Andrew J Brooks is releasing a new single, Kernel, and will be performing it at Green Cat Records, Dunbar, on Thursday 15th August starting at 4:30pm. This solo saxophone performance will be a return to his local record store in his hometown of Dunbar after performing there in September ‘23 as part of the Dunbar Music Festival. With soothing bewitching tones, Andrew’s latest single takes you on an intimate journey into another world, with his raw saxophone, synth loops and layered soundscape. He delivers music which is not too dissimilar to artists such as Nils Frahm, John Hopkins and Colin Stetson.
The new single has developed from live performances of the previous album EAST using looping and an array effects pedals with his distinctive raw tenor saxophone sound. First performed as semi-improvised track at Edinburgh’s legendary indie venue, Sneaky Pete’s, it was an attempt to find new limits to his playing on the instrument and has been directly influenced by playing with post-punk synth band Amateur Cult where he developed a loud, multiphonic growl and style. The single was recorded as a live session using his performance set up to layer and develop the track maintaining the live, spontaneous quality. Andrew will also be performing as part of Planet Earth Rock and Roll at the Wash House, Portobello, with his own live visuals projected as part of the performance and a special multi-instrumentalist reprisal of his track Three Vertical Stripes, where 7 musicians will layer up eight looped phrases to create a wash of sound. This performance will include a range of brass instruments including saxophones, trombones and euphonium from his bandmates from the street brass band Brooks also performs with – Shunpike Social Club.
As mentioned, Andrew also plays with Edinburgh brass street band Shunpike Social Club and in the Amateur Cult live band, featuring on the recent single – EYES. Brooks’ 2021 debut album EAST was a love letter to his home in East Lothian using field recordings of local beaches, flora and fauna with layered saxophone and spoken word. He has performed this live across Scotland including supporting Alabaster DePlume and recorded a “gorgeous – looking and sounding” Scotsman Session. Andrew is also an Architect and an award-winning multidisciplinary Artist – he created the artwork for the release and the previous releases and videos for EAST. He is nationally exhibiting his durational artwork about UK COVID deaths, titled TOLL, and has won the Art of Neuroscience award from the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience for his project FND Stories, which portrays the lived experiences of those diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND). He is a tutor at Edinburgh College of Art and teaches both Architecture and an audio-visual multidisplinary performance module. His musical influences include saxophonists Shabaka Hutchins, Colin Stetson and Bristol Jazz ensemble Run Logan Run.
Single Release: 15th August
Single Release Performance: 4:30pm, Thursday 15th August, Green Cat Records, 100 Highstreet, Dunbar, EH42 1JJ.
Also Playing: Planet Earth Rock and Roll, Saturday 5th September, The Wash House, Portobello, Edinburgh.