Paradiso press release
by July 24, 2023New York artist Nick Marks releases his third single, “Paradiso” on June 23rd 2023. This comes off the back of his debut single “Ride The Dragon”, which received support from Huey Morgan on BBC6, Ruth Fisher on JazzFM and Tina Edwards on Worldwide FM. It also follows his second single “Dorongo”, which received support from Bandcamp Weekly and Jazzwise Magazine, who described the track as “Flying Lotus and Jacob Collier combining to write the latest Blade Runner soundtrack, supervised by Thundercat, recorded by the Metropole Orkest”. Both music videos have also had a combined total of more 195,000 views on YouTube.
“PARADISO” is an intergalactic jazztronica voyager through time and space. Listeners experience moving between different ‘musical planets’ in an organic and thoughtful manner, with styles ranging from jazz, chilled/electronica beats and samba to cinematic infused funk jams. This ride is fueled by soulful horns and flute, lush harmonies, a modern jazz rhythm section, synthesizers, flying game-boy-esque arpeggios, and backed by a 21-piece string section. Think Herbie Hancock, Donald Byrd and Ennio Morricone meeting on Planet “Motown”, and recording with the local Symphony orchestra. This cross-pollination of artists reflects the sound and vision of Marks, who wrote, arranged, produced and performed on the track.
The track opens with an positive chord progression that sets the listener up for a feel-good exploration. The chilled electronica beats combine with a keys sound that sits halfway between a Rhodes and enveloping synthesizer. The track sojourns into a world of Brazilian flair before taking a surprising twist into a hyper synth driven orchestral back-beat jam. Mellower soul-groove moments, featuring a virtuosic soprano sax solo from extraordinaire Andrew Gould, are reminiscent of Herbie’s famous ‘Butterfly’, before the track launches into worlds of deep soul/funk with additional solos from inimitable trumpeter Dave Levy and taste master guitarist Bob Lanzetti (of Snarky Puppy, Bokanté and Banda Magda fame).
The blend of acoustic and synth instruments creates that expansive feeling of ‘gravitas’ often felt in cinematic scoring, as well as an otherworldly listening experience. This has become a bit of a trademark signature from Nick Marks, which first emerged in his earlier releases ‘Ride The Dragon’ and ‘Dorongo’. “PARADISO” was recorded between New York and Budapest with a 21-piece string section (known as the Budapest Art Orchestra).
Nick says about the track: “Paradiso represents an intergalactic jazztronica voyager that explores stylistic sonic planets ranging from chilled jazz beats and Bazilian flavours to super-funk orchestral jams. It’s a happy and soulful track that moves from laid back to feel-good/uplifting vibes. Paradiso aims to push boundaries between analogue and electronic instruments, and provide listeners with a soundtrack that makes them feel like they’re floating (or grooving) in some hyper cool/surreal interplanetary space jam while living their everyday life.”
PARADISO follows the release of singles Dorongo and Ride The Dragon, Nick Marks’ first releases as an artist in his own right. These tracks will all form part of his debut EP, which will be released in late September 2023.
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