Biography
Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Kip Nelson takes lo-fi home studio recordings on psychedelic trip. He is a rocker lost in the pop sensibilities of a desert festival dream state. Psyche and soul contribute to the soundscape that embodies his music, particularly his brand new record Waves After Work. His style combines elements of crashing drums, smooth synths, and groovy guitars with the spring reverb turned up to 12.
Waves After Work could be considered a ‘side project’ or a solo recording experiment for Kip. His debut solo album puts the limits of basic home recording to the test. Tracks came together one piece at a time over months of tracking all drums, guitars, synths and vocals through a Tascam studio cassette player picked up at the local Goodwill. As a local beach sheik once said, “Hearing ‘Waves After Work’ on the loudspeakers sounds like the sonic equivalent of an Indian Summer Santa Barbara Santa Ana breeze gently slapping you in the face”.
Lyrically, Kip toys with themes of escapism throughout the record. Waves After Work is about taking a step away from the monotony of day to day routine. The album name eludes to how, in society, work comes before play. For Kip the after work reward is anything and all things waves, recording sound waves or riding ocean waves. The music is thematically based on dreaming, escaping, surrealism, and freedom of the open spaces.
The album name eludes to how, in society, work comes first followed by play. For Kip the after work reward is anything and all things waves, recording sound waves or riding ocean waves. The music is thematically based on dreaming, escaping, surrealism and freedom of the open spaces.
Kip comes from a background of playing shows and touring around the reggae scene with Santa Barbara based band The Olés. The Olés have toured across the U.S. and played festivals with artists like Damian Marley, Don Carlos, and Rebelution. The Olés played regularly in Isla Vista California, the UC Santa Barbara college town, and have been active in the California reggae circuit over the last few years.
Waves After Work is a testament to the dreamlike reality that comes with making music while living on the beach, with overtones draped in syrupy spring reverb and analog hum. His debut album awaits release in 2018.
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