Full of soul, song and rebelliousness
Electronic duo Telefís (a duo made up of acclaimed Irish iconoclasts Jacknife Lee and Cathal Coughlan) have released the ‘Falun Gong Dancer EP’ with legendary post-punk bass maestro Jah Wobble (Public Image Limited, Invaders Of The Heart) via London’s Dimple Discs. They also present videos for ‘Falun Gong Dancer (dub)’, as well as the Donkey’s Gudge Dub.
The involvement of Jah Wobble, one of the most innovative bass players of our time, transforms the disarmingly quiet and reflective original version, with its stark vocals and ghostly piano chords, into a deep-dub odyssey. His signature low-end bass anchors crisp percussion and panoramic space-echo effects.
Wobble commented: “An honour to be involved in this, to be working with Telefis. This seemingly simple, sweet naive video speaks volumes. The ancestral trek; Rural Ireland to the dancehalls, Pubs and crowded rented rooms of tough uncompromising London. All captured in a Dub Prism. Of course, my best collaborations have always been with the Irish….Ronnie Drew, Johnny Lydon, Sinead et al. A nation at times traumatised, beyond belief, but full of soul, song and rebelliousness. And to be fair forgiveness… big hearted nation.”
Based on the third single from the forthcoming ‘a hAon’ (Number One) debut album by Telefís (Irish Gaelic for TV, pronounced Tele-feesh), this joint EP follows the earlier-released ‘Mister Imperator’ EP and ‘We Need’ EP.
As Telefís, LA-based producer Garret “Jacknife” Lee (U2, R.E.M., Modest Mouse, The Killers, Snow Patrol, Crystal Castles, Editors) and Cathal Coughlan (Microdisney, Fatima Mansions and acclaimed solo artist), now based in London, present a satirical, mischievous examination of Irish history and pop culture in their lifetimes, which they call ”a corrosive nostalgia”.
“Even a relatively obscure musical life such as mine can, fortunately, bring pinch-yourself moments of proximity to greatness, and so it is with Jah Wobble’s transformative contribution to this version of ‘Falun Gong Dancer’. The song was already a high-point of the first Telefís album, but in this version, it goes somewhere else entirely, thanks to JW’s signature contribution,” says Cathal Coughlan.
Jacknife Lee elucidates: “There are few bass players as iconic as Jah Wobble. I have studied and tried to copy his style for decades but never really got close. Brian from Dimple Discs suggested we ask him to get on ‘Falun Gong Dancer’, but I didn’t believe it would happen. We are still shocked that he agreed to collaborate with us and are excited for it to be heard”.
In Telefís, Jacknife Lee creates an irresistible mix of cinematic instrumentals and electro-funk backdrops full of melodic, squelchy synths and thunderous bass lines, often with a cheeky nod to electro-pop history. Jacknife is also known for his remixes for such heavy hitters as Radiohead, U2, Blur, Run-DMC, Pink, Future Sound of London, Christina Aguilera, TLC, Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes, Eminem, The Raveonettes, Kraftwerk, New Order and Kasabian.
The ‘Falun Gong Dancer EP’ is out now and can be ordered digitally. The ‘a hAon’ album out now on CD and vinyl available at https://ffm.to/telefisahaon and the digital album at https://orcd.co/telefisahaon.
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