Video Premiere: Octave Cat "Hide In The Reeds"

Photo by Ben Wong

Octave Cat, the trio featuring Eli Winderman (Dopapod - keyboards), Jesse Miller (Lotus – bass/modular synths) and Charlie Patierno (drums), released their second studio album Refract in September. They have just released a studio video of "Hide in the Reeds".

Winderman says of the writing, "'Hide in the Reeds' is one of those songs that just seemed to fall together very naturally. We were joking about making something similar to the Allman Brothers classic tune 'In Memory of Elizabeth Reed' and one thing led to another. The harmonic and melodic choices seemed to unfold right in front of us. It's always a great feeling because it rarely happens like that."

Miller elaborates, "Octave Cat is an interesting band in that we move from musical textures that are very synth heavy to a jazz trio sound. 'Hide in the Reeds' is that stripped down sound of an electric piano trio. It does remind me of Allmann Brothers Band in that the song is based around a very simple harmony and memorable melody, but it starts to add in more chromaticism and more complex jazz harmonies as the song progresses. The Allman Brothers were great at that. We stuck to an old method of recording, no click track, straight takes to 2" tape. I think that adds a nice grit to the track."

Over the course of the album Refract ranges from this jazz trio sound to analog synth dance tracks including “Send it to Donny” and “Social Meteor”. Influences such as Herbie Hancock jazz-funk, Nils Frahm minimalism and Four Tet electronica can be heard. Much in the way that artists such as Medeski Martin & Wood, Brad Mehldau and Marc Guilliana have pushed jazz by incorporating elements of electronic music, Octave Cat has carved out a unique musical space on Refract.

Octave Cat – Refract

1. Koji (5:08)
2. Pogo (5:43)
3. Precarious (5:02)
4. Social Meteor (4:43)
5. Staring Down (4:53)
6. Hide in the Reeds (5:31)
7. Panopticon (5:24)
8. Bach Tunes In (1:26)
9. Send it to Donny (4:14)

Streaming links: hyperurl.co/qfm0vs

Upcoming Live shows:

10.5 The Ogden Theatre - Denver, CO (w/ Dopapod)
10.17 Mercury Lounge - New York, NY
10.19 Electric Halloween Festival - Millville, NJ

www.octavecatmusic.bandcamp.com

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