THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “With six studio albums and more than 800 concerts in 60 countries and numerous awards, Wax Tailor is recognized as one of the main ambassadors of the electro-hip hop international scene. The Shadow Of Their Suns is the producer’s first studio album to be released in five years; treating the fans to an array of darkly elegant sound features accompanied by a new and prestigious cast.
On the album, listeners will find a wealth of impressive artists beside Mark Lanegan, including Del the Funky Homosapien (Gorillaz, Hieroglyphics), D Smoke (Rythm + Flow), the late Gil Scott Heron, Rosemary Standley (Moriarty), Mr LIF (Thievery Corporation, Def Jux), Yugen Blakrok (Black Panther), Adeline (Brooklyn’s best-kept secret soul singer) and Boog Brown (Detroit femcee).
Born and based in France, near Paris, Wax Tailor has sold nearly half a million physical copies and holds hundreds of millions of views on streaming platforms around the world. While his music has put him in league with many major industry names over the years, the trip-hop stylings of The Shadow Of Their Suns can be compared to the likes of Nightmares on Wax, DJ Shadow, RJD2 and The Avalanches.
The album and its distinguished musicians invite us to embark on a cinematic journey of social commentary, sampled speeches and orchestral flourishes and to take a look at the extreme excesses of society, prevalent symbolic violence, and the whirlwinds upon which we base our lives. Considering himself as a “privileged witness,” Wax Tailor implores listeners to take time to think and translate the actions of those around them, with lugubrious tones and driving beats.
Speaking of the inspiration for the album, Wax Tailor tells us: “The Shadow Of Their Suns is an allegory for the different kind of powers that control our world. I’ve always kept this image in mind of the 99% who live in the shadow of these artificial lights, segregation, politics and mass media. From a musical point of view, I really wanted to give more space to instrumental arrangements and my own storytelling around this topic. I’m not a lesson-giver but nothing is really neutral, we live in a sick world and music can be food for thought so I’ve tried to work in this direction.”
