Rich Thair
Sudan Archives – Nont For Sale
Top harmonies, beats, percussion & cranky strings.
Ian Simmonds – A Prance In Hope
Ian’s attitude to music had a big influence on me ver the years since I played live with the Sandals in the early 90s. Way ahead of the game & rarely credited. The whole album is inspiring.
Ghetto Priest/Junior Delgado – Slave State
On u Sound has had a huge influence on me over the years, Adrian Sherwood, Trevor Jackson. Mr Delgado played live at Glastonbury with Red Snapper & was a real gent.
23 Skidoo – Vegas El Bandito
This is a great album of sonic darkness and funk. Reminds me of sitting in my brother’s bedroom smoking Piccadilly fags & wearing combats & leg warmers a long time ago.
Brian Eno & David Byrne
The Jezebel Spirit, 12” Version. Genius, more people need to hear this.
Ali Friend
Kaytranada – Lite Spots
An amazingly uplifting tune that puts people in a positive place ….. The mixture of textures, sounds and breaks etc – a Brazilian sample from Gal Costa Included – is like a P funk wig out. Love it.
Can – Moonshake
This tune embraces the rough round the edges sound that Number are akin to. It sounds live, spontaneous and not at all slick but seems to want to be a pop song. Real and funny.
Talking Heads – Found A Job
A beautiful piece of punky funk. Another of David Byrne’s lonely, striving characters who is nearly there… eems pertinent now. It is proper energy and takes you to a place where new wave and disco funk were bed fellows – dancing in a youth club disco.
Michael Clark – End Is Near
Michael is the son of my friend Gav Clark who died in 2015. We were part of the band Clayhill. Gav was an amazing singer and song writer who is much missed. Michael, in his own distinct way, Is also an amazing singer-song writer destined for great things. I love the hurting melancholyof End is Near. It reminds me so much of Gav…..but more than that, it is a beautiful progression and a new haunting voice.
Kink – Yom Thorke
I love the bass on this techy tune – simple and mighty. Mastering the mixture of darkness and dance that Red Snapper hit on. I’m a sucker for a wooden block sound despite coming bottom of the year
In my woodwork class at school. Don’t chisel it – knock it.
NUMBER
NUMBER ‘NOTHING TO FEAR’
NEW SINGLE out now VIA SUNDAY BEST RECORDING
Inspired by a love of A Certain Ratio, Talking Heads, P funk and scratchy dub, NUMBER is a new forward-thinking sound machine fronted by Ali Friend and Rich Thair – the co-founders and rhythm section of electronic music pioneers and musical renegades, Red Snapper.
The duo’s new single ‘Nothing to Fear’, out now via Sunday Best Recordings. ‘Nothing to Fear’ features vocals from Louisa Gerstein and Heloise Tunstall-Behrens from the band Landscapes and next-door neighbours of Ali’s in Hackney. Their distinctive, soulful vocal harmonies bring a pang of 80’s new wave to the track, echoing The Slits and Tina Weymouth. Having already been given the seal of approval by Gilles Peterson, ‘Nothing to Fear’ is another exciting and unique sound from NUMBER who dare to look forward.
Rich and Ali started NUMBER as a means of rediscovering something of what they grew up with; the dirty disco bass lines, noisy drum machines, wonky percussion, leering live drums, jagged guitar melodies and uplifting soulful song of the 80’s and with the help of vocalists Dan carney (Astronauts), Luisa Tunstall-Behrens and Heloise Gerstein (Landshapes), Byron Wallen (trumpet) and John Metcalfe (strings), the duo create a compelling collision of sonic textures and found sound.
Sharing a deep musical heritage and bond, the pair formed the electronic fusion band Red Snapper in 1993. Known for their pioneering synthesis of acoustic instruments and electronic textures, the band were signed to Warp Records and Lo Recordings and over a 25-year career, released 8 studio albums including the iconic ‘Prince Blimey’ (1996) and ‘Hyena’ (2015), the ground-breaking soundtrack to accompany the Senegalese film ‘Touki Bouki’ (1973). The duo’s persistence is a testament to their abilities and desire to constantly question and re-define their musical sensibilities.
In addition to Red Snapper, Ali and Rich have also been involved in numerous other projects. Ali worked with Clayhill from 2004-2009, co-writes and performs with Beth Orton and is a member of folk musical project, The Imagined Village. Rich formed lo-fi duo Toob with Jakeone and also performs with electronic act Petwo Evans with long term collaborator Jake Williams.
Ali and Rich have performed all over the world including collaborating live with such electronic luminaries as The Prodigy, Björk and Massive Attack. They have remixed the likes of The Sugarhill Gang and Songhoy Blues.
