2 Oct 2019

The Progressive Aspect reviews and interviews The Utopia Strong


They say:

Before and after underground DJ pairing Steve Davis and Kavus Torabi got the pixies bopping at Glastonbury 2017, they hung out with friend and musical colleague Michael J. York, who lived in the town, and the idea of a band was born after a few jam sessions. Having been introduced to the transcendent world of the modular synth by Teeth Of The Sea’s Mike Bourne a year earlier, Steve was by then tentatively exploring the limitless possibilities of this enabling instrument. As a fellow non-musician, I wish I had the time to do something similar, as Steve’s journey to a degree of competence sounds like a fantastic trip. As Steve says “…The instrument has the ability to create whatever your imagination can deal with”.


Back to the first jam sessions in Glastonbury a couple of years ago. The trio played back their three hours-worth of improvisations and found that it was good. The band name arose from the blue yonder, and “…reflects the fact that… the music felt pretty euphoric and otherworldly. It was very psychedelic but also strangely wonky”. “Wonky” is one of my favourite words, and if that’s what this music is, then that’s a good start...

Read the rest here: Progressive Aspect 

---