Urban music looks to its future in ... Dartmoor
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Your support makes all the difference.A band who rehearse in a barn in the middle of Dartmoor will be hailed tonight as the future of British urban music.
A band who rehearse in a barn in the middle of Dartmoor will be hailed tonight as the future of British urban music.
The four members of Obedientbone grew up in remote villages where the nearest thing to an inner-city tower block is the bleak exterior of Dartmoor jail. But they have taken the city phenomenon of drum 'n' bass to a new level and landed the title of best urban act in the 2004 Diesel-U-Music Awards.
Their manager, Simon Vieler, said the award was the result of many hours of hard work in the band's studio, a barn in the village of Whiddon Down.
He said: "They don't go out to clubs or listen to other people's music. They are truly rural and totally cut off but the music they make is their own sound."
Obedientbone were formed five years ago, inspired by the jungle and drum 'n' bass movements. They have released an album but their performance at the awards ceremony at Fabric in London tonight will be their first appearance in the capital.
But the band do have links to the wider world of dance music. Their programmer and keyboardist James Yardley has a brother in the dance group Stanton Warriors. Obedientbone also use a guest cellist, Caroline Lavelle, who has played with Massive Attack and Radiohead.
Their success strengthens Devon's reputation as a new hotbed of music. Coldplay's Chris Martin, Muse and the teenage soul singer Joss Stone all come from the county.
Mr Vieler said: "Obedientbone all live in tiny little hamlets in Dartmoor National Park. Yet they can come up with cutting-edge music that sounds like the future."
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