May 2002

(29/5) Here's some interesting track info by David Kosten(aka Faultline), about the involvement of Nick on the track "Lost Broadcast" which features on the latest Faultline album called "Your Love Means Everything Part 2":

Nick McCabe and I had first met the previous summer in Madrid, when we talked about him playing on a record I was about to start producing. Although he didn't play on it we had got on really well so I hoped we'd keep in touch.

I was using the arcane email service in the hotel in New York on the return trip for mastering the LP, when one arrived from Nick. He knew that I'd finished my LP - but didn't know there was one track I was still feeling was unfinished... A few days later, back in London, Nick was in the studio adding elements that seemed to make Lost Broadcast gel perfectly at last. I think this one could have been a song too, maybe that will happen at some point. It was great seeing Nick do his stuff, he's into these ancient tape echoes and loops of sound which crash around and filter away as new layers get added. Totally instinctive players and singers - they all work in their own way, and need different moods or settings to make them feel comfortable or creative, and it's great to watch it happen. Usually the best plan is to say nothing until it heads in the wrong direction, but most of the sessions for this LP went really smoothly. With Nick we spent most of the day recording different sounds and atmospheres - there's loads of stuff I hope will surface later this year or next, some beautiful textures he made.

By now I was jet lagged, exhausted and nearly finished. Mid Feb 2002. I knew where the track was supposed to go on the LP so off it went back to the mastering studio to be slotted in. Last one finally complete.

To Listen to Lost Broadcast click either of the following links:

LOST BROADCAST - REAL MEDIA

LOST BROADCAST - WINDOWS MEDIA

 

March 2002

(13/3) Some news about Nick at long last from NME.COM. "REM's Michael Stipe is the latest star to lend guest vocals to the new album by highly regarded electronica act FAULTLINE, NME.COM can reveal, with The Verve's NICK McCABE playing guitar on another track. As previously reported, Coldplay's Chris Martin and The Flaming Lips Wayne Coyne already sing on the record, called "Your Love Means Everything Part 2", which is released through Blanco Y Negro in mid-May. Michael Stipe sings on a track called "Greenfields", whereas Martin sings on two tracks "Where Is My Boy?" and "Your Love Means Everything Part 2". Coyne sings "The Colossal Gray Sunshine" and Nick McCabe, a longtime fan of Faultline's work, plays on a track called "Lost Broadcast". A profile of Faultline can be found at Artist Direct.

 

July 2001

(27/07) Back in January I was informed that Nick was looking for a place back in the UK.....well at last he has moved from Spain and has now settled back in England. He has also commented on what he's been up to recently,saying he has been "insanely busy" and quote, "Some interesting stuff in the pipeline and already done". Keep looking here for further details, when I have them.

June 2001

This latest news (19/06) is taken from the "Neotropic" artists page on the ninjatune site:

This year her ( Riz Maslen) live commitments will include a special showcase with a full string section where members of The Orchestra will reintepret her new album, "La Prochaine Fois" ("The Next Time") in a band that will also include Nick McCabe (formerly of The Verve).

La Prochaine Fois is released today (4th June). Nick has played on three tracks on the album. To read a review of the album, visit the Reviews page.

Further to January's news that Nick played guitar on Riz Maslen's latest project, the resulting album, named " La Prochaine Fois" - ["The Next Time"] is due for release on June 4th on N-tone records.
No confirmation that he is to do any live shows yet, but Nick says "it could be interesting as it's playing live to film".
The following is a taken from the site www.ninjatune.net.

Neotropic (aka Riz Maslen) has become increasingly involved in film and cinema providing music for the forthcoming independent film "System Noise," directed by Josh Ferrazzano and shown at the Sundance 2000 festival, created music for a John Woo television series, and working on her own short film, a kind of "ambient road movie" entitled La Prochaine Fois. Riz's film, features new tracks from the forthcoming album of the same name dropping June 2001, will receive a special early preview at Scala on 8 March as part of Women Take Centre Stage.
The album La Prochaine Fois (and hence the film) features Nick McCabe of the Verve playing guitar and cello on most of the tracks, Sally Herbert, who has provided string arrangements for the Manic Street Preachers and the highly-respected group Low. It continues Riz's search for emotion and earthiness in electronics, this time with a more organic and live approach that harks back to the English folk tradition of Nick Drake, sideways to the post-rock experiments of Jim O'Rourke et al and forward to a new way of making electronic music.
For some streaming audio / video and more info on Neotropic visit squidattack.com

Nick has been invited by Neotropic ( Riz Maslen ) to do some live shows in Paris in the summer, after he recently played some"random guitar" on a soundtrack / album project she's working on. Nothing has yet been confirmed, as he is still thinking over the idea, so no need to book your holidays in France just yet.

