There is a new kind of artist emerging from the depths of Southampton’s desolate electronic music scene, with a kind of punky DIY feel of creating music for yourself that hasn’t really existed for a while. Please Will is an acoustic musician with a magical elecronica and ambient edge. He is also a student of the University and has created his own wave of exciting new dance music.

You may remember cassette tapes - well tapes are purely the form of Will’s releases. This nostalgic twist to his already unique and exciting music is a refreshing change to the mp3 dominated music of today. His work was promoted further last year by a ‘Tape Club in the Kitchen’ party at his home. It started as a normal house party, full of cheery students, but with an excited buzz thats usually missing from a standard party. The crowd was silenced for Please Will’s performance which clearly impressed everyone there, and further heightened the electric atmosphere of a room full of promising talent, away from the trendy elitest crowds and popular and very boring music that the rest of the city continuously provides. He played a particularly goosebump provoking version of ‘He’s Here’, one of the more downbeat and sensual of the gentle ambient ‘At Your Table’ album. Rami, another student and very talented singer also blew everyone away, singing alongside Will’s sweet guitar. Other acts also performed that night, proud to be part of such an alternative show.

It all began with the creation of Tapeclub Records, an independent label started early in 2006 by Will along with a little help from his friends. Thos Henley, Parasite Hands,Peter Lyons,Rob Hunter and Ollie Bopsa all appear on his tracks.

Please Will has always loved music. At a young age he dj’d in and around Southampton, playing a range of roots inspired hiphop, along with sprinklings of electronic extremity and a retro TV show soundtrack. Initially a scratch DJ, Please Will soon began to cross over into acoustic and electric bands, and soonsettled in to a classic rock outfit, uniquely playing the organ. The organ makes an inspiring appearance in ‘Switchmode’ on the first album, ‘At Your Table’, a tune which starts with melting guitars and unpeels to reveal a wall of kicking sound with the organ providing a whole new side to electronic music.

Having gigged and rehearsed excessively for three years, Will decided to drop the tight routine of band-life and set off to work on his own sound. Secretly Will had been recording and producing odd bits and pieces for a few years and now was the time to draw in his multi-instrumental talents to forge a style that had been neglected in the rock and club scene. Will recruited the help of various local and international vocalists to get involved in ‘At Your Table’. Having written some pretty songs and crafted some interesting drum loops, Will worked with the vocalists to create a truly lo-fidelity record.

Of course, being solely a writer and instrumentalist, some of the tracks are simply instrumental works, where Will has recorded a range of noises in order to achieve the unique sound. "At Your Table" is a recording that

draws influence from roots acoustic music and basic electronica. Taking doses of glitch pop and hip hop, the overall style is difficult to pin down. To host such a release, Tapeclub Records was born. Please Will took it upon himself to reintroduce some quality audio products into the hands of those around him. And with that, Tapeclub Records was set up to put out interesting music which is available to buy exclusively on cassette only. Tapeclub Records is reminding enthusiasts that there’s more to music than having it digitally reduced before listening to it.

‘At Your Table’ is a tape that doesn’t just grow on you, it plants a whole forest of beautiful sounds and visions - the perfect soundtrack to wind down to after partying, or just life in general! ‘Pink Socks’ is more upbeat with a more techno style beat beneath the floaty vocals magical guitars. It’s hard to draw comparisons with such unique music but this tune is somewhere skipping along the lines of Lemon Jelly, while others are more vocal than Portishead and with weirder effects, such as the twinkling romance and echoing vocals of ‘Rescue’. ‘Warmer’ is an atmospheric song, again with the mpst beautiful voice and reversed guitar loops, perfect for watching the clouds go by to. ‘Experiment’ has a trippy more dubby feel to it with waves of gentle guitar and with danceable beat but darker lyrics. The tape ends with music to dream to, flying to Button Moon in a meadow of curious samples and synthy effects.

Right now Please Will is getting ready for his second release James Bright, check out:

www.myspace.com/lovestik. Hes a singer/writer from winchester, who has recently graduated from Winch School of Art.He has a beautiful voice and has some amazing tunes too, definitley worth tuning into. The next tape is due in March and will also be available on iTunes.

Please Will is well worth checking out, and if you can keep your eye on the men tioned websites for information on the next ‘Tape Club in the Kitchen’, because it is something which certainly should not be missed. Will and his beautiful voice and electronic creation, mixed with the extraudinary talent of his friends are a combination of acoustic chilled guitars and dancey electronic dreams, the soundtrack to everything.

With each release limited to small number, those that want to re-live the days when buying music was fun can now do so.

There is more info on www.myspace.com/pleasewill

and www.myspace.com/tapeclubrecords. Tapes cost a bargain £3 and are available from Beatnik Emporium in Southampton and online at www.normanrecords.com.

 

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