About
Shadowman is a new project between John J Presley, producer Ben Hillier and Danielle Perry. Over the past year they have grabbed pockets of time in Hillier’s studio in rural Sussex and stumbled upon a really intriguing, powerful but considered sound. It’s a meeting point of an acclaimed guitarist, in demand producer (Depeche Mode, Elbow, Nadine Shah etc) and a music broadcaster who studied orchestration for many years. Musically it’s a melting pot; a tapestry of sonics, from crunching guitars to sweeping orchestration; death march brass to motorik drum machines, vocal interplay and post rock build ups. It’s a late night record that recalls summer sun and delirium, wild winds, flames and wedding singers.
PAST PRESS
John J Presley is a celebrated artist with three critically acclaimed albums to date. Broad support from BBC6 Music, Rolling Stone France Album of the Week and recently nominated for the best rock album across Germany, Austria and Switzerland alongside The Smile, Neil Young and Idles.
‘A ferocious, belly-deep sound, but somehow tender with it.’ Laura Barton, The Guardian
‘A beautiful noise that at once grips and beguiles, as befits a natural-born storyteller.’ The Quietus
‘So good, a brooding, bluesy work out which would sound quite good in a Peaky Blinders-esque epic..’ Steve Lamacq, BBC6 Music
‘Every element of Presley’s brooding blues songs are expertly placed for precise effect. His uncanny balance of black humour and bleak drama, meanwhile, places him in the lineage of Nick Cave and Mark Lanegan..’ MOJO
‘A searing, soulful touch, an oasis of calm amid the torrent of noise.’ The Times
Ben Hillier is a record producer, mixer, song-writer and musician who has worked with many internationally acclaimed artists during his 30 year career. He has produced albums for bands including Depeche Mode, Blur, Elbow, Doves and Howling Bells. Mixed for Villagers, The Magic Numbers, Editors and many more. As well as co-writing and producing Nadine Shah’s first five albums he toured extensively as her drummer and MD over the last 10 years. Ben has built multiple studios and set up Miloco’s “The Pool” studio in Bermondsey in which he was a partner for17 years. He currently works from Agricultural Audio, a studio made from straw bales in the middle of a field on a farm in Sussex, and runs a label of the same name.
Danielle Perry is a national radio broadcaster and part of the Mercury Music Prize panel. She studied orchestration and the relationship of sound and image for years, thus making this the perfect project.
