• Summary

Experienced m writer/pianist looking for chilled & focused female vocalist age 28+ (no upper limit) to develop and create interesting, well-crafted and grown-up songs, themes and and pieces (across genres - soundtracks, ballads, world, lounge, melancholia etc.), and lucid artistic concepts (images, words, short films, live performances).

If you're interested, please e-mail me some samples or links to your songs, writing, and something about you, what you've done and hope to do, and anything else you like.  Not worried at all about your image or looks.

• Influences and Aspirations

Think, maybe ...
• "Serraville" by Dallas Green
• the opera "A Flowering Tree" by John Adams
• "Wise Up" by Aimee Mann
• Silje Nergaard
• the soundtracks to 'The Painted Veil' (Alexandre Desplat), 'American Beauty' (Thomas Newman), and 'Solaris' (Gary Martinez)
• everything by Bacharach and David
• flamenco fusion such as Rosario Flores
• the song "Gran Torino" by Jamie Cullum and Clint Eastwood
• the Hendrix ballads ("Castles Made of Sand", "Little Wing", "Drifting")
• Lovers Rock, Marvin Gaye, anything by The Sundays -
and so on ... only as a starting point, really looking to create something authentic and personal to those involved :). Maybe unconventional and arty too, but some essence of a "good song" and basic musicality a must.

I've already decided that I want to be much more self-indulgent, experimental and creative than in recent projects, and - in terms of going live - to see if the performances could be really interesting, with different sound combinations - acapellas, using guitar as percussion, leftfield interpretations of well-known covers etc. - but still aiming for well-executed performance, good production values, and songs that do have personal, emotional resonance ...  

I can also call on a young and versatile acoustic guitarist to participate in performing and recording from time to time.

I am classically trained, have recently upgraded home studio, credits include Japan CD a while back, online chart-topping pop act over the last few years (1.5million+ plays and downloads), gigs at London Apollo, Dominion, Portsmouth Guildhall, and all the usual London spots (Kashmir, W14/Orange, Dingwalls, Rock Garden etc.).  BUT please note: this is not paid/ session work, not a management/production company, or an opportunity for an thrusting, ambitious starlet - I'm looking for real musicians wanting to make real music in a conscientious and grown-up way.  If it helps, I don't have any current contacts, existing outlets or backing; but I do know that interesting, good product can open doors. 

• Further Notes

The studio is based in my multi-generational home in West London, and it (and the project in general) is smoke-free and drug-free.  I work, so music is mostly an evenings and weekends activity.  I make passable coffee and hot chocolate, drink a lot of both, and generally combine this with music-making.

As mentioned, I have worked on pop, trip-hop, jazz, r&b, folk etc., and in various bands and projects of many kinds - some big gigs and an album in Japan a while back too.   Currently tinkering on a fusion of classical and flamenco in both Spanish and English.  Most recent project was gentle, acoustic-flavoured pop and did pretty well on the net, picking up a few awards, industry interest (and representation offers) and lots of great numbers, but it's on long-term sabbatical for now as the vocalist has just had a baby.  We also got some different and often unexpectedly cool remix interpretations by US and European producers, such as a trip-hop remix of one of our most sugar-sweet fluffy pop songs, or a bouncy eurotrance remix of one of my sombre ballads!

My aim really is to collaborate in the most open-hearted and creative way possible ... I'm secure enough not to have absolute ideas about what's right and what works, and patient enough to go with the flow and try different things. I love the idea of working with atmospherics and ambient sounds to complement the voice, and of blending solid musical elements (good beats, chords, arrangements etc.) with unusual song structures, and so on.

Thanks for reading

Chris Kalessin