Phlexx Records (PLX071) 2022
Tired of the modern restraints and throwaway value placed on releasing digital music, the group wanted to work on a body of music that honoured the history and heritage of their local surroundings.
In late 2021, Benjamin Zięć & the Rarebreeds set to work with local heritage specialists, uncovering local stories and tales, delving into the history behind Midlands folk song and the rebellious Nottingham characters that have walked the streets through the ages.
The group learned stories of Highway Rebels, Mad Dukes, Famous Boxing Legends, Shipwrecked Cannibals and merciless Hangmen. One theme that emerged was the rich musical Folk heritage of Nottingham – songs that have been lost through the years. The group worked hard to modernisation and rework these compositions with their own unique Rarebreed twist.
The group literally set sail, heading far North from the Midlands to the port of Ullapool. Boarding a ferry they hit the Atlantic Ocean, heading for ‘the end of the world’, to record their work on the Isle of Lewis. Nestled in a sheltered harbour on a tiny Hebridean Island, the group took residency at Black Bay Studio, surrounded by the ever changing beauty of the Atlantic Ocean.
Tired and weary from their travels the group re-calibrated and refreshed with the sea breeze, the cold waters, the open space and the silence. The Rarebreeds were gifted with the time, the space and the equipment to organically work on recording ‘A Rebel’s Story’. They were further blessed with the exciting opportunity to work alongside local Hebridean Fiddle player Alastair Caplin.
Over the course of the week residency the Rarebreeds recorded a 5-track EP.
The first track to be released via Phlexx Records on the 30th September is ‘The Old Angel’. A track that pays homage to the famous ‘Nottingham Ale’ ballad, first appearing in print in 1752. Written by an officer reffered to as Gunthorpe, the ballad praises and declares love for a barrell of ‘Nottingham Ale’. The Rarebreeds used only the hook, flipping the concept on its head and modernising the story to that of present drinking culture, telling a story of alcoholism where now the once Goddess Venus from the original song doesn’t play the same angelic character.
