Faithless All Blessed Interview

Legendary UK Dance act Faithless announce their first new album in ten years, 'All Blessed', released on BMG. The first single to be taken from 'All Blessed', the uplifting Balearic 'Synthesizer' is released on 28 August and follows the immaculate 'This Feeling' ft. Suli Breaks & Nathan Ball.

On their manifesto for 'All Blessed', Faithless said "In this troubled and increasingly violent world, lyrically the album tries to reflect what has always been the Faithless manifesto: be conscious, be caring, love yourself so you can love others and understand who you are and where you are never polemical but hopefully intelligent and (occasionally!) inspirational - this is music with feeling and words with meaning."

Presenting an exciting taster for 'All Blessed', with 'Synthesizer' Faithless delve into a profusion of expressive synths and stripped-back, grooving undertones to deliver a blissfully euphoric anthem. 'Synthesizer' kicks off with a grooving house inspired backbeat with a motivating synth rhythm that holds the centre ground for much of the track. Its loopy hypnotism provides a poignant anchoring for the vocal lead that heads up the track once again by the super talented Nathan Ball. As the vocal shapes up, realms of cascading synth arpeggios become a reflection of the track's lyrics. Building up towards a vast crescendo that paves way for a super grooving bassline while the steady backbeat opens up with widening hi-hats and punchy claps.

Also released on 28 August, the video for 'Synthesizer' is a brilliant Metropolis-inspired visual treat Directed by Strangeloop and Produced by [namethemachine]. Set in a dystopian futuristic world in which skyscrapers are comprised of speaker towers and synthesizers, the unforgettable video depicts an army of robotic workers whose brains are connected by glowing, pulsating cables to power their queen who looms large over the city. But it all goes wrong… On 'Synthesizer' Faithless said: "This is the track that got us thinking of doing a new album in the first place. A love letter to what we do and the music we make and also a little social commentary on our obsession with technology, musically all rolled into a big bold warm Faithless-y anthem. Inspired by Trevor Horn, Sparks, Jean-Michel Jarre and our own back catalogue!"

Previous single 'This Feeling' received strong DJ support, including from Pete Tong who made it the 'Essential New Tune' on his BBC Radio 1 show, plus Annie Mac, Robbie Rivera, Judge Jules, Tom Novy, Mousse T, Spiller, Kryder, and DJ T.

In a history that stretches back some 25 years, Faithless have long occupied a pivotal position in the world of British electronica. Marrying elements of house, trip-hop, dub and a songwriting flair into arena-filling explosive, euphoric sounds. Their accomplishments tell their own story: seven Top 10 singles, six Top 10 albums (three at Number 1), a Mercury Prize nomination for their brilliant sophomore album, 1998's 'Sunday 8PM' and their impressive four times Platinum certified 'Forever Faithless - The Greatest Hits' adding to a career total in excess of 15 million worldwide.

Faithless have graced festival stages the world over, including Glastonbury's famous Pyramid Stage twice. Globally, they've sold out multiple arena runs.

It has been ten years since Faithless' last studio album 'The Dance' entered the charts in 2010 at Number 2, yet their music continues to be discovered through international DJ sets and the rise of streaming services. Their 2015 remix album 'Faithless 2.0' took them back to the top of the charts yet again with their friends the likes of Avicii, Claptone, Tiesto, Eric Prydz and Armin Van Buuren coming forward to offer fresh perspectives on their fan favourites, 'We Come 1', 'Insomnia', 'God is a DJ' and more. Collaborations have always the hallmark of Faithless' career, working with Robert Smith of The Cure, Dido and Cat Power to name but a few.

Interview with Faithless (Sister Bliss)

Question: How would you describe your music?

Sister Bliss: I think 'eclectic electronica' just about sums it up - its emotive, lyrically conscious, textured, groovy and on occasion rather anthemic!
Music for the heart, head and feet.


Question: Can you tell us about your new album All Blessed?