Other than that , Nick is okay, and not, contrary to some jokers on The Verve newsgroup working in a Casio factory in the Middle East or indeed posting messages about Richard Ashcroft on the messageboards of ASIH or richardashcroft.co.uk !

July - Aug 2000

It was mentioned on the BBC Radio 1 Evening Session, that Nick has again been linked with French band Mellow, having apparently contributed guitar on "Another Mellow Winter" the single version which is featured on their new "The Morning After Paint Drops EP", released Aug.7th, [ 4 track enhanced CD ]. The song was featured as single of the week on Mark Radcliffe's BBC Radio 1 afternoon slot, 17th/21st July. Note as Nick is not credited on the EP, I shall find out as soon as I am able just what his involvement was, so bear with me.
The EP featuring the single and their album "Another Mellow Summer" [ all on the "Atmospheriques" label ], can be purchased from opal music, CD Now, Amazon, Tower Records and HMV.

Nick was planning to come over to Britain sometime this summer to try and get himself an agent, and on July 10th he was spotted in London at the HMV Oxford Circus instore album launch of "Parachutes" - Coldplays' excellent new album.
(Thanks to Alistair Tant for doing the initial spotting). A snippet to this effect also appeared in NME.

In the July edition of "Mojo" magazine in a Richard Ashcroft cum Verve article, it was reported [unconfirmed] that Nick was [quote] "living out in Spain working on electronic music projects that he sends to Richard "Aphex Twin" James".

Although none of Nick's new material, so I have been informed could be classed as Techno, he has also recently played guitar on a track for Photek (Rupert Parkes), whose style encompasses Electronica / Drum"n"Bass / Jungle / Club / Dance. Release unlikely.

Nick has still been busy working since The Verve's breakup, having accumulated a good two albums worth of material; not guitar based by all accounts, but featuring Nick's well known powerful use of electronica. References to MSG, Stamped, Instant Love and to the guitar section of Deep Freeze have been mooted. No concrete plans for release just yet ....Last year he also did some work with Si Jones and Si Tong, with whom he is still friends and a "genius" drummer from Leigh near Wigan, named Leon. About three hours of material were recorded. There are some plans and hopes to release this material if all goes according to plan.

Recently Nick (like the two Si's) has parted company with Virgin, consequently the "The Way The Light Bends" project has taken a minor setback, though it is still hoped that the planned album/book with John Horsley will make it's appearance on another label eventually.

On Tuesday 7th March it was reported on nme.com and Verve Information Network that Nick was living in Spain. It would appear that his girlfriend got a job there and he followed saying he "fancied a change". He has taken some equipment with him so where this is going to leave him musically we shall have to wait and see, though I have been assured he is not be letting his talents go to waste.

In the Millenium issue of Guitar magazine's "Guitarist of The Millenium", Nick came 78th one above Charlie Christian who came 79th. Number 1 was Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton was 2nd and Jimmy Page was 3rd. Not quite sure how Noel Gallagher got to be 31 places above Nick though...... perhaps that's why the most overrated guitarist was voted as Noel Gallagher!!, 2nd was Eric Clapton (again), 3rd was Steve Vai.

Following on from the excellent remixes Nick did when he was with The Verve, on October 18th 1999, the Nick McCabe re-mix of French "dance" band Mellow's song "Instant Love" was released. It is a 6 min 20 version along with the original and a second remix by Andy Votel. Mellow are a Paris based threesome likened to Air, who take exception to their CDs in France being racked in the dance section as they consider themselves to be more Indie. Nick was asked to do the re-mix after the band heard through a friend of a friend, that he was into what they were doing. "We were very honoured that he liked it", they said. Nick's remix is full of his trademark atmospheric guitar and according to NME who reviewed the single, "it pisses all over the original".

 

http/www.nickmccabe-kim-2freespirits.co.uk