Wandering Monster
Metropolis / Division
UBU0067: Digital Formats
EP Release Date: 25th September 2020
Metropolis Single Release: 31st July 2020
Left to Right: Ben Powling, Sam Quintana, Calvin Travers, Tom Higham, Aleks Podraza
Ubuntu Music is pleased to announce the continuation of its relationship with Leeds-based Wandering Monster, a highly gifted quintet led by composer and double bassist Sam Quintana.
Described as thoughtful, energetic, serpentine, embryonic, boisterous, episodic and nuanced,
Wandering Monster reach beyond what may be expected from the tried and tested line-up of the tenor saxophone/guitar quintet. The group showcase their love for world music, rock and metal whilst continuously trying to learn from the trailblazers of Black American music and improvised music. These influences result in a sound that is intense and raucous, yet dynamic, sensitive, spontaneous and intellectual. The band's eponymous debut album was released in 2019 on Ubuntu Music to much critical acclaim. And 2020 will see the release of two singles in which the outfit continue to blend the performance of involved written material with exciting collective improvisation.
The upcoming two-track release, Metropolis/Division, sees the band adopt a grittier sound with a harder edge than the music from their debut album. Despite this, the music retains the band’s essence of spontaneous collective improvisation, the performance of challenging and engaging written material and the exploration of broad sonic palettes.
Metropolis was inspired by a recent visit to New York, while Division is an attempt to reflect current sentiment in the United Kingdom as a result of recent political events. These singles pave the way for a release of a second album in 2021, which will continue to explore and extend these ideas further.
Sam Quintana explains: “The opportunity to release our debut album on Ubuntu Music in early 2019 was fantastic for the band and really helped us announce ourselves on the UK jazz scene. Since then, we have worked hard to capitalise on the momentum the release gave us. Now the band is at a place where each member can really bring their individual influences to the music and I feel that all of our different musical personalities shine through on these tracks.”
Martin Hummel, Director of Ubuntu Music, elaborates, “Wandering Monster’s Two-Track EP is an evolutionary, logical extension of their highly successful debut album on the Label, and serves as a dynamic bridge to their next next release. Their sound and compositional strength deliver a wicked result.”
For further information, please contact:
Martin Hummel/Ubuntu Music (Worldwide): martin@ubuntumanagementgroup.com
Rupert Burley/Dynamic Music (UK Publicity): rupert@dynamicagency.co.uk