Beginning his musical life as a cellist at just four, Leifur James drew on the influences of a musical family (his mum was a classically trained pianist and his uncle a jazz guitarist) to become a drummer and multi-instrumentalist by his teens. Raised in South London and later living in Nottingham, Leifur channels an interest in classical, jazz, soul, hip-hop, house and ambient into his own work, which is debuts for the first time here.
From the first piano chord, ‘Time’ immediately calls to mind some of Floating Points’ more ambient work. Instead of giving way to a crescendo of sounds aimed more towards the dancefloor – like many earlier FP productions – Leifur maintains a restraint that keeps the focus on the live instrumentation, layering cello, guitar, saxophone, melodica, bass and synthesizers, all played by his own hand. An exciting prospect to keep an eye on.
Time is released 23rd March on AWAL – buy from Juno.