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ALBUM - Early reviews of Helium confirm it’s critical-acclaim: |
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"Urban Myth Club have produced one of the finest, most complete, most beautiful and truly gorgeous albums my ears have heard for years. When I've first came across "Helium", I was blown away, just taken aback with the quality of the song-writing and the beauty of their arrangements. It's quite frankly stunning. One of the best downtempo albums ever released. Beautiful, stunning and simply adorable. Flawless. As close to musical perfection as it gets."
Ben Mynott, Blues & Soul Magazine
"Attention - every now and again you get blown away by someone’s music; HELIUM has not only blown me away but knocked me out. Urban Myth Club have arrived and delivered an album which is musically, lyrically and production-wise, right up there with the finest. Whether you’re in love, hanging on a beach, lounging, having a run, driving or just entertaining, every track has a story to tell and touches the inner soul, like the tear jerking ‘I Feel It’".
Pathaan (DJ Magazine & Ministry of Sound Radio)
DMC Update Magazine - 5/5
"The Club formed in 2003 when artist Dezz met Hollywood composer Stephen Barton. Other members of the club include Ian Sanderson and Andy Dragazis of Blue States. This bunch knows what they are doing. Following the joyous “I Feel It” you knew this album was going to be something special.
“I Feel It” starts off the album and really gets it going. It just gets better after each listen. It’s a very chilled out, great late night tune. “Calling” is a beautiful sprawling track that would fit nicely on a Zero 7 record. “Schnorkle” sees Claire Szembek (of Captain) return on vocals. She doesn’t have much on her but when she does its quite spine-tingling. The beat here is amazing a cross between Portishead and Massive Attack. “Spacewalk” is like a mix of dub with some space like samples mingle in. “So Beautiful” features Rowan Godel on vocals - her voice is stunning and it has a soulful touch to it. “Sanctuary” features Rowan again on vocals, a bit more upbeat and glistening feel to it. The album finishes with two short instrumentals “Secret” and “Cloud 9” - delightful little tunes that round off the album nicely.
“Helium” is a classic chill out album. From start to finish there is something likeable about each track. Each time you listen you find new things to love about it. The album is a very lush and relaxing affair with songs that will creep into your mind and never go away. This will be one to watch out for. (8.8/10)"
Comfort Comes
Urban Myth Club - Helium
By Steven Fanning
Some albums, upon first listen, have an immediate use attached to them: be it to cheer, soothe or shag-a-long to, it’s only ever used for that purpose. Urban Myth Club have created the perfect come-down album. The thirteen tracks on here are wonderfully down-tempo soundscapes of imagination and cathartic accomplishment. The vocals on ‘I Feel It’ are sexy, sultry and hypnotic, teasing from the platform of soft synths and chilled beats. ‘Helium’ is surely going to hit the airwaves in a big way this summer as the clubbers return from their Balearic sojourns with sore heads and the need to wind down from their fortnight’s abandonment. Enchanting stuff.
A wonderfully melodic and relaxed album that combines old-school trip-hop elements (remember Portishead?) with a broader ambient feel - tell all the Ibiza DJs to play Urban Myth Club when the sun starts rising...
Stephan Karkowsky, Radio 1
"Helium is a lush chill out album, with some very strong tracks, comparable to artists such as latter day Delerium, Royksopp, and even Massive Attack during it’s moodier moments – the sauntry I Feel It being a prime example, as Szembek’s cool vocal swoons across deep gliding synth pads. Calling, meanwhile, would fit most comfortably onto a James Bond soundtrack CD, thanks to its cinematic synth sweeps, a hardly surprising element of the album considering the history of a couple of Urban Myth Club’s members as film composers. The instrumental Schnorkle, with its brassy stabs and urbane atmospheres carries a similar filmic sophistication. Atlantic, with its gentle piano chords surrounded by punchy beats and choral sounds, is particularly reminiscent of Talk Talk circa 1986, whilst the airy Spacewalk brings something new to the table - twinkling and glistening as the title suggests, this has a nice dubby rhythm, interspersed with various astronautical samples.
The track that really stood out for me, however, was the melancholy, So Beautiful. Rowan Godel’s beautiful female vocal really breathes life and emotion. Godel’s vocal, which really is exceptional, then swans its way through the glistening keys of Sanctuary to produce another finely carved pop number. An enjoyable album, ....excellent tracks, mostly superior to its contemporaries. Well worth checking out. (7.8/10)"
Barcode Magazine
"I didn’t manage to hear Urban Myth Club’s performance at Eastnor this year. You know how it is - things to do, people to see, music to listen to.
