Church Andrews & Matt Davies - Yucca

Format: Mini LP
Catalogue No.: ODA03M 
Barcode: 843190090310 
Release Date: 17 May 2024
Genre: Electronic /Experimental/Techno

The third release on Yorkshire-based Odda Recordings, following Kirk Barley’s Marionette and Flaer’s Preludes, Yucca confirms the label’s reputation for championing music on the unstable ground between the organic and the synthetic.

Church Andrews and Matt Davies weave intricate patterns from Fibonacci sequences on new mini-album, Yucca.

Producer and composer Church Andrews (aka Kirk Barley) and drummer Matt Davies return to explore the outer limits of rhythm on a five-track suite that is at once angular and fluid, natural and systematic. Drawn to the restrictions of working solely with one synth and live drums, the pair found creativity in limitation, developing a compositional dialogue between the sonic timbres of Kirk’s productions and Matt’s percussive practice.

● Brand new album from experimental duo Church Andrews & Matt Davies
● Follows releases Axis (2022), Pollen (2021) and Neighbours (2020)
● The duo’s track ‘Romanesque’ was played by Aphex Twin at Villafranca Festival in 2023
● Supported by the likes of Gilles Peterson, Fact Magazine, Worldwide FM, Boomkat, BBC 6 Music and NTS Radio
● The duo have performed at festivals such as Rewire, Waking Life and Meakusuma
● Limited edition LP with intricate design from artist and designer Oliver Pitt – limited to 500 copies
● FFO Lorraine James, Beatrice Dillon, Mark Fell & Rian Treanor, Moin and Aphex Twin

Evoking the primitive yet complex form of the plant from which it takes its name, Yucca features tracks that are built around rhythmic ratios of the Fibonacci sequence. Mirroring spiral patterns exhibited in nature, each track evolves like a cellular structure of its own, from the livewire syntax of ‘Chirp’ and the deconstructed ebb and flow of ‘Ferns’, to the mini-album’s title track, where crisp grooves flit between modulated electronics like fireflies.

“I’ve always been inspired by music that is complex without sounding complex,” Matt explains. He maintains a sense of bounce amid the intricate phrasing and cites drummers Roy Haynes and his grandson Marcus Gilmore as inspirations, alongside sabar drummers from Senegal and Mridangam drumming of South India.
With a shared background in hip-hop and the swung beats of J Dilla and Flying Lotus, Kirk Barley and Matt Davies were also inspired by the minimalism of Terry Riley and the sparse palette of dub techno.

Written and recorded in Lewisham in the spring and summer of 2023, Yucca follows the release of Axis in 2022, with the duo having also performed at festivals such as Rewire and Waking Life, and recorded live sessions for FACT magazine and Worldwide FM.

LP | Digital: A1. 1. Chirp (2.51) A2. 2. Ferns (2.22) A3. 3. Yucca (5.06) B1. 4. Coral (4.34) B2. 5. Roses (4.01) B3. 6. Winstons (3.22)

Live: Thursday 16 May Loki Brixton London, UK

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