‘Stand Tall’ is the latest album project from eclectic south coast producer and multi-instrumentalist Flevans. Never one to get too embedded in a particular sound or genre, ‘Stand Tall’ showcases Flevans' ear for a hook whilst traversing genres including disco, soul & electronica with a closing nod to drum & bass!
Flevans says: ‘I’ve always found it limiting to be pigeon-holed musically and often jump from one style and sound to another. The challenge for me across the last couple of albums has been to bring in all aspects of the music I enjoy producing to create something coherent and listenable and I hope on this record more than any other I’ve achieved it.
My previous LP ‘A Short Distance To Fall’ was intended to be a homage to much of the music that inspired me on the way to becoming a producer, and this record is much more a reflection of where I am right now.”
As well as being the sole producer across the LP, Flevans also lends his playing chops to all the tracks, playing bass, guitar, keys, piano and percussion to give the whole album a live, organic feel.
Stand Tall opens with downtempo gem ‘Rekindle’, all orchestral flourishes and warm pianos, before picking up the pace with the uplifting and vocal driven ‘Every Little Bit of Love’. ‘Impossible’ introduces another, slightly darker side to Flevans’ production - heavy piano and even heavier drums trade off against off-kilter synths and warped vocals to form an instant classic. ’Say Yes’ sees Flevans reunited with friend and long term collaborator Laura Vane for a pop tinged disco classic before ‘Carry Them’ takes things up a notch with heavy drums, driving orchestration and a beautiful vocal sample to bring it all together.
Debut single ‘Wild Shadows’ is a much more introspective affair, a real moment of beauty on the LP. ‘Dreamer' is a soul drenched retro disco classic whilst ‘Where I Hide’ has a forward thinking house vibe that led luminary DJ’s like Fatboy Slim to express their support. The album is rounded out by two distinctly different tracks - the garage adjacent beats of ‘By Your Side’ with it’s rolling pianos, beautiful vocals and uplifting orchestration and album closer, ‘What We Do’ - leaning on rolling D&B drums, double bass & killer vocals - it's a massive end to another diverse and brilliant Flevans LP.
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