SNIPPET

This week we're looking at the more mature (in a good way) artistes currently releasing fresh new material on the music scene in the UK, ranging from 80's popsters The Farm to the fiercely Indie-pendent Mr Johnno Casson aka Snippet.

Today's post focuses on the quintessentially English songwriting of Johnno Casson who performs under the pseudonym of Snippet. April 7th will see the release of his new album Future Melancholy Pop Music and the title sees the contents doing exactly what it says on the tin. It's 15 tracks of reflective, retrospective, introspective, captivating, engaging, satirical, funky and just plain compulsive lo-fi listening pleasure.



Johnno Casson was the singer and main songwriter of trip-hop pioneers Deep Joy, working with the likes of Primal Scream's Andy Weatherhall, James Lavelle of Mo' Wax/UNKLE and the inimitable Adrian Sherwood, founder of On-U Sound Records.

Having travelled a solo path these last 10 years Johnno is a well-established and well-respected member of the DIY Indie music scene, enjoying support from not only Ralph but the likes of Tom Robinson on BBC 6 Music.

His inimitably British pop release We Luv The Sunshine featured on the soundtrack of a recently released movie, The Space Between. 

We'll be giving that track a spin on Ralph's Indie show on Radio KC next Sunday (19th February) and feature a track from the album the following week.

Driven by a passion to make infectious, melody fuelled music and lifted from an active imagination and a sampladelic approach Johnno has delivered the most self-assured, solid and perceptive collection of songs of his career. An honest, mature album with a sarcastic and playful underbelly. The 15 beautifully crafted songs getting under the skin of love, loss and life.

Future Melancholy Pop Music is his biggest, boldest and most thought provoking album to date - from the spitting social commentary of Middle Class Ways through to the knowingly dysfunctional love story bounce of first single Bad Man, it’s a Summer Sun album full of wonderfully poetic journeys and beautiful soundscapes that slowly give up their gifts.

Wim Oudijk
1943 - 2016

The album is dedicated to Johnno's producer and longtime collaborator Wim Oudijk who sadly passed away during the recordings for the album. Their musical alliance was conducted via the wonders of the internet and so (like myself and Wim) their paths never crossed. The man's magic and wit touched Johnno (everyone he knew) and myself with equal grace.

To quote Johnno "it was simply wonderful to have a last hurrah with the nicest man I have never met".

Snippet

Long time Ralph's Life favourite Johnno Casson, prior to releasing the third album by his alter ego Snippet has regaled us with a collection of tracks that detail the last ten years of that particular musical incarnation. Here he gives us an insight into that nascent period...

"In late 2004 I tentatively started planning to record a new solo project and back then there was no Soundcloud, no Bandcamp and no iTunes.

MySpace was about to kick in however, there was an online platform where some like-minded DIY musicians were sharing their musical creations called Grooveplay." 






"With no gear outboard gear to record on other than a trusty yet beaten up Yamaha acoustic, a bunch of samples, a shit microphone and a half dead PC in a tiny corner of our already very full flat - Snippet was born."

What follows is a delightful trip through his self-styled 'Wonky Pop', from the psychedelically dreamy The Digital Yes to the trippy 50 Pounds Each it makes you smile and makes you groove in equal degrees.

He cut his musical teeth as the lead singer of trip hop pioneers Deep Joy, working with the likes of Primal Scream's Andrew Weatherall, James Lavelle of Mo’ Wax/UNKLE fame and Adrian Sherwood of On-U-Sound plus touring extensively; including with The Farm.

"After being in Deep Joy and having had a wonderful break starting a family I needed a new outlet for my creative juices and so it came to pass that 2005 was the birth of Snippet on grooveplay dot com. 

These wonky sound collages were never released. To celebrate 10 years of Snippet they are out in all their dirty glory. Lo-fi and proud they're available as a pay-what-you-want to anyone who fancies a journey down the memory lane which gave birth to Snippet."