{"title":"Slug","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMinneapolis, USA based underground hip-hop MC. *Slug* makes up half of the group Atmosphere as well as an extensive number of solo projects and other collaborations. He also manages and operates the influential underground label Rhymesayers Entertainment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith his raw and introspective lyrics, *Slug* has gained a loyal following in the underground hip-hop scene. His unique storytelling ability combined with his emotive delivery sets him apart from other artists in the genre.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e*Slug*'s music is often characterized by its honest and relatable themes, touching on topics such as love, loss, addiction, and personal growth. His thought-provoking lyrics resonate with listeners who appreciate authenticity and vulnerability in their music.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"thy-socialite","title":"Thy Socialite!","description":"\u003cp\u003eSlug return with a new album, \u003ci\u003eThy Socialite!\u003c\/i\u003e, on a new label formed by Field Music’s Peter and David Brewis. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e “I started to think about what I could do to challenge my own listeners,” says Ian Black aka SLUG. “And what would be my angle without just releasing 40 minutes of generic bad music?” \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis was a question that Black found himself asking after thinking about albums made by revered artists who released specific records that some of their loyal fanbase hated - Arctic Monkeys and ‘Tranquillity Base Hotel and Casino’, Leonard Cohen and ‘Death of a Ladies Man’, Lou Reed and ‘Berlin’. “My friend likened Lou’s ‘Berlin’ to ‘Andrew Lloyd Webber on a horrendous drug come down’. Andrew Lloyd Webber on a horrendous drug come down? That sounds amazing!” \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Although \u003ci\u003eThy Socialite!’\u003c\/i\u003e the first release from Field Music’s new record label, Daylight Saving Records, is not the sound of Lloyd Webber quivering and sweating in a rotting Berlin flat but instead, a fun, joyous, audacious record of hard rock, glam, and pop that ranges from arena to art school. “I wanted to include a more rockist palette,” Black says. “My last album, ‘Higgledypiggledy’, had influences including The Cardiacs, Prince and The Residents. For this one I wanted to see what I could get out of less indie audience friendly artists such as Toto, Sweet, Wings, Def Leppard and ZZ Top and merge it with a Slug sensibility. Due to the more rock approach, I was happy for the album to become a big classic rock unit - pompous even.” \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHowever, simply a pastiche and nostalgic throwback this isn’t. Despite the playful nods to some of the more grandiose, theatrical and overblown elements of the aforementioned genre, it’s also an album with a contemporary pop edge, slick production and a tangible connection to Slug’s previous deft mix of indie, rock and art pop. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor David Brewis of Field Music, it was the ideal first record to kick off their new label. “This seemed like the perfect start for Daylight Saving Records,” he says. “We’ve always loved what Ian does and it’s been a thrill over the years to help Ian dig these wild musical ideas out from his brain. Now we can have a hand in putting them into people’s ears too.”\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Daylight Saving Records","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50466868101451,"sku":"2004486","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50466869674315,"sku":"2004487","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Thy_Socialite_8dcf6ee2_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727327058"},{"product_id":"ripe-2","title":"Ripe","description":"\u003cp\u003eSlug is the brand new musical venture from the mind of Ian Black, a merrily disruptive influence on the North East music for more than a decade. His debut album 'Ripe' is released on Memphis Industries. With Slug, Black wanted to get away from the tinnitus inducing noise rock of his formative bands, letting the idea dictate the song's form and sonic palette. Black says of the album \"'what ifs' play a massive part in ripe. what if we use a stoner metal riff and use it like a dub bass part or what if we combined the drumming style of John Bonham with James Brown beat and the squelch bass of Claudio Simonetti and Fabio Pignatelli\". \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTaking inspiration from film soundtracks (Enter the Dragon, Suspiria), 20th century abstract and minimalist music but also the rock and funk chops of Led Zeppelin, Prince and Funkadelic, the resulting album is concise, unselfconscious, idiosyncratic and exquisitely executed. Animators brothers quay, Phil Mulloy and Jan Svankmajer oblique approaches to subject matter also rubbed off on black and lend the slug album an air of the hypnagogic. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Memphis Industries","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50493282255179,"sku":"386669","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50493284221259,"sku":"386668","price":5.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/a32b0076-7dfd-4c0d-9344-14fa0456fc31_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727696574"},{"product_id":"higgledypiggledy","title":"HiggledyPiggledy","description":"\u003cp\u003eSlug return with a brand new album, \u003ci\u003eHiggledyPiggledy\u003c\/i\u003e, through Memphis Industries. Slug is the nom de plume of North East native Ian Black and, whereas acclaimed debut album \u003ci\u003eRipe\u003c\/i\u003e was made in collaboration with Peter Brewis and David Brewis of Field Music, \u003ci\u003eHiggledyPiggledy\u003c\/i\u003e was composed, produced and played entirely by Black, enabling him to give free reign to his beguiling brand of Dada-rock. Lead track \u003ci\u003eNo Heavy Petting\u003c\/i\u003e was consciously written to be an aggressive album opener, which pokes fun at Black’s own Mary Whitehouse-esque response to the sexualisation of music on television. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe album was inspired by a combination of The Residents, John Carpenter and the soundtracks of Don Cherry (particularly ‘Holy Mountain’) and Masahiko Sato (particularly \u003ci\u003eBelladonna\u003c\/i\u003e) plus the Dada art movement which will be self-evident to anyone who’s seen the hilarious and life affirming Slug live experience, replete with ever changing stage wear (snooker players, sailors, 50s jazz combo) and spontaneous crowd participation. Black intended \u003ci\u003eHiggledyPiggledy\u003c\/i\u003e to be a more minimal affair than debut \u003ci\u003eRipe\u003c\/i\u003e, focussed more on rhythm and percussion. Thematically the record was written against the backdrop of political turmoil but really it’s about the strange life Black leads in his native Sunderland, an autodidact outsider living his life in Wetherspoons arguing with some of the questionable attitudes of locals. Blacks stated aim to “have fun writing truly horrible lyrics,” playing characters “venting in pubs, writing in the character of how some people think and behave.”\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Memphis Industries","offers":[{"title":"Yellow | LP","offer_id":50497172308299,"sku":"1027823","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50497169129803,"sku":"1027824","price":5.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50497174274379,"sku":"1032160","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/2d095e8c-b033-4c05-b07d-87cfb1ba4cb3_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727726695"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/collections\/test_6e899712_thumbnail_4096_ba5d4465-4fc3-4c24-b0c7-45913a3cf72d.jpg?v=1727327027","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/fr\/collections\/slug.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}