Thomas Blondet & Steven Rubin Team up in dynamic trip-hop creation ‘Seascapes’ single
Renowned label head Thomas Blondet has teamed up with improvisational producer Steven Rubin to create the intriguing ‘Seascapes’ single which will be released on the 5th of February. The single is taken from their upcoming EP, Sea Sons to be released on the 5th of March via Rhythm & Culture Music. Thomas Blondet is well known for his creative masterpieces, having toured with Thievery Corporation before going on to provide an official remix for the legendary duo along with official remixes for Balkan Beat Box, Tosca and Nickodemus to name a few. Thomas Blondet has been supported by Magnetic Magazine, All About Jazz, and The Vinyl District. Throughout his career, the producer is known for melding genres together, the results of which would see him recognised as as one of Traxsource’s Top 100 Soulful House artists (2016 and 2017) as well as airplay from BBC 1xtra’s Nihal and BBC Asian Network’s Pathaan’s Musical Rickshaw. Thomas Blondet’s work has also made several film and television appearances, being featured in a Nike commercial, Netflix’s Grace and Frankie as well as the film Carrie Pilby.
Steven Rubin makes it his life mission to explore “as many musical opportunities as possible”, starting in New Jersey before he permanently moved to Washington DC. He has released two instrumental albums under the sobriquet of Deep Rooted, and fronted numerous bands over the years including the live hip hop/rock hybrid The Circle Six and his current alternative rock band Jackie and The Treehorns.
While he also hails from the historic city of Washington DC, Thomas Blondet has made the stage his home, appearing as a resident DJ at Eighteenth Street Lounge for over 20 years and touring the globe – performing in Istanbul, Puerto Rico and Panama, amongst other locations as he shares his continuously evolving style. With this latest release, Blondet turned to the likes of Thievery Corporation and other major names in trip-hop, resulting in a closely similar style that could also be associated with Kruder & Dorfmeister, Portishead and Boards of Canada.
Thomas Blondet and Steven Rubin present us with an interesting question – What happens when you take two artists from opposite ends of the musical spectrum and put them in a room together with the goal of producing something unique? ‘Seascapes’ provides a small glimpse of the result as we step out of the constant stressors of the world and into a mythical, weightless trance of shimmering downtempo soundscapes. The mind’s eye can wander, unleashed by time constraints or modern entrapments, and envelope itself in the gently dominating groove.
Speaking of the single, Thomas Blondet tells us: “‘Seascapes’ was inspired by my residency DJing at Eighteenth Street Lounge for over 20 years. This is something I would play at ESL to get the dance floor going.”
