Rob Garza: Dust Galaxy
By Team JamBase Aug 10, 2007 • 12:00 am PDT
ENLISTS MEMBERS OF PRIMAL SCREAM, TED LEO, CORNERSHOP
BRAZILIAN GIRLS, FUGAZI, GOGOGO AIRHART AND MORE
Rob Garza, one-half of the pioneering electronic duo Thievery Corporation is set to release his first solo project on November 06, 2007 on ESL Music. Dust Galaxy takes Garza to a new place, playing guitar and fronting a traditional band. Dust Galaxy was recorded in London with producer Brendan Lynch (Primal Scream, Paul Weller) and enlists the talents of Shawn Lee, Martin Duffy and Darrin Mooney from Primal Scream, Adam Blake (Cornershop), Jim Townsend (the People’s Revolutionary Choir), Didi Gutman (Brazilian Girls), James Canty (The Make-Up, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists), Ashish Vyas (Gogogo Airheart) and Jerry Busher (French Toast, Fugazi).
“What I love about some of my favorite records like Sandanista, Sgt. Peppers, Odyssey and Oracle, and Sunshine Superman is the way they drift through different musical temperaments,” says Garza. Having spent the past ten years creating, producing, remixing and touring as part of Thievery Corporation, Garza has worked with, and been influenced by an endless list of diverse artists. “Through the course of working as a producer in Thievery Corporation, I’ve had the opportunity to work with many talented singers and instrumentalists. During this time period, I’ve also learned to play more instruments myself. This project finally allows me to step out from behind the control booth to continue expressing myself as a songwriter as well as a performer and musician.”
“After the completion of the last Thievery record and tour, and a trip to Sudan for the UN World Food Program (for which he and Eric Hilton from Thievery are spokesmen), I was ultimately inspired to make a very personal musical reflection of my continuing journey.” In recording Dust Galaxy he enlisted producer Brendan Lynch (Primal Scream, Paul Weller) to push the U.K. take on older American sounds with more grit and psychedelia.
“The collaborative nature of the project allowed me the unique opportunity to work both in the studio and play live with artists whom I admire. It was a quite a change to be on the other side of the booth. I honestly feel like my perspective about music production in general has even evolved,” he muses. The result melds the sounds of psychedelic India, British paisley beats, post-punk, and roots rock into a riveting and unique combination.
He continues, “My goal was to make a record that reflected my tastes, both personally, and musically. There are a lot of elements in this record that would be out of place on a Thievery album. There are still a lot of electronic elements, but a punk rock song on a Thievery album would probably come across as forced or contrived.”
Album Track Listing:
01. Sun in Your Head
02. Limitless
03. Mother Of Illusion
04. It’s all yours
05. River of Ever Changing Forms
06.Sons Of Washington
07. Cherubim Sing
08.Overhead
09. Down
10. Come hear the trumpets
11. Crying to the Night