Sister Bliss: As ever with Faithless, its music that hopefully engages emotionally and lyrics that are meaningful. It feels very relevant to the world we are living in today. It's also a collaborative album, and we worked with some really interesting, thoughtful, intelligent artists especially from the spoken word scene - from poets like Suli Breaks, Young People's Laureate Caleb Femi, and with singers like Nathan Ball, and Damien Jurado, and legends like Jazzie B from Soul to Soul which give it a really varied vibe. I think it really takes the listener on a musical journey through many different moods, but is woven together like a DJ set.


Question: What inspired Synthesizer?

Sister Bliss: The song is a love letter to all that inspires us in electronic music -and its also little tongue in cheek - but its also a comment on the technological age we are living in, and how we mediate everything through that tech- and noticing that sometimes we love our gadgets more than each other!
There is another layer of meaning about the transactional nature of modern day relationships which can leave you feeling empty.
The video is a bit surreal - and alludes to that sense of a dystopian future - and a little to classic movies like Fritz lang's Metropolis and also Bladerunner.


Question: Is there a particular message you hope listeners take from your music?

Sister Bliss: I guess that in an increasingly polarised world music truly has a healing power, and that we need to find empathy in our lives, so we can share that with others to create a more tolerant world. Only by putting ourselves in others shoes and seeing the other side, and creating a dialogue will we find a route to a more compassionate society.


Question: After performing for so long, how do you maintain staying relevant in the music industry?

Sister Bliss: Part of it is because I'm a DJ, and have my own weekly radio show " Sister Bliss in Session" syndicated across the globe which keeps me on top of new music, so I always have my ears open for fresh sounds and production techniques. Part of staying relevant is making music that has an emotional core, and lyrics that have meaning - which sometimes can sink in long after the euphoria, or drama of the music - which helps make music relevant to our emotional inner world.


Question: Do you find you have to change with the times or do you stay faithful to your sound?
Sister Bliss: We definitely love textures in our production, so there are lots of layers which you can return to again and again, and hear something you didn't notice before. That's something across all our albums so far - we are not very good at minimalist music! I guess we are also lucky because Faithless records do move through many genres, not just dance music, so our 'sound' is quite expansive not just stuck in one place or genre.


Question: Which is your favourite song to perform live and why?

Sister Bliss: I love playing 'We Come 1" live - the message is still relevant and it's such an intense experience to really feel we are becoming one with the audience. We also created an earthquake playing it in Belgium that registered on the Richter scale!


Question: What is the story behind "Faithless"?

Sister Bliss: We were fed up with the rather disposable nature of the lyrical side dance music and felt there was space to say something with more depth - then we met Maxi, who is a Buddhist rapper, and were immediately intrigued by his philosophy and lyrical agenda. We had many conversations about his faith, and asked him to put some of what we'd talked of into lyrics - that eventually expanded into our first album " Reverence" which was conceived as if we were doing a mix tape for our mates initially, full of our favourite tracks from different genres.


Question: What or who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?

Sister Bliss: I think my inspiration was the whole scene - being there when it started, being obsessed with the parties, and the records - not one individual particularly.


Question: What has been your favourite part of becoming a music artist?

Sister Bliss: Playing my music loud, travelling the world, and being part of the soundtrack of people's lives through my music - it's very humbling to have been experienced in such a meaningful way!

Question: What's next, for you?

Sister Bliss: Well our plans are rather dependant on the pandemic and how we can go about gigging again safely - but I can't wait to go out and perform, and ultimately that's what Faithless is about - the power of connection and the power of music to heal. I hope the government get a proper support package together for our industry right now - because to let it collapse would be utterly appalling and short sighted. Our world employs so many talented dedicated people - and music events provide not just employment, but social cohesion and cultural capital on a global scale. In the meantime we are releasing new remixes of Synthesizer now, and in January starting promotion of the second single " I NEED SOMEONE"


Question: Can you share your socials? (links please)

Sister Bliss: Facebook  
Twitter  
Instagram  


Interview by Gwen van Montfort