We are thrilled to annunce the release of our new mini-album Sketchbook today @ https://metaquorum.bandcamp.com/album/sketchbook ! So you are cordially invited to join MetaQuorum for a free listening party on SUNDAY 17 MARCH 2024 at 4pm GMT to celebrate! Come along to listen to the music with our band members and chat about the making of the album and anything else music releated. Followe the link below and join the crowd;) See you then, cheers!
Delighted to announce the release of another single: DILEMMA. It’s a short instrumental track in our hallmark Meld style, and a sneak preview for our new 7-track Mini Album SKETCHBOOK, out next month. Composed and arranged by Dmitry Ermakov in the band’s signature structural fusion technique, with expert drummer Koos van der Velde working his magic, DILEMMA starts with a taut Neo-baroque/Prog interlude which unexpectedly yet seamlessly flows into a chill Funk cadence thus harmoniously resolving the dilemma of a seemingly unsolvable musical equation. Enjoy!
Hey, everyone! MetaQuorum have been quietly working on our next release – a mini album called Sketchbook. And… we are releasing a Single from the album, Dilemma, on the 5th Feb 2024. More on forthcoming releases later…
We gave a shout to some of our friends in Prog Rock Community and Ron from FRIDAY NIGHT PROGRESSIVE responded straight away saying he’ll include the Single into his next FNP show – thanks Ronald Marquiss! So MQ once again finds itself in good hands and good company with other talented Progsters) So make a note in your calendar and join FNP 26 Jan 24 show! Details on how to listen and join the chatroom below
MetaQuorum is a truly international gig. Take this track, Simple Minds, for example. Lyrics written in Moscow, drums & percussion recorded in Friesland, keys etc. in the North Pennines, and mastering in Houston. And first listening in faraway Kathmandu!
On a sunny August day, our dear friend KC Sherstha kindly drove us through the sweltering monsoon heat to a surprisingly cosmopolitan district of Patan in Lalitpur, nestled in the Himalayan foothills. In an oasis of greenery and hip cafes, we made our way to the Kathmandu Jazz Conservatoire where we were greeted by some of the very efficient and friendly staff there, and ushered into a well-equipped studio. It was great to listen to the first master with a few of the technicians/musicians and get their feedback, too.
Huge thanks to Eric C. Shrestha for arranging with Abhisek Pun for some studio time.
We were impressed with the setup – thanks guys! Look forward to a jam session next time we’re in Nepal 😉
Listening to the first master at the Kathmandu Jazz Conservatoire Recording Studio
We’re getting some thumbs ups for our new track Simple Minds, released 9 October on Bandcamp & YouTube and going global on all major streaming platforms 4 November. Many of you guys are telling us you get the message it’s putting out, so we thought we’d let you into a little secret: it was written back in 2003! In Moscow. But sad to say humanity is still sleepwalking around today, 20 years on.
But back to the music. The first draft was recorded in Bath, UK, in 2005 and then when drummer Koos joined Dmitry in 2016, they discussed the track. Koos even laid down some impromptu drums. But then the song got put on a back burner to make way for the instrumental album Witchcraft Jazz (2018).
So here’s a little video from that early session, 2016. History in the making!
It’s been a while, but here it is, a new Single from MetaQuorum!
Bit of a new venture for us as Simple Minds is a song rather than our usual instrumental Meld. The album in the works – Blue Cosmic Pie – is mainly songs, too.
Here’s one early review:
“Love it! I really like the wide panning with the bass and other keys. The jam at the end with the slap bass is super funky. All of these cool musical happenings, while having a much-needed conversation about current events, it’s a really great thing you’ve done.” Chris Longwood, SugarHill Recording Studios, TX, USA.
Simple Minds is a hard-hitting alt-rock protest song calling out complacent apathy in a society flooded with fake news, as the planet slips into chaos.
Genres (iTunes): Main Genre: Rock: Alternative Rock/Post-rock; Alternate Genre: Rock: Funk Rock
Additional genres: Protest rock/Protest song; Jam band; Prog; Heavy Rock
Yes, I know, we’ve been quiet for a while… but… nothing can stop the music! Between the pandemic and earning a living, we’ve been beavering away at a new album: Blue Cosmic Pie.
It’s a bit of a new venture for us because this third album – unlike our other two mainly instrumental Meld – features mostly songs. Still with our unmistakable MetaQuorum top-notch flair, of course.
The first ‘slice of The Pie’ – a single called Simple Minds – is coming out on Bandcamp on Sunday, 9th October.
With lyrics by our very own Dmitry Ermakov, Simple Minds is a protest song calling out current social apathy. Keys (Dmitry) recorded in North Pennines, UK and drums and percussion (Koos) in Friesland. Mixed in the UK and mastered in Texas.
Available to listen and buy on Bandcamp and lyrics video on YouTube and Instagram on Sunday 9th October, and on all other streaming platforms by 4th November (except Spotify. We’re boycotting them ‘cos the CEO creams money he’s off all us musicians to invest in artificial intelligence defence technology). Watch this space for links.
More to follow soon on the story behind the track, plus what else to expect out of the Blue Cosmic Pie album.
An electrifying track with a hip hop beat, some snazzy effects and a funky vibe, The Piper and The Frog takes us from Celtic pipes through tropical frogs to a soaring crescendo as guest artist Markus ‘Bluesharp’ Bossert from Basel,Switzerland, carries us away with his bluesy solo on the harmonica. The Piper and The Frog – an IDM/Hip-Hop/Funk/Prog crossover with a sense humour.
Markus ‘Bluesharp’ Bossert (Photo courtesy AndreaA-rt)
BEHIND THE SCENES
Koos and Dmitry worked on producing the track in the Low Bishopley Home Studio last spring. The biggest challenge was trying to fit the original recording – an MP3 recorded on a stereo mike from the speakers, made back in 2000 – to the new grid to even out the rhythm.
Koos pondering sound-engineering techniques. (Photo by Carol Ermakova)
We’d not worked with a guest musician before – Markus sent several versions of his solo over from Switzerland so we had to pick the best and join them together to make a smooth, seamless track.
THE TRACK
The Piper and The Frog is an electrifying track with a hip hop beat, some snazzy effects and a funky vibe. It takes us from Celtic pipes through tropical frogs to a soaring crescendo as guest artist Markus Bluesharp carries us away with his bluesy solo on the harmonica.
MetaQuorum 