Curl London

Sitting on the Bus: Coby Sey talks CURL & his transportive post-grime sound of South East London on AQNB’s Artist Statement podcast

31 March 2021

“There’s so much history and people that make up Lewisham. I didn’t really have too much of an idea of how musical it really is,” says Coby Sey, about the vital heritage and vast creative tradition of the place he was born and raised. “I’d hear about the old sound systems—like Saxon Sound Systems and stuff like that—to even Cream, Ginger Baker, but I didn’t really know like, ‘wow, there’s so many other musicians that reside here, and have been doing things, and even to this day there still are people doing things.” Speaking to editor Steph Kretowicz for AQNB’s latest Artist Statement podcast, the London-based musician and producer talks about his dream-like post-grime releases, and ongoing work as part of the loosely-defined South East London collective and now label, CURL.

Organised by Coby with friends and collaborators Mica Levi and Brother May, the project involves such eminent underground peers as Tirzah, Farai, Kwes, Klein, and many others from the area, some of whom also contributed to director Steve McQueen’s recent Small Axe anthology series. Coby’s own practice is similarly broad and eclectic, having released his first EP Whities 010: Transports for Lewisham—inspired by his love-hate relationship with London’s public transport system—as well as a handful of other experimental drops that contain a palpable emotional strain unique to his environment. Coby’s also a long-time NTS Radio cohort and presenter of a show sharing his music in conversation with his hip-hop, drone and ambient influences.

‘Sitting on the Bus’ is the latest in our Artist Statement podcast series, with past episodes, featuring Jam City, Maria MinervaColin Self, Akinola Davis Jr, and more. The full episode is accessible to our subscribers right now on Patreon. Sign up now: www.patreon.com/aqnb.**

The latest episode of AQNB’s Artist Statement podcast featuring Coby Sey is available exclusively to our subscribers today.

baby___asl makes the healing angel music of a Gemini via WhatsApp on ‘Bloom’ as part of CURL’s second compilation release

30 October 2020

CURL is releasing CURL Compilation #2 on November 13, with preview track ‘Bloom’ by baby___asl premiering on AQNB today. The London-based collective and record founded by Mica Levi, Brother May and Coby Sey released their first cassette-only, limited edition volume in 2018, which included contributions by Tirzah, Ben Vince, Raisa K and Jacob Samuel, among others.

This drop follows a recent video premiere of Steph Kretowicz & Ben Babbitt’s ‘BSAD (buy shit and die)‘ contribution to the compilation, which includes original music by people who have either performed at CURL’s shows and parties, played with their live band, or attended their events and shown support.

baby___asl’s ‘Bloom’, meanwhile, was produced with fellow London-based artists Junior XL via WhatsApp while visiting family in the Middle East. The duo had already dropped a brilliant cover of Cat Power’s 1996 indie-rock track ‘Bathysphere’ on Soundcloud, and this one is tentatively described by self-identified Gemini baby___asl as “healing angel music”. It combines stripped-back, minimal fingerpicked strings and celestial vocals with overwhelming, bass-laden beats to express the innate duality of said sign of the Zodiac.**

CURL is releasing CURL Compilation #2 on November 13, 2020.

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The xx presents Curl at Block 336, Mar 14

14 March 2017

The xx (in collaboration with Night + Day, Thirty Three Thirty Three and Young Turks) have invited Curl to host an aftershow at London’s Block 336 on March 14, 2017.

The night will feature Blue S**t, Brother May, Coby Sey + Tirzah, Klein, Ben VinceTØNE and Jacob Samuel.

Curl is an events-organizer focused on programming innovative cross-disciplinary performance, art and music, with the goal of making interdisciplinary art accessible to a wider audience by engaging live music. It is run by producer Coby Sey and emcee and performer Brother May. They have been putting on similar events at The Yard in Hackney Wick and Rye Wax in Peckham since 2016.

See the FB event page for details.**

Courtesy of Curl.

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