London based multi-instrumentalist and producer Harlequiin (aka Rory Simmons) is no stranger to breaking a few barriers and questioning the restraints of musical genres as he breaks away from the herd with the release of his latest EP Your Hearts Afloat, submerging into promises of a fiercely strong solo artist.
Rory Simmons is a multi-instrumentalist, producer and composer who has worked as a session musician alongside the likes of Blur, Jamie Cullum, Paolo Nutini, and in the last 18 months has appeared on tracks from Labrinth, Mount Kimbie and toured with the Maccabees, as well as touring worldwide as a session musician. He has released under other alter-egos, collaborated and contributed to countless tracks, albums and projects in the electronic world as well as across pop, jazz, classical and film/TV worlds. Over the last 18 months, he has produced 2 EP’s for new breakthrough act Eloise including her acclaimed last single Now He Wears White.
He has released 2 EP’s as Harlequiin with radio play and recognition from BBC Introducing, Wonderland, Sidewalk Hustle, High Snobiety among others, with his previous single ‘Something To Believe In’ remaining in the Amazing Radio Top 40 for 4 weeks.
Your Hearts Afloat is one to watch out for with a twisting, restless mix of electro, brooding RnB and alternative pop. It features guest vocalists Elliot Cole, Amelka May and Fini Bearman. Influenced by Kelis, MIA, Flume and Jamie Lidell, swooping guitar lines are underpinned by deep kick drums and pulsing sequencers. The mature electro-soul of Sampha and James Blake is given a fierce new energy here, quaking 808s brood under ribbons of analog-synthesizers, the wonky swing of 90’s drum machines, and the gliding reverb drenched guitars on the edges of this deep song-writing.
Latest single Bandit In A Blindfold from the EP pleases instantly with a complex glitchy collection of sounds that explode in the ear at every turn of the track with and a soulful intriguing vocal leading the listener on through a piece that is incredibly fresh. Check out Bandit In A Blindfold below!
We managed to catch up with Rory as he talked about his latest EP and more!
So how has the release of your EP ‘Your Heart’s Afloat’ gone down so far with fans?
Your Hearts Afloat has gone great, loads of support for the title track and people seemed to respond really well to ‘Young One’ featuring Amelka May. The single she guested on from the last EP seemed to capture peoples imagination too. She has this enigmatic sort of vibe, an unusual alt-blues/RnB voice.
What is your favourite track from the EP?
My favourite track on the EP is probably Bandit In A Blindfold. I remember programming the synth patch for it about a year ago and it was just spinning round my head for ages as I built up a song around the woozy sequence. The lyrics for that song were also really fun to write, kind of using imagery around silent movies/cowboy films but also linking it a musing of what it means to be an individual and to cling to the idea of being something different. There’s even some Vonnegut references in there so my English teachers at school would be proud.
Can you tell something about the EP no one else knows?
The final track on the EP, ‘Antique Eyes and Fake Horizons’ is sort of about Brexit, but more through the frame of deserted English sea-side towns- kind of specifically south coast! It talks of what happens when a community doesn’t look forward and when everything is coloured by nostalgia so much that it drowns in a fantasy land. Didn’t really want to mention the Brexit word too much when talking about music, but there is definitely a kernel of that in this song.
If you could work with any band or artist on a new song, who would it be and why?
I’d love to write something with Jamie Lidell, I love his voice and his approach to song-writing and production. His albums are so wide-ranging and inventive. But there’s loads of newer artists I’d love to write with too…. a great artist from London called William, I love Jessy Lanza who sings on the Caribou stuff.
Will you be touring in 2018 at all?
A few spot gigs in Paris with Harlequiin, plus hoping for some UK dates later in the year. I’m also out and about as a session musician with Jamie Cullum and Friendly Fires.
What do you get up to in your spare time not working on music?
Currently changing quite a lot of nappies as I have a week old baby at home. The rest of the time I try to make sure I get a steady stream of craft ale and pulled pork burgers each week.
What was the first ever gig you went to?
First gig I ever went to was Reef on Fistral Beach in 1996!!! An age ago. Reef were a big sound of the West Country at that point and it massively ticked my box of new-ish sounding melodic rock. I loved the band in that period, though they’ve definitely massively dated- that also makes them sound iconic of that era. I was 15 at the time, and managed to hold down 3 small bottles of French beer before throwing up. Rock n Roll.