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Faithless (UK)
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October 23, 21:00
A prime house-pop group and consistent club act, Faithless is at its core a duo of producers Rollo and Sister Bliss. Before the group officially came together in 1995, Rollo had produced a previous club hit ("Don't You Want Me" as Felix in 1992), plus an album for Kristine W. and remixes for the Pet Shop Boys, Bjork and Simply Red. Sister Bliss, a piano and violin prodigy from the age of five, converted to acid house in 1987, and quickly became one of the UK's best house DJs, also recording several singles as herself. Though the two had begun producing together as early as 1993, Faithless became a stable quartet two years later with the addition of vocalists Jamie Catto (previously in the Big Truth Band) and Maxi Jazz (from the Soul Food Cafe Band). The group reached worldwide status the following year with the singles "Salva Mea" (one of the biggest dance hits of the year), "Insomnia" and "Reverence." The debut Faithless album, also titled "Reverence", appeared in late 1996 on Rollo's Cheeky Records, and was picked up for distribution by Arista the next year. "Sunday 8pm" followed in 1998, and was reissued in 1999 with a collection of remixes titled "Saturday 3am". A comedown mix album "Back to Mine" appeared in early 2001, just before Faithless returned with "Outrospective". In 2004 the band released the quieter than usual "No Roots", with a new member (LSK) adding vocals.
The band also collectively indulge in mixtapes of other musicians' work, either mixed by the group or merely selected by them. This includes the long running 'Back to Mine' sessions as well as 'The Bedroom Sessions' and more recently the 'Renaissance 3D' music project, in conjunction with the Renaissance nightclub.
On 29 September 2006, the first single "Bombs" from their album "To All New Arrivals" made its debut on BBC Radio 1's Pete Tong show. The album was released on 27 November 2006. "Bombs" generated moderate controversy with its music video, as demonstrated by MTV's refusal to air it.
Faithless are returning with their 6th studio album early in 2010, heralding a new Faithless experience, encompassing the band’s celebrated eclecticism, originality and ambience that has made them a global phenomenon. Their first offering ‘Sun To Me’ is an introduction to the album, not a single, “inspired by the Californian sunshine, and the wide open spaces along the Pacific highway – Sun To Me hopefully shines a little light in these dark times” - Sister Bliss.
On Saul Williams’ eponymous album of 2004, the New York poet-cum-rapper talks of the stagnation of MC skills: “We should not have encouraged them to use cordless microphones, for they have walked too far from the source and are emitting a lesser frequency”. The same can be said of Faithless, who released records to ever-quieter choruses of appreciation since their debut, 1996’s "Reverence". It is called "The Dance" and it ambitiously addresses issues such as immigration and the 9/11 attacks, peaked at No 30, which seems to have has stunned Faithless into returning to their core values. It features a 7-minute club symphony "Not Going Home", tracks "Feel Me" with a vocal contribution from Neil Arthur (Blancmange), "Feeling Good" and "North Star" with Dido's vocal, "Coming Around" with the vocal part by Dougy Mandagi (Temper Trap) and "Love is My Condition" with a classical vocal by Mia Maestro.
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