Breton
Biography
The most difficult question Breton are ever asked is a fairly standard one; "What kind of music do you make?"
Their inability to answer is the essence of everything they do. Perhaps because they are forever dipping into pools of resources that span many genres and a broad field of influence or, perhaps it is because they simply don't know. A better way to fathom the often cryptic output of the band would perhaps be to ask them "How?"
Formed in 2010, the four-piece are primarily film-makers with cutting-edge video and sound design work under their belts for the likes of The Temper Trap, Penguin Prison and Tricky. For their independent short films they are award winners and regular fixtures at film festivals.
From their base in South East London, a former bank now aptly named 'bretonLABS' they can be found capturing and cataloguing a wealth of found sounds which they use in all of their audio-visual work.
A further string to the Breton bow is their remix work which they adopt in order to constantly hone their production skills. Amongst others, tracks by Local Natives, Chapel Club and Maps & Atlases have been re-worked and re-imagined.
Before joining the Fat Cat roster, the band, a fiercely independent D.I.Y. unit released three critically acclaimed EPs - the first a one-sided, hand-etched limited run of only 15 transparent ten-inch records; the second another handmade venture, a limited release of only 50 CDs which were accompanied with parts and instructions for a synthesiser; and the third, a 12" on Hemlock Recordings, the label responsible for pioneering releases by Fantastic Mr Fox, Mount Kimbie and James Blake.
Their much-anticipated live shows sees them shrouded in black hoods manipulating guitars, bass, synths, drums and laptops to create a truly original melee incorporating hip-hop, electronica, cinematic soundscapes. Onstage, they are lit only by the glow of their emphatic self-shot visuals, cut and edited live, in real-time by their touring fifth member.
2011 saw the band support cult hero Tom Vek, on the UK leg of his comeback tour after bonding over their mutual love for studio experimentation, as well as supporting Mercury Award nominee Ghostpoet on his UK tour.
As well as having a busy tour schedule, the band spent a large part of 2011 recording their debut album. In order to allow the band to fully immerse themselves in the creation of their forthcoming release, Fat Cat flew the band to Sundlaugin, the remote Icelandic studio home of Sigur Rossaw. The development of this project is documented in a set of shorts the band has made during their session.
The band embarked upon a tour around the UK and Europe, as well as a headline date in NYC, to coincide with the release of their debut album, 'Other People's problems', on 26th March 2012.
