Blending downtempo electronica, breaks and live instrumentation, new project Tony Soprano Band released their debut album Downtempo 1 on May 22 via Dune Castle.
Downtempo 1 sits at the intersection of live band interplay and downtempo electronic music.
Drawing from the language of breaks, sampling and loop-based composition, every sound on the
record originates from live performance. Drums, bass, synthesizers and hardware elements were
performed simultaneously, with no fixed arrangements or predetermined outcomes.
After spending time with downtempo and break-led records, Patrick Ryan reached out to long-time
collaborator Daniel Rock with the idea of making something in that spirit - not through
programming, but through live musicians responding to the form in real time
“I’d been listening to a lot of downtempo records and just thought - I want to be in the room when
something like that is made,” says Ryan. “Not building it piece by piece, but letting it happen live,
and figuring out what to do with it afterwards.”
Bringing together Lucky Pereira, Robert Downey and Winton Findlay, the group recorded a series of extended improvisations, guided only by loose sonic direction and feel. What followed was a second stage of composition: Ryan edited these recordings into their final forms, selecting and reshaping sections before mixing the material into a cohesive sonic world.
The resulting tracks retain the looseness of their origin while revealing a quiet internal logic.
Grooves emerge, dissolve and reconfigure; melodic fragments surface and recede. The music resists
climax, instead favouring sustained atmosphere and feel.
Catch the Tony Soprano Band live on Deeep Space for a special Studio 5 Live session. Tune in from 9am on Monday June 15 for an intimate set and interview with host Lloyd Briggs.
Studio 5 Live is made possible by Carlton Audio Visual and is supported by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body.
