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Album review: John Wiseman

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JOHN WISEMAN
Filling The Void
[self-released]

ShoeTown’s electrocore music scene is alive and kicking at the moment, with the likes of Krankhead, [sane], Zizany, and Little BitBoy [to name but a few]. The Garibaldi Hotel is the place to be on a given Friday/Saturday night, particularly with the students of the town. John Wiseman’s Filling The Void makes a valiant effort as part of that line-up.

John is a Northampton musician, composer and producer, and also manages the blog, Wise The Music, which aims to promote national independent musicians and artists. “I wanted to make people aware of what people are doing and who they are. I wanted to help promote others”.

Filling The Void combines political and everyday themes with a new wave pop sound, and is a collection of both new material and material that John has been meticulously refining over time, all coming together in its entirety as a self-produced 12-track album. John was raised on a diet of Classical music and rock, and discovered grime and DnB whilst studying away at university. “All these influences come together in a melting pot of music”, he explains, and can be traced throughout the album. John is also a classically trained musician, on both the guitar and the piano.

New Boots was lucky enough to hear John performing a few tracks in their original, raw acoustic form. We asked about the writing and production process that goes into taking that original idea, the initial score, right through to the finalised track we hear on the album. “All of it, no matter how electronic a song gets starts with the piano, I maybe play a little bit on the synthesizer and the guitar. Then I put it all into the computer and just play around with it and see what works, have some fun with it”.

John’s music is mostly inspired by everyday life and experiences. “As famous composer Stravinsky once said; ‘good composers borrow, great composers steal’. Steal may be the wrong word, but you take from everyday life. If someone says ‘grow up’, or a friend says we’re going to give your girlfriend the nickname ‘Paragraphs’ it becomes a song. It’s taking those moments and putting your own viewpoint on it, and from whose point of view will you tell it from. It all comes down to storytelling”.

This certainly rings true of ‘On Your Side’, inspired by some well-placed familial advice. John’s classic rock influence shines through in this piano-drenched track, laced with guitar riffs reminiscent of some of the finest cuts from Queen’s repertoire. ‘Calling Out’ once again shows Wiseman’s sentimental side, in nostalgia of his university days, it experiments with a pulsing, trippy DnB beat. “It’s about the importance of supporting each other, being there for people and letting them know that you’re there for them”. With it’s entrancing vocals and techno beat, the upbeat ‘Little Games’ assimilates the albums themes. John says that “it began as a political song, and became also a love song, all incorporated into a catchy, dancy tune. It’s a pop song at heart”.

Let us show some local support to John, and hopefully we’ll see him performing live on a stage near you very soon!

Rachel Thomas

Filling The Void is available on all good streaming and download sites, including BandCamp and iTunes.

Useful Links:
wisethemusic.com
https://www.facebook.com/Wisethemusic
https://twitter.com/wisethemusic

 

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