WARMER MIXTAPES #567 | by Keith Vaz [With Joyful Lips]

1. With Joyful Lips | Suspension Of Disbelief
A track from my up-coming EP on Ross Tones (Throwing Snow) and Will Plowman's label A Future Without. The collection is set to be released mid-2012 along with a live audio-visual show to accompany it. As far as releases go, we have put together a pretty special package; going all-out with the artwork, videos, live show, and physical accompaniment to the EP.

2. Jimi Hendrix | Hear My Train A Comin' (Live At Royal Albert Hall, 24/02/1969)
Jimi Hendrix, my favourite guitarist whilst growing up. In technical terms, he is by far not the greatest, but that was never the point; it is his style, charisma, stage presence that gets me going. When I perform live myself I oh-too often get lost in the moment and find myself on an unplanned improv-session. Naturally I revert back to that egotistical music crazed Jimi-loving teen and just go wild with the moment.

3. Michael Jackson | Working Day And Night
I can only remember playing the role of that 'Die Hard Fan' once in my life, and that was to the great Michael Jackson. I had all his albums, magazines, and films. His posters were plastered all over my bedroom walls. I would dance around the house like him. I still do (try). This Working Day And Night beat just grooves on, even whilst I write now, my feet are moving; how could they not? Whilst his musical influence does not bare much background to my artistic output, his constant drive to strive and produce something truly innovative is the finest inspiration around.

4. Pedestrian | Hei Poa
The past year has been busy, very. Side projects and collaborations all over the shop. I currently work as an artworker and video producer for Pedestrian and Ifan Dafydd's label Push & Run. The track is about the Summer, meeting a girl, and everything else that comes with it. Here is the artwork I made for it.

5. Tropics | Melorr
Another side project includes touring from country to country in the three-piece live band we put together for producer Tropics. Touring is the greatest pay-off in the whole Music process, and being thrown into a club full of different people and cultures that very much still understand the music you portray to them is a feeling like no other. If you want to hear that wishful Hendrix guitar-improv I mentioned earlier, then come and catch the live show. I usually get a bit over the top on Melorr. Live dates are featured here.



6. Asa & With Joyful Lips | Forgotten
In amongst the business of working behind the scenes for Music labels and various artists, 2012 has arisen as the year of With Joyful Lips releases. First in-line was a collaborative vinyl release at the beginning of the year issued by Fent Plates. The response of comments and fan-made videos were amazing. Forgotten is a feel-good tune that was a lot of fun to make. As with all my music, it all stems from live instrumentation; but this was special as it involved co-production, live vocals, spoken word poetry, and live violin. As the lyrics insinuate; this one is all about Summer vibes, late night drinking, and morning reminiscing. The way it should be.

7. James Brown | Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose
There was never a specific genre of Music in my household whilst growing up, it was only the passion for the Music and everything around it that was all so contagious. Records like this take me back to family house parties featuring the finest homemade Goan food, flowing drinks, endless laughs, and standing on-top of the furniture dancing the night away. This would soon turn into a late night instrumental jam, of which my guitar would usually take the centre stage (or rather centre-living room). At the first gig I ever went to see I was lucky enough to be graced with surprise performer James Brown as the support band for the Red Hot Chili Peppers live at Hyde Park. It was the most powerful form of Music I could imagine; the way everything intertwines with such precision to create those heavy grooves is like nothing else. The Blues and Soul influences are waiting to be exported into a band project with a twist I have lined up for 2013.

8. The Books | It Never Changes To Stop
A perfect piece of Music. This was originally the style of Acoustic Music I set out to make; just emotive Acoustic guitar, samples, and vocals. But it was never enough, when I play my music live I want the crowd up-there dancing with me, hence that signature overlaid foley beat I use to make it what it is. I suppose that is how I arrived at the style of Music I make today; with the beauty being that it has enough Experimental aspects to constantly be an evolving changing Art-form.

9. Death Cab For Cutie | A Lack Of Color
When you listen to With Joyful Lips it becomes apparent that there is a depth of psychological and biological theories that intertwine with the Music. This stemmed from a beautiful chance meeting with this song. I was in school, sitting at the back of my Biology class during the section of the school curriculum that educated us on how the eyes correspond and communicate with the human brain. It was then that those opening lyrics echoed in my ear... And when I see you, I really see you upside down. But my brain knows better, it picks you up and turns you around... As strange choice as this song may be, those two lines really reiterated how clever lyrics can be, and in return definitely helped shape concepts of my own music today.

10. With Joyful Lips | Melatonin
The first song I produced that truly represented me as an artist, and therefore will always be my most cherished. It generally shaped the sound of the forthcoming EP on A Future Without. Nearly all the textures you hear are made from scratch; the percussion is foley recorded samples around the house, the ambience are stretched out guitars and layers, and the vocals were written to compliment the theme of the samples used. But most of all, it was fun to make, very much so.