Marina Del Rey & Big Sur

by B.J. Smith

supported by

DJ Steve Bruce LOVE Marina del Rey! #NuWestcoastAOR is officially a new genre

Denis Heaney (Balearic Sessions) thumbnail

Steve KIW (BAOL/Andres y Xavi) thumbnail

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Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Funky, Balearic 7" vinyl version of B.J. Smith library music gems with full colour, printed sleeve.

Includes unlimited streaming of Marina Del Rey & Big Sur via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Dedications To The Greats Reissue, Marina Del Rey & Big Sur, Dedications to the Greats part 3, From The Ash, Between Ship and Shore Part Three, Between Ship and Shore Part Two, Between Ship and Shore Part One, Dedications to the Greats part 2, and 2 more. , and , .
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	1.	Marina Del Rey 04:47		buy track
	2.	Big Sur 02:47		buy track

about

As NuNorthern Soul eases into its second decade, the label welcomes back a familiar face: Benjamin J Smith, a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer whose emotive, colourful and atmospheric compositions are the very definition of ‘Balearic’.

Famously, it was Smith’s The Movedrill Projects album that kicked off the NuNorthern Soul story way back in 2012, and he’s periodically returned to the imprint on numerous occasions since. It’s fitting, then, that Smith is stepping up once more, with NuNorthern Soul founder Phil Cooper selecting to showcase two overlooked gems from his bulging back catalogue.

Both tracks are taken from Smith’s digital-only album Mojave (Vintage Californian Dreams), a set of thoroughly gorgeous, West Coast-inspired library music compositions smothered in sumptuous strings and informed by the artist’s love of jazz-funk, languid jazz-rock and the kind of luscious, sunset-ready soundscapes that defy neat categorisation.

Opening proceedings, and sitting on side A of the vinyl release, is the breath-taking ‘Marina Del Rey’, where layered, reverb-laden harmonic vocalisations, twinkling electric piano improvisations, lazy guitar licks, spacey synth flourishes and sultry strings slowly rise above a toasty bassline and gentle, Latin-tinged beats. Smith cannily adds layers of sound throughout while moving the musical story forwards, leading to a memorable, awe-inspiring conclusion.

In contrast, ‘Big Sur’ sees Smith take an imaginary road trip through the driest, dustiest parts of the Californian countryside. Psychedelic rock style organ motifs, sustained Hammond B-3 chords and glistening West Coast rock guitar solos dance atop a rubbery bassline and intoxicated, loose-limbed drums, with Smith’s eyes-closed vocalisations – drenched in reverb and delay – adding extra layers of aural loveliness. Like ‘Marina Del Rey’, ‘Big Sur’ is a vivid, widescreen concoction tailor-made for soundtracking films that have yet to be made.

credits

released May 26, 2023

Written in the Summer of 2021.
Inspired by Californian soft rock & vintage easy listening from the 60's/70's.

Written, Recorded, Mixed & Produced by Ben
Mastered by 360 Mastering
Male vocals and all instruments by Ben
Female vocals by Tansy

Special thanks to:
Tansy for love and support
Rhys for mix tips and tricks.
Paul and Ed [Ultraphonic Music] for the opportunity to write the album.
Karis for additional vocals on Marina Del Rey
All my creative pals for inspiration.

© - NuNorthern Soul 2023
℗ - Ultraphonic Music Ltd

license

about

B.J. Smith London, UK

One half of Smith & Mudd (Claremont 56), one third of White Elephant, one quarter of Bison (Claremont 56)

movedrillproductions.com

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