Idioteque shares ‘A Stone's Throw From Home’ EP
London-based artist, producer, and creative ringleader Idioteque (Emanuele Savoca) announces his latest EP, A Stone’s Throw From Home.
With an ear for all things dark, atmospheric and bass-driven, the music that flows from the restless mind of Idioteque melds worlds between trip-hop, electronic and alternative rock; taking influences from an amalgam of artists, from Elliott Smith to Outkast, The Smashing Pumpkins to Portishead, it refuses to be pigeon-holed. Bringing together a love of guitar-led melodies and unfamiliar beat structures, Idioteque’s ideas are eclectic and ever-evolving, with this latest collection of tracks honing in on his more personal and emotive side to the creative process.
Following on from 2022’s Keeping You Alive = Killing Me More and a string of singles, the new EP shares a similar collaborative style and features vocalists and personnel who have now become regular members of the Idioteque collective in their live shows, including Bâlâ, Sheba Q, and drummer Sam Thorne. Working on each track in separate sessions, the results emphasise each member’s own external influence, all the while being tied together by the vision of Idioteque’s own universe.
Lead single “Stylet” - taking its title from the anatomical name for a wasp’s stinger - is a powerful force to be reckoned with. Deriving its lyrical themes from feelings of suffering with anxiety disorder, it incites the pain of slipping further into the deep, and the overwhelming sense of loss of control. The tune twists and
turns with visceral imagery while the soundscape surrounding it intensifies, culminating in the momentary earth-shattering power of Bâlâ’s vocal capabilities.
Its followup, “I Remember”, also features Bâlâ, but is a much more tender track. Reminiscing on the breakdown of a past relationship, it draws on the light and dark of those memories, the confliction between the positive times and the pain. Stuck between remembering and moving on, the emotional vocal performance is what brings this track to life on a wholly relatable subject.
“Weightless Stairway” features regular collaborator Sheba Q, and draws on more hip-hop and neo soul influences for an uplifting midway point in the EP. Touching on a sense of self-belief, it’s about cherishing your ambitions and dreams and not letting them slip away.
“What Is Far Behind” (with previous collaborator Swan Diver on backing vocals), takes the record on another dark path, haunting with more memories of the past and themes of feeling lost. With its trip-hop structure and diverse soundscape, the track offers another angle to the interests of Idioteque.
The EP ends with “In The Nearing Distance”, the most personal and emotional track on the record. More in the form of a spoken-word poem, the lyrics follow someone who is coming to terms with their own mortality, as their life comes to an end. Speaking on the track Idioteque says: “Fear [of death] is something I’ve struggled with for many years; writing this piece was certainly a cathartic experience, it sheds a melancholic light amidst the dark topic of loss and its aftermath”. The piece has become a very moving moment in the artist’s live set.
Upcoming Shows
19/02 - Sebright Arms
23/03 - Hootananny Brixton - TBC
30/03 - The Brunswick Brighton - TBA
