SPC ECO - Hello (2025)

There are a few bands who refuse to publish their work on Spotify or do so in a limited way. And while I respect this decision and back all the efforts for achieving justice in the music industry, my playlist-focused way of listening to music is hurt. One of the bands are the Bandcamp's giants from UK who released their... I can't even count that high. They released ANOTHER great album.

Their signature electronica-heavy trip-hop music with a strong ethereal atmosphere on top is back. The Rose Berlin - Dean Garcia duo (helped, as always, by Jarek Leśkiewicz from Poland) doesn't stray away from what they do best: mixing the melodies with dense electronica and so creating melancholic and psychedelic musical paintings. Those can be extremely catchy and hit-worthy (like the title track Hello) or serving as mood-producing little machines. It's no surprise that the album is dedicated to the late David Lynch. It's the mood that matters.

Hello costs 11 EUR (9 GBP).

Check: Hello

Country: UK

Genre: dreamy trip-hop

SPC ECO - Calm (2017)

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Blurred City Lights - Micropolis (2022)

Blurred City Lights appeared on this blog once before, back in 2018, when the duo released their second album Volker. But the artists themselves have been a big part of this blog anyway: Dean Garcia with the phenomenal trip-hop SPC ECO and Jarek Leśkiewicz as Opollo or half of Sunset Wrecks. There was little doubt that the new release from the two should be posted about here.

The whole project balances on the border between dreamy genres and trip-hop and progressive rock. Somehow, for me, Leśkiewicz's vocals are exactly between Riverside's Mariusz Duda and Slowdive's Rachel Goswell. If one had to label this music, they would probably go for dreamy trip-hop though, and I can absolutely hear that (especially in the parts where both are helped by another familiar face, the second half of SPC ECO - Rose Berlin). I appreciate both artist's skills in creating this trip-hoppy soundscape filled with subtle beats and imagine-fuelling electronic sounds all over them. However, this wouldn't be a complete picture since the duo are also well suited for guitar sounds as well, sometimes quite heavy, sometimes quite grungy and riff-oriented. It really is a blend of many things and as such, could only be appreciated. Especially that the whole album feels very coherent with its airy and surreal atmosphere that happens to be expressed in many different ways.

Micropolis costs 7.5 EUR (6 GBP).

Blurred City Lights - Volker (2018)

Check: All My Days

Country: UK/Poland

Genre: ethereal trip-hop

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Blurred City Lights - Volker (2018) EN

We know this line-up from some place: Jarek Leśkiewicz (also in Opollo) and Dean Garcia helped by Rose Berlin. That's why Blurred City Lights sounds in a way as if the musicians of SPC ECO got their hands on heavy guitar sounds maintaining their electronic heritage as well.

Although the name of the project as well as the album cover art have somewhat synth vibe in them (in a bladerunnerish way), the music sounds a bit different. Unlike SPC ECO, Leśkiewicz takes part of the vocal side of the project and sounds like Mariusz Duda of Riverside (although the atmosphere on "Volker" reminds more of his solo works). While when it's Berlin's turn to sing, she brings tons of her magical, airy sound, I'm a huge fan of her voice (for example in the brilliant "Don't Let Go").

A good summary of BCL's music is made by "Night Crawlers" in which heavy guitar riff exists together with electronic samples and barely audible modified voices in the background. The whole album is a great mixture and like not many others would make a perfect soundtrack for a night life of a city.

"Volker" costs 6 GBP.

SPC ECO - Calm (2017)

Opollo - Of A Distorted Star (2017)

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Blurred City Lights - Volker (2018) PL

Już skądś znamy skład Jarek Leśkiewicz (również Opollo) i Dean Garcia wspomagani mocno przez Rose Berlin. Stąd Blurred City Lights brzmi w zasadzie jak SPC ECO, którego muzycy dorwali się do mocnych, gitarowych dźwięków nie odrzucając przy tym w kąt swojego elektronicznego dziedzictwa.

O ile nazwa projektu jak i okładka nastrajają bardziej synthowo (w bladerunnerowy sposób), tymczasem muzyka na płycie brzmi inaczej. W odróżnieniu do SPC ECO, wokalem udziela się (poza kawałkami z udziałem Berlin) sam Leśkiewicz i brzmi w nich jak Mariusz Duda z Riverside chociaż klimat na "Volkerze" bardziej przypomina solowe dokonania Dudy. Gdy za śpiewanie bierze się wokalistka SPC ECO, z marszu dodaje projektowi tonę magii i eterycznego brzmienia, jestem olbrzymim fanem jej głosu (np.w fantastycznym "Don't Let Go").

Dobrym przekrojem muzyki BCL jest "Night Crawlers", w którym obok ciężkiego gitarowego riffu egzystują elektroniczne sample i czające się na granicy słuchu modyfikowane głosy. Cała płyta jest doskonałą mieszanką i doskonale nadaje się na soundtrack dla nocnego życia miasta.

"Volker" kosztuje 29 złotych (6 GBP).

SPC ECO - Calm (2017)

Opollo - Of A Distorted Star (2017)

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SPC ECO - Calm (2017) EN

Rose Berlin and Dean Garcia are particularly fertile artists, new music by SPC ECO can be stumbled upon every now and then, I did in 2012 when I listened to "Dark Notes" and it wasn't their debut at all! Far from it! The most important though is that they are always on their well-established good level.

This level is situated somewhere between the trip-hop a'la Ivy ("Out of Sight" sounds like it could be inspired by "Worry About You") or Archive's "Londinium" and delicate sounding dreampop that speaks directly to your subconscious. Their characteristic marks are Berlin's airy voice (that reaches the ether climax in "All I Had") and the whole music around the dreamy-cosmic sound of which is perfectly depicted in the project's name (as it is pronounced as space echo).

Quite recently I posted some words about Jarek Leśkiewicz and his project called Opollo, the artist comes back here sooner than I anticipated as he had his part in creating "Calm" programming the ambiance or like in "Waking Up Again" - being responsible for more than that.

"Calm" costs 10 GBP.

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SPC ECO - Calm (2017) PL

Rose Berlin i Dean Garcia to niezwykle płodni muzycy, na nowe utwory brytyjskiego SPC ECO natknąć się można co i rusz, ja pierwszy raz zrobiłem to w 2012 słuchając "Dark Notes", a to przecież nie był ich debiut! Daleko od tego! Najważniejsze jednak, że duet nigdy nie schodzi poniżej ustalonego, dobrego poziomu.

Poziom ten leży gdzieś między trip-hopem spod znaku Ivy ("Out of Sight" brzmi jak inspirowane "Worry About You") czy "Londinium" Archive a dreampopem o łagodnym, przemawiającym do podświadomości brzmieniu. Ich cechami charakterystycznym jest eteryczny głos Berlin (który eteryczne szczyty osiąga w "All I Had") i cała jego muzyczna otoczka, której senno-kosmiczne brzmienie jest doskonale odzwierciedlone w nazwie zespołu (space echo, tak to się wymawia).

Nie tak dawno na blogu pisałem o Jarku Leśkiewiczu i jego Opollo i artysta wraca tu szybciej niż się spodziewałem bowiem maczał palce, a nawet całe garści, w tworzeniu "Calm"  programując tła a w "Waking Up Again" robiąc jeszcze więcej dobrej roboty.

"Calm" kosztuje 48 złote (10 GBP).

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