But one of my defining memories of the festival is the sound of the hypnotic opening chords of ‘So Beautiful’ drifting across the site, everywhere from the Chill stage to the bars and stalls, accompanied by groups of punters asking each other ‘What’s this tune? Gorgeous isn’t it?’
Played as his summer set opener by Pete Lawrence, it’s a classic electronic ballad in the tradition of Lamb’s ‘Gorecki’ or Static’s ‘Inside your Heaven’, a rich five and a half minute slice of emotion topped off by Rowan Godel’s touching vocal.
‘Helium’ is Urban Myth Club’s first full-length album and, as well as ‘So Beautiful’, it includes all four tracks from ‘The Secret EP’ that created something of a buzz around these parts earlier in the year.
Writers and producers Ian Sanderson and Dezz use electric pianos, strings and warm analog synths as the main colours in their palette of sound, which comes to rest somewhere between the polished coffee table chill of Air and Zero 7 and the mellow drama of Ilya or early Goldfrapp.
As you’d expect, ‘So Beautiful’ is the standout track here but the cinematic opener ‘Schnorkle,’ ‘Moon and the night’ with its haunting clarinet, and the powerful ‘Sanctuary’, featuring another exceptional vocal performance from Ms Godel, run it pretty close.
Urban Myth Club make music that drifts softly and draws you in slowly, and with DJs ranging from Adam Freeland to the venerable whispering Bob Harris already lending their support with airplay and rave reviews, the chances are you’ll be hearing a lot more of them in 2006."
BigChill.net
One Day Everyone Will Have This AlbumHelium is one of those sleeper albums that is spreading by word of mouth, and gathering a bigger and bigger following that you can be pretty sure it will be in everyone's collection. It's simple and beautiful soundscapes are reminiscent of Zero 7, Moby's "Play" and Groove Armada, but they have their own unique sound. The achingly beautiful centrepiece of the album "I Feel It" is an instant classic."
Pete More, iTunes, 5 Stars
Urban Myth Club's sound blends downtempo and laid back hip hop influenced beats with keys, beautiful vocals, strings and effects, which results in stunning soundscapes, intricate melody's and a wide open atmospheric vibe. The album Helium album has many moods from the lush ambience of Atlantic, with its intertwining melody's and wide orchestral synths creating a fragile but powerful beauty. The deeper darker groove based Moon and the Night, to the moving and delicate purity of the uplifting I Feel It which features Clare Szembek of the well established act the Funky Lowlives. Helium's many moods and the sheer diversity of sounds provides another strong element to this stunning album. The depth and subtlety of the organic sounds, well thought out melody's and cinematic soundscapes of this album make Urban Myth Club firmly standout within this genre, which in turn has gained them much deserved critical acclaim and has earned them a strong fanbase which is sure to grow from strength to strength in the future.
Free Souls Magazine
In the sixties, the first "supergroup" was Cream, which featured guitarist Eric Clapton, bassist Jack Bruce, and drummer Ginger Baker. Now we have the first supergroup of chillout, The Urban Myth Club, also known as UMC, consisting of Ian Sanderson, Andy Dragazis of Blue States and Stephen Barton, (best known for his work in Hollywood film scores), who have combined to produce a sound that can be described as Zero 7 meets Air by way of Delerium.
Trevor Shand hosted the CLEAR.FM radio show called "Vancouver Chills" where the North American exclusive debut of the secret sampler, which wasn't even supposed to be released to the public, was heard. It wasn't long before the public came to highly regard UMC and they were featured at the 2005 "Big Chill" event.Their first album entitled Helium features thirteen tracks ranging from the cinematic sounds of "Schnorkle" to the ethereal vocal hit single "I Feel It". Guest vocalists on Helium include Rowan Godel & Clare Szembek.
Last.fm
Hands up who remembers the Sneaker Pimps? Well this is the ambient Sneaker Pimps. The kind of album that would be advertised with long lingering shots of attractive women with ample cleavage adorned in bikinis on sun loungers on white sand beaches in front of spectacular sunsets supposedly after a night of having it large in some trendy club and needing to 'chill out'.
Mellow of beat, full of strings and awash with breathy female vocals this is like the first Blue States album. It does what it says on the tin - late at night would fit the bill.
