UK producer Nick Bracegirdle, the mastermind behind Chicane, has come a long way since bursting onto the dance scene 15 years ago. He’s hit high peaks, creating instant classics like ‘Offshore’, ‘Saltwater’, ‘Don’t Give Up’, ‘Stoned In Love’ and the latter highlights ‘Poppiholla’ and ‘Going Deep’. His legacy of four successful artist albums is now completed with a fifth, ‘Thousand Mile Stare’. The expression ‘hot off the heels’ does not apply when talking about the timing of Chicane albums. The tracks are crafted, caressed and encouraged into shape, and that takes time. Anyone looking to tap into what has kept Nick busy the last 12 months should not be disappointed by what they hear on this release.
Nick Bracegirdle: “No matter what I do, what style or genre, it’s always going to have that Chicane sound.”
’Thousand Mile Stare’ is an album with a sublime emotive power. Two tracks on the album were recorded partly in Iceland and feature the Icelandic band, Vigri (who are a veritable madcap orchestra). “If I had to sum this album up it would be ‘a collection of life’s soundtracks,’” said Nick. It is 15 years now since ‘Offshore’ first became the default setting of trance, resonating and infiltrating everyone’s visits to Ibiza. This album proves that the beauty and willingness of Chicane to supply ‘soundtracks to our lives’ really is alive and well. In-between recording, the band have been touring the world playing live shows, a process that Nick feels gives him the balance needed to keep a perspective on the way he creates. They will be doing more of the same with a new show to promote ‘Thousand Mile Stare’, including a London show on April 27th at Koko.
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