“Relax.  Kick back in the Koru lounge and take in their blend of classic Café Del Mar Chillout, Balearic downbeat, and Electronica.  John McGough’s sweet sax lines and Matt Wanstall’s lush production create a rich backdrop for the dreamy tones of vocalist Liz Sykes.”

When John McGough and Matt Wanstall collaborated with Rob Roar (Max Linen, Phonetic Recordings) in 2000 to remix Coco and Stonebridge’s “The Beach” they had no idea that the pair of them would still be making music together a decade later as Koru. The Balearic backdrop to the track set the tone for future collaborations - after playing sunset sessions at Ibiza’s legendary Café del Mar John suggested writing together and the pair came up with “The Meeting” (which featured on Café Del Mar’s 25th Anniversary compilation in 2004). Producing classic “chillout” was a new thing for both of them with their wide range of musical activities, but it seemed to come together very easily. A string of tracks for Café Del Mar followed – “Otis”(2005), “Submariner”(2006), “I Believe” (2007), “Closer”(2008), “Hear Me”(2009) and “Can You Feel It Now” (2010).

Koru’s sax-centered lounge sounds contain a musicality and invention not always evident on other chill tracks, and an appreciation for their music has grown with every CDM compilation. Noting this in 2010, the laid-back pair finally decided that it was time to put in some proper graft and get together a bigger collection of material!

The passing of time, and the process of creating a larger body of work has resulted in an evolution in the sound and it now contains a wider range of influences. The new material is a little more vocal orientated but still contains ample amounts of the sax that has drawn so many listeners to Koru. When Liz Sykes guested on “Hear Me” the pair knew that they had found a vocalist who complimented their sound perfectly with her dreamy, airy delivery. A long-term collaboration has resulted and Liz features on many of the new tracks, both as a writer and vocalist.

2012 will see an avalanche of Koru material after the “rations” of the past few years! Along with the 4 EPs there are a number of remixes in the pipeline (including some very exciting collaborations) and Liz will now be performing live alongside John and Matt as Koru.

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