John Holmes – Back to the City [Single]

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Release date: 17th February

After the successful debut on the full length The End, John Holmes emerges once again on familiar single territory with “Back to the City”, a trippy old school atmospheric voyage filled with broken hi-hats, obscure percussion and razor sharp synths.

“Back to the City” creates an eerie old-school house atmosphere, aided by the deep bassline punching through the arpeggio that strikes the first blow, only to give way to the main synth that takes you back to the retro waves of the 80s. The almost incomprehensible speech harmonizes the groove and when the percussion finally kicks in you’re completely owning that dance floor. The last breakdown introduces the final emotion and “Back to the City” never stops to be organic, ever-changing, ever-challenging. Proper mental house, as if Detroit and Chicago had a child. Okay, that was too far out.

On the flipside (as if digital files have a flipside… nope, but let’s pretend, it’s a nice word) “Chaos Poetry” continues with the retro vibes in more raw approach. The filtered violin arpeggiates its emotion building the tension, almost fighting against the spanking-dry claps and the ear piercing hi hats. The rolling bassline keeps your sanity together in another mental, introspective house track that is both surprising and chilling. “Chaos Poetry” also closes down the pandora’s box opened on The End, keeping the promise that the end is just the beginning.

 

Telephone [Video]

The first single and music video from John Holmes debut long play The End takes place in an unknown mansion where the Heartbreak Motel free spirit is in charge.

John Holmes is subdued to play at a Heartbreak Motel party and the girls play with his senses, free & wonderful. The idea was to transport the music label’s imagery full of colours and strong women to the screen and mix it with John Holmes’ own universe of seduction.

Directed by João Luis Amorim

Camera: Miguel van der Kellen and Alipio Padilha

Production: Ana Rebelo

 

John Holmes – The End [LP]

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“These songs spawn some four years, and they were started with the intention of an album in mind but at the time I couldn’t finish the concept. There are so many emotions here, and they combine loneliness and sadness with my desire to just keep moving, hence the characteristic basslines and snares and claps that make me stop everything and just dance.

You could say that no artist is fool enough to name its first long playing album The End, but John Holmes is not your regular fool. Fusing his infatuation with deep and classic House, Disco and Italo with Classic Cinema is no job for the sane too.

The End combines a cinematic atmosphere with emotional melodies and hooks, where vibraphones, claps, flutes and assorted percussion marry together in an orgy of old-school genres that, without dropping the beat, create a beautiful landscape of feelings with pop sensibility that will make you stitch these songs to your heart. From the cinematic opener “Cheating Hearts” to the apocalyptic ending “The Conflict”, The End is a story of romance, melancholia, space voyages and wrong turns, where the atmosphere is always on the verge of exploding in a bed of tears & basslines.

THE END IS COMING: 14TH OCTOBER 2013

Written & Produced by John Holmes in Portugal.