produced by Karl Clews
except: saxophone and flute on tracks 2, 4, 5, 7, 10, 12 & 15 by Bertrand Huvé; drums on track 7 by Richie Dittrich; trumpet and flugelhorn on tracks 7 & 15 by Michael Barkley