Culross Close is a sometime septet led by K15 AKA Anthony Kieron AKA Kieron Ifill. A keyboardist, who under these aliases has released tunes with Kyle Hall`s Wild Oats, and Eglo – the home of Steve Spacek, Funkineven, Floating Points, and Fatima. He’s recorded for Black Focus with Kamaal Williams / Henry Wu. He’s remixed Nubiya Garcia and Emanative. Collaborated with Kuniyuki. Forgotten Ones is Culross Close`s second long-player, and the first on Kieron`s label, Esencia. The record finds him joined by Nathaniel Jiddu on Arp 2600, May Goode on drums, Eli Emmanuel on bass, Hasani providing percussion, and Man-Like-Tyrone on saxophone. 

The album opens with Fractured. An intro of alien whistles, circuit chatter, and gentle Fender Rhodes. Psychedelic sanza distortion and Dub SFX. A crashing of drums. Like a grandchild of George Duke`s North Beach. The album`s title and theme refer to a British “underclass”. A people ignored as the disparity in the nation’s wealth gets wider, and wider. The tone though is not downtrodden, but defiant. The titular track is a militant, broken, march. Off kilter and damn funky (for reference check Indelible MCs The Fire In Which You Burn). Soulful keys accompanying heavenly church harmonies. Not a requiem, more salvation. A hymn to laughter in hard times. The prayers continue on Acceptance. Above sub-bass roar and overdubbed intricacy. Music box chimes lost to echo, and time. The Tiniest Lights Still Shine kinda reprises Fractured. Has it set to racing Funk. Tambourine, Psyche organ and Fusion synth. Like a Drum & Bass Solar Flight. With a conga break like the one in Gil`s live recording of The Bottle. Hasani`s incredible bongos. Kieron`s quicksilver flashes. Man-Like-Tryone scaling modal heights. The closing calm of Healing, marks their re-entry. 

You can order a copy of Culross Close`s Forgotten Ones directly from Esencia.

Reference Links

North Beach

The Fire In Which You Burn

Solar Flight

The Bottle