THE STIR FRY POP STAR announces new album ‘Groovebox Messiah Sessions’

THE STIR FRY POP STAR announces new album 'Groovebox Messiah Sessions'

The Stir Fry Pop Star’s forthcoming album ‘Groovebox Messiah Sessions’ was written on a cheap second- hand Roland MC303 keyboard. Wilson stated the reason for choosing such an instrument, was to go back to basics and concentrate on simple song structures. However, he realised he needed additional production and detail within the music. He then recorded and mixed the rest of the album in a converted garage-studio in south London, hiring a producer, Gary Meek (ex D-Ream) and a few session musicians along the way such as Tim Dorney (Republica / Flowered Up) and Peter Steer (Tenek) to name a few.

The process of completing the album, along with coping with a full-time job and young family took over three and a half years. Wilson then gave the completed album to Stuart Hawkes (Disclosure, Rudimental, Lorde, Nero, Example) for mastering and sonic stardust at Metropolis studios. Lyrically each song on the album reflects a personal and intimate aesthetic of emotions: exploring the pains and delights of relationships, existential angst, fleeting youth and a simmering dissatisfaction of modernity.

Musically each song packs a cool left-field punch of pure pop sensibility. Influences ranging over Wilson’s musical heritage, taking in eighties electro, early nineties dark industrial EBM to spaced-out rave and trance-like psychedelia. Within each track there is a refreshing capacity for change, disparate influences fuse together into confident melodies, showing a versatilely that is often steered away from in today’s electro-pop scene.

Songs like Soul Riser and Fears & Tears progress within a classic pop formula, and yet Wilson’s distinctive vocal lines take different directions. It’s this unexpected approach, delving into Synthpop, Electro, and Alternative styles which pushes the Messiah Sessions way outside of anything you could expect from this genre of music. This is a debut album of considerable high consistency, from an artist who appears to have arrived hitting the ground running.

The Stir Fry Pop Star is the alter ego of Ryan Wilson, hailing from Croydon in south London. Unusually, his musical interests were sparked by a childhood fascination of science fiction movies and TV programmes. This developed into an interest in sound effects and music scores, created by the BBC’s symphonic workshop and KPM library catalogues, leading to an obsession with synths, drum machines and sequencers. He played for a plethora of indie bands with limited success and so nursing his musical wounds he decided to return to his original influences, in particular music from the early eighties and nineties. Fusing these styles together with a markedly pop-orientated direction, he set out to make music that moved hearts, souls and fancy feet.

Xsnoize Author
Mark Millar is the founder of XS Noize and looks after the daily running of the website as well as hosting interviews for the weekly XS Noize Podcast. Mark's favourite album is Achtung Baby by U2.

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