Ultra-hip, cutting edge Euro electronic flavors create a uniquely modern twist on a classic American musical art form on Bluesy Chill Out. This album is the ninth in a series of best selling groove and heavy ambience Sacred Spirit theme recordings masterminded by German-born studio wizard The Brave and released in the U.S. by Higher Octave Music. Sacred Spirit highlights over the past decade include Indigo Spirit, Sacred Spirit, Moroccan Spirit and most recently, Classical Spirit. 1995’s platinum selling Sacred Spirit: Chants and Dances of the Native Americans, was nominated for a Best New Age Album Grammy.

The Brave’s goal in creating Bluesy Chill Out was to offer a fresh perspective on the blues, thereby, as he says, “dragging it out of the ghetto” of the past and into the present. He collaborates with fellow Ibiza island resident Dave “BK” Jeffs, a Northern Ireland native and former street musician who plays regularly at a local club named Teatro Perera. Each track was created organically, with Jeffs (who also sings and plays flute and harmonica) composing exciting improvisational slide and steel guitar riffs as a foundation for The Brave to build his trademark synthesis upon.

“I wanted to create a contemporary recording which would draw on classic blues traditions but combine them with the Sacred Spirit tradition of chill out groove and ambience,” he says. “Dave lives on the island and I’ve known him for years as a member of Eric Harmsen’s band that performs at the club Teatro Perera. He worked with me on Indigo Spirit, which was originally released in the U.K. as Culture Clash. He’s a great blues guitarist and harmonica player. The fun part of these recordings is working with new people I haven’t collaborated with before. I invited Dave to lay down lines, riffs, melodies, whatever he came up with that connected to the blues. He’s had this amazing life that perfectly reflects that of the great bluesmen.

“There’s something incredible about the loneliness of the slide guitar and the fretting of the steel guitar,” The Brave adds. “Yet I wanted to free the blues from its usual limitations so I blended what he did with my trademark style. It was fun improvising and seeing how it all took shape.”

The original title of Sacred Spirit’s Bluesy Chill Out was “Driftin’ on the Trail of the Blues,” and the flow of the 12 tracks creates something of a tale about a fascinating journey. “Driftin’” combines that lonesome guitar, harmonica and Jeffs’ low voice with a chamber music effect and moody, mysterious vibe. “This Earth” incorporates a trance-inducing thumping groove and unusual sonic effects, while “Interlude: The Wide Open” blends nighttime nature sounds (crickets, etc.) with a stark harmonica line, which leads into the weepy steel guitar and mournful vocals singing about “Black Rain.”

“Love is Blind” is classic sorrowful blues atop an expansive ambience, a feeling that travels “Down in Louisiana” where the guitar twang meets up with horn accents and shimmering keys over a hard thump. After more natural sound effects on “Interlude: The Loneliness of the Slide Guitar,” “That’s Right” blends a haunting classical atmosphere and chamber effects with an edgy rock blues feel. “My Mother Told Me” delves into a crunchy, shuffling hip-hop vibe, a tougher approach that carries over to the fiery electric blues of “Oh Yeah.” The stark moods and hypnotic guitar lines of “Wasteland” may remind listeners of the classic Twin Peaks theme. The closer “Why” includes plaintive voices wailing classic blues strains.

In the 80’s, The Brave became something of a pop and dance music sensation, writing and producing songs for well known American icons like Chaka Khan as well as several million-selling European artists. Bored with the lack of creative challenges, he moved to the once secluded island of Ibiza off the coast of Spain and promptly (and quite unexpectedly) fell madly in love with the rich melodic and romantic possibilities of the flamenco guitar. He traveled throughout the Mediterranean region to experience and record performances by some of the greatest flamenco artists in the world, then synthesized these with fresh grooves and atmospheric ideas. The compelling result was B-Tribe, whose first recording Fiesta Fatal! (1994) spawned an unexpected #1 dance hit in Europe. The legend grew and sales catapulted into the hundreds of thousands over the course of three more universally acclaimed releases—Suave Suave (1995), Sensual Sensual (1998) and B-Tribe’s 2001 Higher Octave Music debut Spiritual Spiritual. B-Tribe’s upcoming album Five is scheduled for release on September 16, 2003.

Bluesy Chill Out follows in The Brave’s tradition of shifting musical paradigms on diverse recording projects. These include blending classical music elements with American Blues on Indigo Spirit; initiating listeners to the exotic and thrilling music of North Africa on Moroccan Spirit; and producing the serene and contemplative lyrical Enya-esque stylings of Rose Moore on Spirit of Silence. 

Sacred Spirit highlights over the past decade also include Sacred Spirit, Moroccan Spirit and most recently, Classical Spirit. 1995’s platinum selling Sacred Spirit: Chants and Dances of the Native Americans, was nominated for a Best New Age Album Grammy.

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For media information please contact Susan Mainzer at Green Galactic, 213-840-0077 or susan@greengalactic.com.

Label Contact: Al Risi, 310-589-1515, alrisi@higheroctave.com.

For further information please check out  www.higheroctave.com.