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At the age of 21 JIM MORAY was hailed “…the greatest leap forward in folk for 30 years” (Neil McCormack, The Daily Telegraph) and “the most significant musician since Bob Dylan to decide that the folk idiom is the perfect vehicle for his musical adventures” (Bruce Elder, Sydney Morning Herald). Amongst other extravagant claims, his debut album ‘Sweet England’ was called “the most significant new development in English folk music since Fairport Convention's Liege and Leif.” (Nigel Williamson, Uncut) and “a revolutionary experience” (Nige Tassell, HMV Choice). Critics worldwide fell over themselves to tip Moray for great things.
Now aged 26 he delivers on that promise with ‘Low Culture’, an album of ten songs that defines exactly where English traditional music is at in the early 21st century. Managing to accommodate guest spots from both folk legend Roy Bailey and Jasper Future of NME darlings Art Brut, Low Culture plays on Moray’s skill for picking bits of the past and present and re-imagining them for the future. In the process, seminal traditional ballad Lucy Wan is shaken back to life in collaboration with British-Ghanian rapper Bubbz as a Folk-Grime epic, The Rufford Park Poachers – first recorded on wax cylinder by source singer Joseph Taylor in 1906 – becomes burning hurdy-gurdy driven alt-rock, and XTC classic All You Pretty Girls is co-opted as a sea shanty for a crew featuring folk singers Tim Van Eyken, James Fagan, Nancy Kerr and Jim Causley. But, far from the tokenistic approach of his peers, Moray weaves a cohesive whole that links traditional song seamlessly into modern popular culture rather than discriminating between the two. “If folk song is the music of the people then it’s surely wrong to treat it as ‘high art’ that should be preserved unchanged. Folk music is low culture.”
Low Culture is released on July 14th by NIAG/Cadiz, distributed by Pinnacle.
PLEASE NOTE THE KITCHEN WILL BE CLOSED TONIGHT. DOORS OPEN AT 7PM.
