Dan Arborise


http://www.myspace.com/arborise

First artist ever recommended by http://www.johnmartyn.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrqIg1C95QU&feature=player_embedded

“John Martyn meets Nick Drake for the 21st century.” IN THE MIX

“Acoustic guitar hymns to truth and beauty....beguiling.” UNCUT

“Immaculate guitar, perceptive songs, luminescent production” WORD
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DAN ARBORISE

Dan Arborise, occasionally known as Dan Kijowski, was born amongst the jungles of Borneo to Polish parents. From there he moved via Nigeria to South London, where his teenage years were distracted by a classical training in both piano and guitar.

However, classical was soon upgraded to electric and the Medieval Quartet was replaced by pop-punk ‘Playground’ and
numerous other projects which received as varied a response from audiences as were the styles of music they played.

Legend has it that at this point in time Ricky Gervais offered to be Playground’s manager, but fortunately for everyone concerned he chose a career in comedy instead. After a first UK tour of rave reviews and general adulation, “life differences” and “fear of flying” were cited as the causes of Playground’s split, and so Dan decided to move to Edinburgh, where he studied physics.

Inspired by Nick Drake and John Martyn, and with Julian Cope as prescriber of pearls of nonsense and wisdom, Dan gravitated towards acoustic guitar and started to adopt Drake’s more complex guitar techniques. Influenced by the sweet melodies, simple structure and heavenly harmonies of Glasgow’s Teenage Fanclub, the songs soon began to flow and Dan began to evolve his unique style, playing clubs and venues throughout the UK.

Signed exclusively to London label, Just Music, Dan’s first album ‘Around in Circles’ was released in 2006 to rave reviews, having been produced by the “blissfully ambient” Jon Hopkins (Coldplay, KIng Creosote) and mastered by Simon Heyworth, who remastered all of Nick Drake’s seminal recordings. It reached No 2 in Mike Harding’s Top Ten Folk Albums on BBC Radio Two.

Dan has toured nationwide, making a real impact in folk clubs, acoustic music venues, festivals and arts centres throughout the UK, including supporting Thea Gilmore on her national tour and going down a storm at Ullapool Guitar Festival. Dan was Artist of the Month in October and November 2006 for Caffe Nero, who promoted his music throughout their 285 retail outlets, and he supported John Martyn at Glasgow’s Celtic Connections Festival 2007.

Dan’s tender and haunting voice is the perfect match for his evocative and rhythmic guitar-picking. Expect unusual open tunings, songs that develop into instrumentals, and instrumentals that grow into songs, and a beautiful multi-layered acoustic guitar sound that is frequently transformed but never compromised by some amazing electronic guitar effects.

ALBUM

When 'Around In Circles' took its first breaths, critics called Dan Arborise a folk singer for the 21st century. 'Of Tide And Trail' shows his desire to pick up this mantle, wear it with warm, gentle, confidence, and take it much further.

'Of Tide and Trail' is filled with positivity for the human beings we are. It is for the tough times we live in, for our hearts and our heads, and for the possibilities of hope. Dan Arborise understands us. Dan Arborise has reached out to us, and given us 'Of Tide and Trail'.

ALBUM - Around In Circles

'John Martyn meets Nick Drake for the 21st century.' THE FLY

'Acoustic guitar hymns to truth and beauty....beguiling.' UNCUT

'But what else marks Devonshire lad Dan Arborise out from a hundred other Nick Drake disciples? Is it his immaculate guitar, setting up shop somewhere between the fearsome playing of folk titan Nic Jones and the freeflowing style of Madagascan picker D'Gary? Is it the perceptive songs, all delivered in a voice that shares Drake's lower register but is noticeably less guarded? Or is it Around In Circles' luminescent production, courtesy of Eno-endorsed Jon Hopkins, that piles slices of guitar high and lets them sparkle and glow like a starry, moon-filled night? Whatever it is, this is a debut album that instantly allows Dan Arborise to pull up a chair alongside the likes of Jose Gonzalez and James Yorkston.' THE WORD

' A masterpiece...A gloriously fine album for the romantic optimists amongst us' BACKLASH

' Hypnotic 21st-century take on John Martyn....The spell that's cast lingers on throughout an impressive debut' GUITARIST

'Delightful,cobbled street acoustics and shoreline melancholy....cast against a canvas of ambient atmospherics....a name for the masses to look for in 2007 for sure' MUSIC WEEK

' Around In Circles weaves a similar enchantment to Five Leaves Left' METRO

' Looking as though he has just stepped out from an early nineties warehouse rave, Mr Arborise is clearly a man of disguise. But never judge a book by its cover, because this novel is well worth a read and has been researched to its fullest, looking at the book of olde, his finger picking styles and lush vocal harmonies make this a modern folk classic...This will make both artist and producer stand out from the rest of the folk ditties knocking around these days' HOODLUM TRIBE

'Ponderous beauty and rich, intimate folky textures..' TUNETRIBE.COM

'Gorgeous, acoustic music.....breathtaking.' ROCK SOUND

' Expert in creating whole new levels of "sombre"' ACOUSTIC

' Arborise has combined intricate guitar playing with songs memorable enough to sing around a campfire' RECORD COLLECTOR

' Around In Circles is awash with sublime melodies delivered by not-as-simple-as-you-think acoustic guitar playing' GUITAR

'Simplicity, delicacy and strong melodies' NEW-NOISE.NET

'Mood and atmosphere are built up over the course of the CD. Around in Circles is perfect Sunday morning music.' SHINDIG!

' Gorgeous, picturesque songs' SWELL MUSIC

LIVE

'Through a quartet of fragile and haunting songs he captured and captivated an audience who had come to hear him. A seriously talented musician. Definitely one to watch out for.' MAVERICK

' This is music to hush the soul and slow the heartbeat' NORTH DEVON JOURNAL

' One of the Finest new artists i have ever heard ' THE POKEY HOLE

'Arborise wills himself into reverie blending the cadences of voice and silvery guitar.' METRO

'He's dead good.' THE FOREST

'This is beautiful music, beautifully performed.' ASHCROFT ARTS CENTRE

' There's talent here.' THE HERALD

'Dan's silvery melodies elevated the crowd to an entirely different level. He didn't get far before being called for an encore and we were treated to one more mellifluous track before the waft of crowd dissipated contentedly into the cold night air.' PEMBROKESHIRE TV

'Arborise has found a unique voice. Slipping into extended instrumental work-outs, his solos evoke the pastoral sublime or flamenco fire. Conjuring visions of gentle love and nature’s beauty is a hard call on a Glasgow Tuesday, but his personal vision is received with respect tonight. Both technical virtuosity and lyrical sensitivity set him apart from the majority of folk performers. Dan Arborise is a remarkable treat.' THE SKINNY

' Recommended' TIME OUT

' Hotly tipped' LEWES GUITAR FESTIVAL

VEGETABLES

' Arborise...lives in a barn and grows his own vegetables' SUNDAY TIMES CULTURE

IN SUMMARY

' I didnt like this, the picture inside the album cover didnt help ' QUERRRRRRANG

' I couldnt stand it. I just didnt think there were any songs there at all. Certainly not enough tweed. ' TWEED

' Self-satisfied.' THE HERALD

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