Mixes have been less and less frequent lately, but I’m trying to get at least one new mix published monthly. To that effect, I’m pleased to share Arrival in Utopia. Modular synth group The Utopia Strong have just released their second album, International Treasure, via Rocket Recordings. On it, we find the trio—Steve Davis (international snooker player turned modular synth enthusiast), Kavus Torabi (The Cardiacs, Guapo, Holy Family), and Mike York (Coil, Teleplasmiste, The Holy Family)—radiating blissful psychedelia, exploratory electronic sound and touches of spiritual jazz. To celebrate their sophomore album, they’ve put together Arrival in Utopia, drawing on Torabi and Davis’ experience as radio hosts, weaving together old favorites with more recent cuts, including a track from International Treasure as well as from some of members’ other projects. Enjoy!
MINI-INTERVIEW
Please Introduce yourselves and the band.
We are The Utopia Strong. A psychedelic trio of guitar, harmonium, modular synths, bagpipes and wind instruments
Tell us about the creation of the new album.
Our second album International Treasure is slightly more composed than our first album but still has its roots in improvisation
And tell us about the mix.
The mix is more a reflection and continuation of Kavus Torabi and Steve Davis’s radio show The Interesting Alternative show on Phoenixfm.com (archive shows are still available).
The pandemic has obviously upended live music as we know it, so I think it’s more important than ever to ask about the broader community: are there any local artists, labels, venues etc you want to shout out?
The best band I’ve seen (Steve Davis) recently were The Naguals while I was up in Sheffield during the World Snooker Champs.
Lastly, besides the release of International Treasure, is there anything coming up on the horizon you want to plug, gigs or what not?
You’ll find a list of our list of gigs coming up in June July August (here) which is being updated, but highlights are Supporting Magma next weekend. Glastonbury the following weekend and Convanenza in France in September.
Sounds great, thanks gents!
TRACKLIST
Peter Frohmader – Spiral
The Holy Family – Inward Turning Suns
Snorkel – One Long Conundrum
Crème De Hassan – Malesch
The Utopia Strong – Shepherdess
Albert Marcœur – Mon Petit Neveu
Biosphere – Baby Satellite
Aksak Maboul – Silhouettes
North Sea Radio Orchestra – Dronne
Skeletons – Isn’t Infinite
a closer listen 