Introducing wor_kspace

Allow me to introduce you to Wor_kspace, the electronic musical adventure of Glasgow based musician and producer, Finlay Macdonald.

Weekend is the debut single. Bubbling synths, melodic and melancholic vocals, playful keyboard stabs and riffs, and old beats, make this a warm, welcoming and immediately enjoyable release. I look forward to hearing much more. With a his Analogue Mountain, tape based, home studio, there is every chance we could be hearing quite a bit over the next year or so.

The cover art (above) is inspired by houses in the Eastfield district of Cumbernauld, a new town in Scotland where the film 'Gregory's Girl' was filmed and set.

Check Weekend on Bandcamp and the video below, followed by a short interview with Finlay to learn more about Wor_kspace.

1. What prompted your electronic musical adventures?

I've made electronic music on and off for years. Music and Movement in 2005 was the most accomplished project of that kind and I wanted to return to that. I realised Lenzie Moss was too much another kind of thing to be able to release my recent ideas under that name so I decided to start a totally different project.

Is it easier to write / create electronic music? Are there less restrictions / structures?

Yes. Especially with the wealth of instruments and sampling capability at your disposal. Also, you get to 'play god' a lot more with your music so you can have a crazy idea, experiment and just do it without having to persuade someone else to like it and get involved. If you don't have the kind of personality that's good at getting into conflicts and telling people what to do, which I don't, it's a lot easier. Having said that, there ended up being a bit of collaboration as my brother, Al played the bass in the end.

What next? Do you have / plan an album?

I have a bunch of singles and since this is new, I plan to just do singles and not be tied to the album format for the forseeable. The trouble with albums is they take so long to make. I've been working on the 2nd Lenzie Moss album for nearly 10 years and it's still not finished!

What are you listening to this week?

Hawkwind, Embryo and Brainticket

Moon Safari

The other day I was alerted to the fact that Moon Safari by Air is 20-years old. What an album it is! Flowing, imaginative, funny, soulful and reflective, full of joyous and melancholic synths, intertwining riffs and melodies, beautiful vocals and a real sense of freedom. It really is majestic.

Earlier on today I played the album, lounging around as the snow fell outside and I was reminded of all of the above and more. I've actually listened to it 3-times today!

I caught the band playing the Old Fruitmarket as they toured the album. Sean Lennon supported and I actually stood beside him in the lead up to Air coming on stage. The DJ dropped The Word by The Beatles and he went back side stage. The 22-year old me was desperately caught in two minds regarding whether to talk to him or not. I wish I had!

La Femme D'Argent is a stunning opener. There is a groove to the bass, flowing synths, dreamy backing vocals and beautiful melodies. It is so easy to get lost in this song. I always used to put it on mix tapes and mix CD's.

Sexy Boy was the 'hit'. The video of Nicolas Godin and Jean Benoit-Dunkel walking about New York City and buying a monkey with a Sexy Boy t-shirt on and subsequently going off to fantasise about things was genius and helped take Air and Moon Safari overground. There guitar/synth riff and Sexy Boy hook are captivating from the off, the sultry French vocals are the sugar on top. The instrumental solo section is sublime.

The reflective side of Air comes across on All I Need, beautiful psychedelic folky riffs combine over simple percussion and more dreamy vocals take the listener on a trip.

All I need's a little time

To get behind the sun and cast this weight

Air's sense of pop that they displayed on Sexy Boy is taken a step further with Kelly Watch The Stars, a song that takes the listener on a different kind of trip via repetition rather than they flowing riffs and melodies that are evident throughout the album. That said, there is still plenty of space in the song for Air to flow and the instrumental section really does lift the song to another level.

As for Talisman, I can't recall an instrumental as emotive, it really does speak volumes. Rising and falling and generally just evidencing sheer brilliance. Remember features repetitive lyrics, but again it is music that captivates.

You Make it Easy is the most 'wordy' song on Moon Safari and it is a tale of love asking questions of how the lovers found each other and marvelling at how life now is.

You make it easy to watch the world with love

You make it easy to let the past be done

The layers of riffs and melodies are pure and sublime on Ce Matin-La with gentle horns introduced alongside strings. Another melancholic soulful masterpiece. Who needs words?

Moon Safari really does take the listener on a trip. As a complete body of work it is stunning, yet individually each track is capable of doing that as well. New Star In The Sky is moody and broody (great album for the bedroom!).

The trip ends with Le voyage de Penelope and again it is so easy to immerse yourself and get lost in the gorgeous music and vibes that the dup create.

Moon Safari is a truly captivating album that sounds like it was conceived with an incredible amount of love, care and attention. I found myself listening to 3-times today. Enjoy, whether you are listening to it for the first time ever or the first time in a while.