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Faithless Music CD's, DVD's and Bio
formed in 1995, are Rollo Armstrong, Sister Bliss and Maxi Jazz. |
Faithless BioFAITHLESS, formed in 1995, are Rollo Armstrong, Sister Bliss and Maxi Jazz.
'Outrospective' was conceived after a lengthy break away from Faithless' relentless touring schedule, a factor which informed the melancholy mood an lyrics of 'Sunday 8 PM'. Faithless has after all spent four years out of five touring since the release of their revelatory debut 'Reverence' (released 1995), as they literally took their music to any place that had shown an interest in the record. This meant that the band found themselves in such unlikely situations as playing shows in the Arctic Circle, on golden sands in Puerto Rico and under armed guard in Turkey. Having been largely ignored by the mainstream in the UK they returned from their travels as veterans of the worldwide live scene, something that few bands in their domain could lay claim to. Their epic house singles such as 'Insomnia' and 'Salva Mea' had an unmistakable impact and influence on the sound of contemporary dance music. Often imitated, never bettered, as they say. The album's eclectic scope (house, blues, soul, rap, folk all feature) stood out in a time of no-risk policies.
Maxi Jazz had spent years prior to joining Faithless rapping far and wide, djing on pirate radio in London and running his own record label. His faith (he is a Nicheren Shoshu Buddhist) informs his extraordinary powerful lyrics ('a true millenium man' - The Times) and he is the charismatic frontman of the band's live act. Sister Bliss, a classicaly trained pianist and successful house music producer in her own right, is without doubt the world's number one female DJ. It is Bliss who has the pleasure of roadtesting Faithless' new tunes off acetate, often fresh from the mixing desks.
Rollo's sister Dido has performed lead vocals on tracks on all three Faithless albums (including 'Salva Mea' for which she was allegedly paid 'a curry') and her (Rollo co-produced) debut album 'No Angel' has since topped the UK and US charts. Talented family. Rollo, who once admitted that he "can't play an instrument, can't dance in time, can't remember any melodies", doesn't play with Faithless live - 'pointless,' he reckons, as he 'couldn't play anything onstage anyway'. Sister Bliss alleges that their studio relationship is "telepathic, symbiotic. He gets on with the broad strokes, textures and colours - that's how he hears music, he's got that synaesthesia [a clinical condition where sounds have colour], he says 'make it really sad, like a rainy day, I want to hear thunder' - and I get on with all the anal fiddly bits.
There was more touring, including a stint coheadlining across South Africa with The Prodigy, and the headline slot of the Muzik Awards Tour. They are widely regarded as on of the finest live acts of our generation. Maxi says: "When I'm on stage I see couples who are at least 65. I see disco kids who scream whenever I move. I see people in their thirties, who listen intently, squeezing their eyes shut and pumping their fits whenever they hear lyrics they like. There's no such thing as a typical Faithless fan and I love that." Bliss continues: "When people come to our gigs, we want them to be lifted. Changed. Empowered. Moved off the ground. www.auralgasms.com/default.aspx?BandID=faithless |
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