Glasswerk
Just Like Music
“A freshness & originality setting them apart from the rest” Music Week
“Poised to become the hottest downtempo act ever out of the UK” Clear FM
“Destined for hugeness” Adam Freeland
“Amazing. Absolutely gorgeous” Bob Harris, Radio 2
“Charmingly chilled-out” Five Eight
“Fantastic” Pete Lawrence, The Big Chill
SINGLE REVIEWS - I FEEL IT
Xfm REMIX RECOMMENDED:
Urban Myth Club - I Feel It
It's not often Eddy ends the show the same way two weeks running - the 'end of the show slot' being quite unique musically. But like William Orbit, whose new track we played two weeks running, Urban Myth Club have created something so special it just had to be played more than once. Buy a copy.
"The Club formed in 2003 when artist Dezz met composer Stephen Barton. Stephen ended up going to work on Shrek 2 and Narina, and Dezz got the idea of the collective and got producer Ian Sanderson. “I Feel It” is the first of the clubs labor. The track starts off so slow and majestic, it stays to be a very chilled and downtempo affair. The fragile drum beats and the soothing vocals really create a chill-out gem.Clare Szembek of Captain is the vocals on the track and she puts on a blinder of a performance here. “I Feel It” is a very chilled out track that is an impressive debut, from an album that will surely be a hit. (8.4/10)"
Comfort Comes
Can You Feel It?
Dipping their toes in the same chilled out waters as horizontally friendly success stories such as Royksopp, Air and Zero 7, Urban Myth Club create an attractively organic brew of electronica. Rather uniquely for a band with such emphasis on all things melodic and mellow Urban Myth Club enjoyed a sharp rise in profile courtesy of a huge green monster. Originally forming in 2003 and comprising just two members, electronics wizard Dezz and Hollywood film composer Stephen Barton, it wasn't long before LA came calling in the form of a request to provide the music to 'Shrek 2' and 'The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe'.
After taking a sabbatical in order to fulfil these high-profile undertakings, Dezz became more and more interested in the idea of a collective, joining forces with producer Ian Sanderson and recruiting Blue States' Andy Dragazis and vocalists Clare Szembek and Rowan Godel.
'I Feel It' is a beautifully uplifting slice of downtempo electronic pop which demonstrates why the hotly-tipped band have received plaudits from the likes of Adam Freeland, Bob Harris and Big Chill's Pete Lawrence. It's not an urban myth - it's real.
TuneTribe
Live Review - The Big Chill:
So you spend the first couple of days being haunted by a song that appears to be played between every act on The Chill Stage, what is it?
And so to the Urban Myth Club set, heard some rumours, read the brief artist review in the programme and with an open mind we sat back to listen to something new.
Urban Myth Club arrived on stage and they immediately seduced with an electronic yet warm sound. Think Massive Attack, Lamb, Air and you'll be in the right area. The set proceeded with fantastic tunes coming one after another, having subsequently bought the album we can confirm that Spacewalk, Schnorkle and Breathe were particular highlights.
So back to that haunting song, up their with Goreki by Lamb for spine tingling beauty. the track in question is So Beautiful by Urban Myth Club, when the opening notes of this track started we looked at each other, grinned and sung along to what is one of the best tunes we've heard this year.
Urban Myth Club - So Beautiful, if you haven't heard it make a b-line and buy the album now, it's worth it for this track alone.
BigChill.net
Urban Myth Club - Helium
Every year a group of us pack our bags and tents into our cars, and head off to Herefordshire for four days camping and listening to some seriously chilled out vibes. Man. For those of you who haven't been, I can't recommend the Big Chill Festival enough.
It was at the Chill last year when I was sitting on a hill overlooking the festival site, soaking up some rays and thinking how bloody great life is. It was at this precise moment when I heard some sublime music wafting on the breeze, and decided to wander down and see who was playing. (Such is the beauty of the festival - we always buy a programme upon arrival exclaiming, "I want to see him! And them! And her! And them! And them!"), before hurling said programme in the tent and relaxing so much we forget who's playing in the first place. Which makes it all the more thrilling to discover new music like this).
Urban Myth Club probably couldn't get arrested if they tried, and probably don't have a tourbus full of crack cocaine and prostitutes (although if any of the band should ever read this and I'm wrong, please correct me......and can I come on tour with you next year?) Saying that, they knock out a beautiful blend of chilled-out electronic goodness with a touch of melancholia lobbed in for good measure.
Interview with Virtual Festivals
Music Week - Two Page Digital Feature
DMC Update Magazine - Back 2 Mine
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