General Release Tickets on sale Wednesday 20th July from 10am.
Seminal London clubbing institution Secretsundaze is to debut its first-ever Spirit of Sundaze Ensemble live show at the Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall on Friday 7th October. The all-new live project celebrates Secretsundaze' 20-year anniversary and sees a talented group of contemporary musicians and featured guest vocalists reimagine the party's most iconic tunes, fan favourites and dance floor defining sounds, up on stage for the very first time. The show will follow the release of the first of many Spirit of Sundaze Ensemble singles, a new version of Photek's 'Mine to Give' recorded with vocalist Wayne Snow, due on 20th July.
"Mine to Give was such a game changing iconic tune at the time," says Secretsundaze co-founder James Priestley. "It's also one of my favourite Robert Owens deliveries, a truly timeless piece of music so the pressure to reimagine it was definitely on. We just wanted to explore the song and popier aspects of the track, to give the parts more space to breathe and shine and for Kes, aka Wayne Snow, to flip his beautiful twist on it too."
Spirit of Sundaze Ensemble is an innovative recording and live performance concept that brings contemporary musicianship to a catalogue of tracks that have defined Secretsundaze over the last two decades. This bold and adventurous project will be the first time Giles Smith and James Priestley's Secretsundaze has ever entered into the live world and comes with plenty of new singles and eventually an album in 2023 collecting them all together. As the celebrated and influential house party, DJ duo and label marks 20 years in the game, Spirit of Sundaze Ensemble is a great opportunity to look back on some magical musical moments as well as creating a few more.
"We selected 20 foundational tracks from two decades of DJing at Secretsundaze as a basis to work from. These records have been reimagined through the lens of various other genres with a stand out collective of musicians and will be performed live at the Queen Elizabeth Hall for the first time. People should expect a journey through a myriad of styles and tempos, shining a new light on the parts of the original tracks we know and love whilst allowing the incredible musicianship to also shine bright" Giles Smith, Secretsundaze Co-Founder
This carefully curated and expertly conceived show draws on all that history and heritage. The duo will be selecting 20 of the most important tracks from Secretsundaze last 20 years of dancing and reimagining them through the lens of various other genres from ambient and jazz through to Balearic and synth-pop via higher energy Brit funk and NYC inspired reworks. The dynamic journey will bring new light and fresh perspective to the original tracks whilst allowing the incredible musicianship of the Ensemble to shine through as well as showcasing the DJ skills of James and Giles as they sequence a coherent set, full of twists and turns.
The Ensemble itself features some of London's finest musicians, handpicked by James - who himself will be on MPC, FX and keys - with Musical Director Lewis Moody (30/70 Collective / Zeitgeist Freedom Energy Exchange). They include Theo Parrish live show collaborator, Sound Signature recording artist and master drummer Myele Manzana, percussion from Oli Savill who has been a recording and touring member of Basement Jaxx for almost 20 years, guest vocalists and musicians including the likes of Wayne Snow, Hinako Omori and Yahael (Balimaya Project), plus electric bass from long-time Secretsundaze family member and Fofoulah quintet man Johnny Brierley.
The Spirit of Sundaze Ensemble is set to unite passionate dance music lovers with those who appreciate the finer side of live music in a unique setting, and all with an underlying narrative that celebrates one of the UK's most important clubbing institutions.
General Release Tickets on sale Wednesday 20th July from 10am at; southbankcentre.co.uk
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