LAMB

When Pete Lawrence asked the Big Chill’s forum dwellers which acts they would most like to hear at this year’s festivals, Lamb’s name came up time and again. Three albums into their career, Louise Rhodes and Andy Barlow have now crafted a powerful live sound that eludes all too many electronic acts, earning them rave reviews in recent months. Combining the purity of Louise’s voice with Andy’s polyrhythmic sensibility, Lamb possess a subtle sensuality that will move your feet and hearts in equal measure.

LAMBCHOP

When Lambchop unveiled the downtempo delights of their new work in the imperious setting of Somerset House’s courtyard last year, certain parts of the crowd declared that they’d be perfect for The Big Chill. It would be no exaggeration to say that getting Kurt Wagner and his huge crew of Nashville homeboys here is thus a dream realised. With their unique blend of ambient country, mournful folk and sweet soul, Lambchop are undoubtedly one of the most interesting and creative acts at work in the US today. Please make them very welcome.

LAURA B

Laura B started life as a little elf hiding under a mountain of moogs.

Having learned all about engineering and production while working with Arthur Baker and the Pet Shop Boys, she released the first piece of her own music on Law and Auder’s ‘The Female of the Species’. This was followed by a wide range of live sets on the UK experimental electronica scene, where she met Pete Lawrence.

Subsequently invited to play both Lulworth Castle and Naxos last year, Laura swiftly established herself as a vital and vibrant new addition to the Big Chill fold. Certainly she is blessed with deep reserves of energy, enthusiasm and love.

Now signed to Big Chill Recordings for her debut LP ‘To My Darling DJ…’, this sonic terrorist, ambient punk and general vibe monster will finally be displaying her skillset to the max, from dark experimental dance grooves to the bliss of her heartbeat-slowing embryonic breathing spaced-in chill-out.

She is truly fantastic.

LEGGO BEAST

Murray Clark has been working within the Pork Recordings sty for nigh on ten years now, originally as a Bullitnut and now as Leggo Beast. Having become one of those DJ-solo-artist types, Murray has subsequently blagged his way around the UK, Europe and further afield (he is a known collaborator with the Russians), while also holding down residences at the Welly Club and The Lamp in his hometown of Hull. He is currently working on an allotment and a third solo album for release on the Pork label. It need hardly be added that his sets for the Big Chill at EG2001 and Naxos last year were top notch trouser jazz.

LEMON JELLY

Last year was a big year for Lemon Jelly. Their first live outing – at the Enchanted Garden – that huge summer single, and more offers of sexual favours than they could reasonably accept. Since then they have had their heads down crafting their new album, ‘Lost Horizons’, which looks set to take their trademark blend of blissful beats and sunny samples to the next level altogether. Catch them here before they emigrate to the Cayman Islands.

LIGHTNING HEAD

Since retiring from Rockers Hi Fi, midi-maestro Glyn ‘Bigga’ Bush has been forging a new sound from the depths of his country retreat in Dorset, combining the frenetic sounds of Brazillian percussion with dub basslines, reggae hooks and Nu Yorican breaks. For his DJ set at this year’s Enchanted Garden, he will be presenting tracks from his forthcoming album ‘Studio Don’ along with exclusive new Bigga Bush tunes, remixes and mash-ups. Music strictly for twenty-first-century open-cast minds.

LOL HAMMOND

Originally inspired to pick up a guitar by seeing The Clash’s legendary performance at the Anti-Nazi League rally in London’s Victoria Park in ’78, Lol Hammond’s own raw energy has been lighting up this country’s music scene ever since.

As a member of the notorious Spiral Tribe, he was involved in some of the 80s’ more audacious parties. As one half of Drum Club, he created innumerable club nights that are still talked about. And as a founding part of Funkt, not to mention Chilli Dog, he has found a way of updating and continuing those traditions into the present day.

