TRIP-HOP PIONEER ERIC HILTON (THIEVERY CORPORATION) CAPTURES
THE WARMTH & SOPHISTICATION OF 1960s BRAZILIAN MUSIC
AND BOSSA NOVA ON NEW SINGLE, “ALMA BOA”
“ALMA BOA,” FEATURING ACCLAIMED ARGENTINIAN VOCALIST NATALIA CLAVIER,
NOW STREAMING ON YOUTUBE AND WITH FLOOD
EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED EDITION “ALMA BOA” 7-INCH B/W “CHASE THE SUN” OFF THE
ICONIC CAFÉ DEL MAR COMPILATION SERIES, NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER
THE EASY UNDERGROUND, A THROWBACK TO THIEVERY CORPORATION’S CLASSIC SAUDADE ALBUM, OUT VIA MONTSERRAT HOUSE ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20
“Hilton’s true love lies with trip-hop, a genre he helped to create with a pioneering approach to sound design, highlighted by ingenious sampling, moody synths and psychedelic lo-fi.” —EDM.com
“Encapsulating Hilton’s meditations, his music is textured in trance-like motions and effortlessly moves through different times and space.” — American Songwriter
“Hilton’s more analog approach creates a lush sonic environment that will stand the test of time
and ever-changing trends.” — Magnetic
“Hilton’s music blends global rhythms with pristine production values, and his latest LP
is no exception.” — Electronic Groove
STREAM: “ALMA BOA”
(FROM THE EASY UNDERGROUND ON YOUTUBE)
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Eric Hilton and Natalia Clavier. Credit: Ali Zare. Download hi-res image HERE.
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Montserrat House Music and Eric Hilton are excited to present “Alma Boa,” the latest single to be lifted from the Friday, November 20 release of The Easy Underground, the trip-hop pioneer’s forthcoming studio album. “‘Alma Boa’ grew out of my love for Brazilian music and bossa nova, particularly the recordings from the 1960s that have influenced me for years,” Hilton says. “I wanted to capture some of that warmth and sophistication, but do it my own way. Vocally, Natalia Clavier brought her own unique flare to the song. Her voice fits so naturally into the joyful-yet-cool atmosphere and gives the song a personality of its own. ‘Alma Boa’ is the perfect lead-off track on ‘The Easy Underground’ album, taking the sounds of classic easy listening somewhere a little unexpected.” Stream “Alma Boa” on YouTube HERE and via FLOOD HERE.
Hilton is also offering an exclusive, limited-edition color 7-inch vinyl featuring “Alma Boa” with a B-Side titled “Chase The Sun,” a track originally released as a digital exclusive for the iconic Café del Mar compilation series. With just 150 copies pressed worldwide, the collectible 7-inch brings together two sides of Hilton’s signature sound and offers fans a rare addition to their vinyl collections. Pre-order the 7-inch via Hilton’s official store HERE.
An homage to Hilton’s long-standing fascination with the elegant, cinematic, and frequently overlooked sounds of the 1960s and ’70s, The Easy Underground spirits listeners away to a breezily romantic world of whispered promises and slow-burned deep kisses. Joining Hilton for this project is longtime musical compadre Natalia Clavier, who sings on nine of the album’s 13 tracks, in multiple languages. Fans of Thievery Corporation’s 2013 album Saudade will find The Easy Underground tonally adjacent, with flavors of bossa nova, Brazilian rhythms and female vocals present on both. But while the two records share some common ingredients, Hilton’s solo recipe has deeper grooves, more space, and isn’t following an established blueprint. Pre-order The Easy Underground via Hilton’s official website HERE.
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“Alma Boa” b/w “Chase The Sun” 7-inch. Pre-order via Eric Hilton’s store HERE.
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Eric Hilton’s intrigue with the oft-maligned ‘Easy Listening’ genre began years ago. “My introduction to the quiet sounds began in my late teens with a chance discovery of Stan Getz and Luis Bonfá’s album Jazz Samba Encore!”, he explains. “Until that moment, I had never considered how beautifully powerful these more nuanced records could be.”
“From there, I delved into 1960s Brazilian music and soon discovered inspiring film soundtracks from the same era. I immersed myself in the works of Lalo Schifrin, Sérgio Mendes, Francis Lai, Henry Mancini, and many other composers; many who worked with studio groups and small orchestras. Throughout my own evolution as an artist and producer, these softer sounds continued to captivate and inspire me.”
There is an unmistakable sense of time and place in his new offering, The Easy Underground, but Hilton’s intention is not to recreate the past. He is interested in the atmosphere that those records created: the warmth of a small orchestra, the intimacy of a softly played rhythm section, the subtle drama of strings and woodwinds, the seductive pull of a melody that never needs to announce itself. In an age of increasingly compressed and frenetic music, there is something almost radical about restraint.
“The music I love from that period never seemed to be trying too hard to get your attention,” Hilton says. “There is a confidence in allowing a song to breathe. A lot of contemporary music is about a predictably manufactured impact. I’m interested in a more demure, rarified mood.”
That sensibility has been present throughout Hilton’s work, from his early explorations of dub and bossa nova and the expansive musical vocabulary of Thievery Corporation. This signature production approach has permeated his subsequent solo recordings. Yet The Easy Underground feels like a return to a particularly personal source: the records that first taught him that quiet music could carry enormous emotional weight. These are sounds for late nights, long drives, dimly lit rooms, and the hours when the world finally begins to recede. Music that doesn’t demand attention, but rewards it.
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The Easy Underground album artwork. Download hi-res image HERE.
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The Easy Underground track listing:
Alma Boa feat. Natalia Clavier
La Musa feat. Natalia Clavier
Caminhos feat. Natalia Clavier
Promise Me feat. Natalia Clavier
Brooklyn Sicilians
Look What You’ve Done feat. Natalia Clavier
Soft Focus
The Easy Underground
Mi Buenos Aires feat. Natalia Clavier
Le Miroir feat. Natalia Clavier
Silent Samba
Innocent Eyes feat. Natalia Clavier
Vai Chegar feat. Natalia Clavier
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By D-Nice
