This London based trio might ring a few bells in the minds of the musically astute. They have been knocking around for a while and in 2007 even won a Mercury prize for their Knee Deep in the North album. After reforming and signing to Ninja Tune, they have refined their sound somewhat. Electronic in its essence, Portico is more than your standard “dance electronica”. It actually includes, believe it or not, real instruments: piano, bass and guitar alongside synthetic sounds and of course the drum machine – characteristic of much dance music today. The vocal featuring Joe Newman is haunting; sometimes straying into the spoken word vibe but the harmonies veer you away from this. The relatively fast BPM is contrasted with a chilled harmony and vocal which slows the whole tune down and puts it firmly in the “chill-out” category. With beautiful production and a fine balance of synthetic and analogue sounds, you will not be surprised to hear that the original band members met at London’s SOAS University studying Ethnomusicology. 101 is definitely one to listen to on a beach in Ibiza. Preferably, whilst sipping on a rum and ginger beer after a heavy night out nursing your hangover. Chill out and relax because this will definitely soothe the pain.
Listen to 101 below.
Portico‘s new album “Living Fields” is out 30 March. Keep your eyes peeled.
Written by Nadina Mustafa / @Nadina_Music