More recently, however, Lol has found a second home in The Big Chill, where another, quieter side to his musical genius has flourished. Having collaborated now on album projects with both the brothers Eno (the Brian one is to see the light of day soon), and released his own ‘All This Is Bliss’ to great acclaim earlier this year, his career as a chill-out artist is clearly only just beginning.

With live performances booked for all three of The Big Chill’s summer events, plans in the pipeline for the return of the much-loved Chilli Dog, and a new EP on the cards, 2002 looks set to be a golden year for Lol.

MACH V

Mach V (aka Marky van der Vord) has been mixing up drum and bass, downtempo and breakbeat at events such as SoxaN, Sofa Sessions, The Big Chill, Urbanites, It & Foam for over seven years now – when he is not glued to the Big Chill Forum, that is. This visit to the Enchanted Garden will be his fifth, but his first as a performer: ‘This time, I get to not only play, but also see Miko and many of my SoxaN comrades rip it up on Sunday!’ says Marky. ‘It couldn’t get much better.’

MARK PRITCHARD

As one half of Global Communication (with fellow Cornishman Tom Middleton), Mark Pritchard will always be welcome at any Big Chill. Last year he made a welcome return to the fold with two fine sets at EG2001 and Lulworth respectively, as well as the excellent Harmonic 33 EP. Apparently he has a good deal more where that came from, so we’re hoping he’ll share a little of it with us this weekend.

MIDTEMPO

Raised in a rainforest in remote New Zealand and in the Arctic part of Canada’s far north, Kris now lives deep in rural Dorset where he feels warmer and drier than he has for ages. As ‘midtempo’ Kris builds websites for discriminating clientele (such as The Big Chill), has photography commissioned by visually aware organisations, and DJs for anyone who’ll let him. He prefers Bing Crosby over Frank Sinatra, Citroens over Jags and Vegemite a lot more than Marmite. He also likes cows.

MIXMASTER MORRIS

This Friday it is the Mixmaster’s birthday so we hope you will join us in wishing him many happy returns. Certainly we are only too glad to have him back in the Enchanted Garden, as his legendary last turn on the decks at Naxos last year proved what we have long suspected: few DJs around can marry highly evolved, eclectic taste with crowd-pleasing trickery quite as skilfully as Morris can. He is quite simply without peer, both on and off the decks.

MONKAIBOY

One of the fresh talents unearthed by The Big Chill’s infamous Open Dex sessions, Monkaiboy, aka Kai Daguerre, combine his love of the eclectic and the modern in sets that are as offbeat as they are upbeat. Influenced from an early age by 60′s and 70′s funk, rock and psychedelia courtesy of his left-of-centre parents, Monkaiboy seamlessly blends seemingly disparate musical styles into a funky flow that always keeps his audience guessing as well as giggling.

MONKEY MAGIC

After his irrepressible birth from an egg on a mountain top, Monkey has been a busy beast: Zenmaster events, the 8-deck contemporary dance piece ‘Kinetic’, the renewable energy stage @ the Energy 2000 festival, the more recent 4-deck Monkey Magic & Mr King show – he’s done the lot. Now going solo while Mr King goes ‘bling’ in Oz, Mr Magic is finally releasing some records with the Deep Water record label under both the magic ape persona and as part of the Bathysphere collective. Mind the G.

MR SCRUFF

It is hard to believe that only six years ago Mr Scruff was humble Andy Carthy, part-time art student and full-time electro-ska-hip-hop kid. Since then he has recorded for more than twenty-five record labels, become big in Japan and, indeed, turned the world into his very own private oyster. Who knows what is next for this irrepressible talent – other than a new album born of his love of blues, 2-tone, ska, nasty pop, electro, hip hop, soul, house, funk, jazz, reggae, and chip shops – and, we hope, a day or two off. This is his fourth Enchanted Garden in a row and the first of his two Big Chill festival appearances this year.

EG2002: Artists’ biogs A-K

EG2002: Artists’ biogs N-Z

Tickets for Eastnor

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