Marquis Hawkes - Social Housing
Marquis Hawkes returns this April to share the first cut from his much anticipated debut album, Social Housing. Led by a hard-hitting percussion filled with open hi-hats and a deep thudding bass, ‘Fantasy’ evolves into an infectiously groovy and dancefloor-ready house tune that’s expertly infused with elements of funk, disco and synth pop. Punctuated by a chopped and distorted vocal that appears out of the sound, ‘Fantasy’ is a euphoria inducing summery day-time track.
Social Housing, which follows on from a series of solid EP releases via the label including Sweet and Raw Materials, is made up of 12 brand new and unreleased tracks. Both showcasing and transcending Marquis Hawkes’ penchant for soulful vocal cut-ups and jacking drum-machine jams, this stunning debut LP represents over two years of dedicated creation. Tracks including ‘Apple Of My Eye’ and ‘Tim’s Keys’ feature input from Hawkes’ regular collaborator Timothy Blake on keys whilst ‘I’m So Glad’ features the soaring vocals of one dance music’s most recognizable voices, Jocelyn Brown.
Inspired by and named after his surroundings, Social Housing is a sonic celebration of the positive impact that living in not-for-profit, association-managed social housing in Berlin has had on Hawkes’ life and music.
“Social Housing is named as such, because it's the environment I live in, the first thing I see every day when I walk out of my front door, and in effect, influences aspects of my life, including my music. Too often, particularly in the UK, the term is viewed negatively and equated with slum estates, broken windows and criminality. I want to show that something positive comes out of such schemes. The album "Social Housing” wouldn't have been possible to produce without the stability and security that social housing has given me and my family.”
Leaving no artistic stone unturned, Hawkes commissioned his friend, illustrator and fellow musician Alan Oldham (aka DJ T-1000) – a member of the Detroit collective Underground Resistance who’s renowned for his graphic novels and cover artwork for labels such Transmat and Djax Up-Beats – to provide us with the visual manifestation of his creation. The cover artwork was drawn from a photo taken by Hawkes’ wife in the area of East Berlin that they live.
A remarkably cohesive body of work, this LP speaks volumes on talent for a producer that throughout his career has remained as mysterious as he is brilliant. Marquis Hawkes’ music has seen huge support from industry influencers including XLR8R, Mixmag, FACT, Resident Advisor, Annie Mac, Pete Tong, Hannah Wants and B Traits just to name a few.
Social Housing is out June 10, 2016 via Houndstooth
Pre-order Social Housing: http://store.houndstoothlabel.com/social-housing.html
Tracklist:
1. Ode To A Broken Heart
2. The Landsberger Funk
3. Fantasy
4. Tim’s Keys (feat. Timothy Blake)
5. I’m So Glad feat. Jocelyn Brown (Satisfied Mix)
6. Summer Memory
7. Six Sixty Groove
8. Locked Out
9. Feel The Music
10. Wake Up, Baby!
11. Something In Yr Head
12. Apple Of My Eye feat. Timothy Blake
For more on Marquis Hawkes:
www.facebook.com/MarquisHawkes
www.soundcloud.com/marquis-hawkes
http://www.houndstoothlabel.com/artist/marquis-hawkes
