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Skye & Ross from Morcheeba
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October 02, 20:00
YotaSpace 
 Spring, 2014, and Skye Edwards and Ross Godfrey are standing at the side of the main stage at an Australian Gold Coast music festival, coming down from their own set there a short while ago. “The headliners were playing a raw, gutsy set,” Ross recalls, “and we both thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be really fun to make a record that had this sort of intensity to it?’” For over a dozen years, he and Skye had been playing across the globe as Morcheeba, but Ross’ brother, Paul – their co-producer, with whom they’d founded the band – had stayed at home. During this time, the inevitable separation between what happened in the studio and what happened live had become increasingly pronounced, and, as they observed the band beside them with delight, the singer and guitarist shared an epiphany. “Why don’t we make our records feel more live?”
It’s not the first time either of them has stepped outside of the safety of their familiar, long-term musical environment. Last year, Skye released her fourth solo album, In A Low Light, a beautifully subdued collection of luminous, electronic soul, while Ross stepped out with Little Mountain, a Laurel Canyon flavoured trio that also features his wife, Amanda Zamolo. The latter was particularly invigorating for Ross, reminding him of the spontaneity and joy that can exist during the recording process, and this was something he bore in mind when, in 2015, he offered Skye the guitar part for what would become ‘Clear My Mind’. When she sent back her vocals, Ross grins, “We knew we were onto a winner. Part of the skill of producing a record is knowing when to leave it alone, and we didn’t have to edit it, change it, or add anything at all. It was just an acoustic guitar and Skye’s voice. We were pinching ourselves! ‘Why was that so easy?!’”
Most of the record was recorded at their homes, an environment which allowed their creative flow to flourish, without time constraints. They very much kept the record a family affair, as the only other musicians to play on the album is Skye’s husband, Steve (Bass), Skye’s 19-year-old son Jaega (drums), Ross’ wife Amanda (backing vocals) and Richard Milner, Morcheeba’s keyboard player for the last five years.
What emerged recalls the essence of Morcheeba’s international, platinum selling Big Calm, while boasting a revived spirit and the mature experience that comes with two decades of making music.
Ultimately, SKYE | ROSS doesn’t signify the end of Morcheeba, but rather a purge of sorts, an opportunity for the two musicians who have represented the public face of their band to exploit the musical relationship that has developed between them outside of the studio on stages around the world. “Our intentions are really aligned,” Ross concludes, “and once you have that synchronicity with someone everything falls into place.”
Skye explains, “It was all very organic, and I was able to push myself vocally, everything Ross sent inspired a melody and lyric almost immediately, whether it was a heavy fuzz guitar riff or intricate finger picking on an acoustic. I’ve always got a real buzz from Ross’s playing: it’s an absolute joy performing live, so it was great to be able to capture that energy on record.”
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