Prize Fighter is the progressive debut album from Celtic, World and electronica music trio Odia, set for release on Friday 3 June.
The band’s members hail from Scotland, France and Malaysia, bringing together a rich tapestry of musical influences.
Irvine drummer and Royal Conservatoire of Scotland tutor Stuart Spence formed the band with French violinist Perrine Missemer and Malaysian Uilleann piper Faliq Auri over social media during lockdown – and they are still to meet in person.
Between them, they cherish a love of World, Scottish, Irish, jazz and electronic music which has fed into the fusion that is Odia. They set about creating Prize Fighter remotely across two continents from each of their home studios in Ayrshire, Lyon and Kuala Lumpur.
Influenced by a wide spectrum of artists, from The Foo Fighters, Phil Collins and Mogwai to French electronic duo Air and Scottish piper Gordon Duncan, Odia formed with the vision to create eclectic, high energy yet reflective tunes. The album follows a debut EP Home released in 2020.
Odia’s Stuart Spence said: ‘Being a session musician for over 20 years, I figured it was time to do my own thing and lockdown provided me with the time to do that. The project was only meant to be one demo but lots of great feedback and enthusiasm later, it blossomed into a full EP and now an album.
‘The three of us have never actually met in person so we have created all of this via the power of the internet and I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished, marrying each of our diverse musical backgrounds. The album is essentially about the battles we all come up against in life and refusing to give up. We’re inspired by love, friendship, heartbreak, loss and passion.’
Stuart Spence produced the album, arranged the strings and performs bass guitar, synth, keys, percussion and bodhràn. Perrine Missemer is on fiddle and strings and Faliq Auri on Uilleann pipes, whistles and flute, with spoken word from Fiona McNeil.
The album’s closing track Goodnight Rachel will be available on BandCamp from Friday 29 April and is a rousing contemporary take on trad, with strong dance and World music references.
Elsewhere, the record’s exciting high-tempo title track perfectly melding synth, whistle, fiddle and Scottish spoken word as it tells the story of finding your inner strength and resilience. The melancholic Yellow Leather, which was the catalyst for the entire project, pays tribute to Stuart’s late friend who always wore sunny Dr Marten boots.
Odia will take to the stage at Eden Festival in Dumfries & Galloway on June 10.
Prize Fighter will be available to buy on CD, stream and download on all major digital platforms on Friday 3 June 2022. For more information visit: odia-music.com.
Author
TAGS
FOLLOW US
