O. – the London-based duo of baritone saxophonist Joseph Henwood and drummer Tash Keary – release ‘Slice’ their first EP, on Speedy Wunderground.
Coming hot on the heels of last November’s debut single “OGO” – Slice is a four-track snapshot of the duo’s first two years of existence. “Slice” and “Grouchy” turn sax and drums into pneumatic patterns of riff and rhythm that draw from the muscular viscerality of metal and the dancefloor dynamics of build and drop. “Moon”, meanwhile, snakes a limber saxophone line through a variety of dub production styles. And the closing “ATM” takes up a familiar melody with subversive intent, repurposing it into something that swings from beauty to rage and back again.
Says Tash: “We played loads of gigs before we ever got in the studio, so we had lots of tracks to choose from. We picked these four because they’re all quite different from one another, while showing off all the styles we like to play.”
The pair recorded the EP live with Speedy Wunderground’s Dan Carey at his South London studio. Following the recording, the three subjected the tracks to an array of post-production tricks, making full use Carey’s enviable selection of vintage dub production units. “Dan’s got a full collection of spring reverbs, tape delays, digital delays, bucket brigade delays and plate reverbs,” says Joe. “We don’t see ourselves as a dub group or anything like that, but we both really love heavy, bass-driven music, and none of this stuff would exist without King Tubby.”
As the circular simplicity of their name suggests, O. are a true self-contained unit. They formed in London during lockdown, when Joe and Tash – both veterans of a string of London ensembles – found themselves in a bubble together. When they started jamming, it was with no preconceptions: don’t overthink it, just play and see what happens. Before long, though, they were augmenting live instruments with effects – Joe routing his saxophone through a pedal board, Tash treating her drums with reverb and delay. As their sound grew and grew, it gradually became clear there wouldn’t be space for anyone else.
A1 Slice
A2 Moon
B1 Grouchy
B2 ATM