After 10 years of fronting explosive Oxford rock band Smilex and other collaborative projects like The Prohibition Smokers' Club, Boywithatoy and more, songwriter and producer Lee Christian releases his debut solo record 'A New Way'.
It's a combination of dancefloor orientated beats and synth heavy, experimental electronic pop music with lyrics exploring topics as diverse as love, religion, authority, capitalism, fashion, space travel and of course, a healthy dose of sex (one of Lee's favourite subjects!).
"It was important to me that the songs really had something to say because a lot of dance music is perceived to be simplistic and there is such a lack of songs in pop dealing with important issues or even raising the subjects for discussion - something I find alarming in this day and age considering the sociopolitical climate. I make no secret of my love of Prince and I would say his albums 'Dirty Mind' and 'Controversy' in particular were big influences on this record. Not just the whole multi-instrumental approach, which is more of a means to an end and learning experience than some kind of ego trip (Though it is nice to let people who think of me as a stand alone singer know I have a few more strings to my bow!), but the fusion of groove-based music and sociopolitical commentary. I also wanted to explore styles I don't get to try in Smilex or my other collaborative projects, like dubstep or drum & bass, for example."
Not that there aren't a few interesting mixes of chemistry on 'A New Way': two tracks are co-produced with Munkyfatt of Bath dub collective Guerrilla Rhythm and rising Oxford rapper and Quickfix Recordings labelmate Half Decent and his DJ Theoretical guest on future single "My Rocket".
For the most part though, it's music straight from Lee's brain, to you the listener. Music that asks you not only to dance but also to think. As Lee says: "It doesn't really matter if you agree, it's just important that you have an opinion, make your own decisions and realise there is always another, different option, another choice or viewpoint."
'A New Way' is available now on Quickfix Recordings (Youthmovies, Smilex, Half Decent) via Bandcamp with free bonus mixes and a limited CD to follow. Videos for many songs are forthcoming too. A video for "A Song For No-One" (free to download) is on YouTube now.
For music and more, please go to:
Quickfix Recordings Official Website
thanks for spreading the word! there's a couple of free downloads for people 2 try out on the bandcamp too!