Opus III, Kirsty Hawkshaw and Shadow Child collaborate on ‘Fine Day XXIV’

‘Fine Day XXIV’ is a reinvention of the seminal Rave track recently brought back to mainstream popularity via the Skrillex and Boys Noize ‘Fine Day Anthem’ featuring Kirsty Hawkshaw from Opus III

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Originally released during the heyday of rave culture in 1992, Kirsty Hawshaw’s ethereal vocals remain the main focal point of this reimagination of the track, keeping all optimistic, hypnotic elements intact while generating a multi-layered anthemic sense of euphoria. The production by Adam F and Shadow Child maintain the elation of Edward Barton’s lyrics, while Hawkshaw’s newly recorded vocals are as crisp, clear, innocent and all-knowing as ever.

“We are delighted to share that “Fine Day” continues to be a cherished anthem of positivity,” say Hawkshaw and co-producer Adam F.  “It is a humble reminder of the power of spreading good vibes into the world. As we celebrate the milestones achieved and our journey in the world of music, we are thrilled to present a reimagined rendition of this timeless song.”

Kirsty Hawkshaw originally met her Opus III co-members Kevin Dodds, Ian Munro, and Nigel Walton when she was a part of Spiral Tribe’s travelling community. She had an intense wave of intuition that when she received a demo of ‘It’s A Fine Day’, it was not only going to change her life – but bring joy to the wider rave/dance community. It took her a few attempts to get the vocal right, but a sudden epiphany – as she imagined explaining to a friend’s child the magic of seeing the sun rise surrounded by friends feeling completely free – helped her reach the spirit in her voice which became the message.

The success of “It’s a Fine Day” was certainly the break she’d imagined too – a blast of excitement and discovery as she and the boys travelled the world relentlessly. But it, too, quickly became exhausting. It was a creative time, with two Opus III albums in short order – records which still shine with the fluffy optimism and open minds of the time – but the initial pop success put too much pressure to remain commercial. So after two years on the rollercoaster, Kirsty quit and retreated back to nature and healing.

The album that she made there – On Ultimate Things, produced by Mark Pritchard of Global Communication – was the perfect expression of the comedown from the rave era, and from the whirlwind of celebrity. It brings together trip-hop, soul, folk with more avant-garde sounds, and still stands as a bold and brilliant statement of Kirsty’s unique personality as a writer and arranger as well as as a performer.

From there on in, she followed her muse wherever it took her. From dark and intense ambient pieces that explored all the possibilities of the studio to instant-rush pop dance vocals, over the years she explored as many corners of music as she could. A list of her collaborations through the 2000s is dizzying, looking like a who’s who of trance, drum’n’bass and breakbeat among other styles. All the while these songs were clocking up millions of streams to boot. She was constantly working away at her own compositions and studio craft throughout all this.

It wasn’t a bad place to be all told – but the sense of Kirsty Hawkshaw as an artist felt a little unclear among so many diverse projects. In 2020 her old schoolmate Adam Fenton – now Adam F – came back into her life. During the lockdowns they discovered they were near neighbours once again, began sharing music with one another, then working together in “crazy late night sessions in lockdown keeping our spirits up”, and very quickly fell in love. It was a new start for both, in life, but also creatively – each found the relationship gave them a new creative hunger.

Kirsty had untold recordings made over the years, and Adam started sifting through them. “He’s a really good detective,” she says, “and good at putting things together. At first it was like someone reading my diary, but I realised he was finding things I’d completely forgotten about and putting them together like a tapestry.”

The fun the two had with music, and the mutual respect they had for each other’s careers, created a renewed enthusiasm. It helped that a new generation was discovering rave culture – and the global ubiquity of Skrillex and Boys Noize’s “Fine Day Anthem”  featuring Kirsty Hawkshaw from Opus III re-rub didn’t hurt either. Adam and Kirsty are now working on their new joint album ‘Return To Colours’ – a tapestry of interwoven randomness, a treasure hunt at times where Adam would discover a fledgling idea that Kirsty may have forgotten about, then bringing it all back to life and finishing it off and manifesting a nostalgic celebration . It’s the sound of an artist as excited about music as she’s ever been and happy to celebrate her legacy “while I’m still young enough to dance!”

 

 

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