Colorama (band)

Colorama is the longest running musical project of Welsh singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, Carwyn Ellis and an ever-revolving cast of collaborators. Stylistically best described as alternative indie pop, Colorama is an eclectic hybrid of genres and languages.[1][2]

Colorama
OriginWales
GenresPsychedelic pop, Psychedelic soul, fuzz-soul, electropop, Folk, Blues, Baroque pop, Dream pop, Balearic folk, Acid folk, Folktronica, Alternative rock
Years active2007–present
LabelsAgati, Banana & Louie Records, Aficionado Recordings, AED Records, See Monkey Do Monkey, Noise McCartney Records (Victor Entertainment), Redbricks Recordings
Associated acts
Websitecolorama.org.uk
MembersCarwyn Ellis
David Fletcher
Luca Guernieri
David Page
Matthew Evans
Wendon Davis
Ed Turner
Andrea Garbo
Shawn Lee

History

Colorama emerged as a Carwyn Ellis home-recording project when he moved from London to Liverpool in 2006, the first shows being as a duo with Ellis's best friend David Fletcher, on double bass.[3]

After a stint in Japan touring with Japanese group Quruli, Ellis released his debut album as Colorama, Cookie Zoo on Quruli's own label, Noise McCartney Records / Victor Entertainment,[4] and a debut single, Sound via Redbricks Recordings in the UK, both in 2008.[5][6][7]

As a touring act, Colorama was augmented with the addition of Luca Guernieri on drums and Matthew Evans on guitar. Through various lineups Colorama have since played Glastonbury Festival, Latitude Festival, Green Man Festival, Port Eliot Festival, Truck Festival, The Sŵn Festival, The Apple Cart Festival, National Eisteddfodau, Cloudspotting Festival, Home Game, Festival N°6 and more.[8][9][10]

In the summer of 2009, the tragic news was announced that their double bass player, David Fletcher (who was also working as Principal Double Bass of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra) had died on 29 June, from a heart attack suffered in his sleep,[11] just days after Colorama's appearance at Glastonbury Festival.[12][13]

In September 2009, Magic Lantern Show, featuring songs in Welsh and English was released with Dere Mewn becoming a modern classic in Wales and garnering rave reviews and much airplay on both sides of the border.[14][15]

In 2010 Colorama released their third album BOX on Noise McCartney Records (Victor Entertainment)in Japan and See Monkey Do Monkey Recordings in the UK.[16][17] Shortly afterwards, they released a Christmas single, Cerdyn Nadolig ( Christmas Card ) which reached Number 1 on the BBC Radio Cymru Christmas chart.[18][19][20][21][22]
BOX was also nominated for the inaugural Welsh Music Prize.[23]

The following year, Colorama released Llyfr Lliwio ( Colouring Book ), which was their first predominantly Welsh-language collection.[24][25][26]

August 2012 saw their fifth album release – Good Music, produced by Edwyn Collins and Sebastian Lewsley, and featured high in many an end-of year best album list (2012).[27][28] In November 2012 Colorama released a limited-edition 12" single, Hapus? (Happy?) on Aficionado Recordings.[29]

In 2014, Colorama released a new EP, Heaven's Hotel,[30] a new album TEMARI,[31][32] followed by a split single, Yn Rhydiau'r Afon / Forget Tomorrow with The Joy Formidable.[33]

In summer 2014, Ellis moved to Berlin. There he recorded electronic music as Zarelli,[34][35][36] releasing an album, Soft Rains in 2015 which featuring the voice of Leonard Nimoy narrating the Ray Bradbury short story There Will Come Soft Rains. That year, Ellis also collaborated with Edwyn Collins and Seb Lewsley on the soundtrack to the film The Possibilities Are Endless, composing much of its original score, which opened in October 2014 to great critical success, winning the Mojo 'Film Of The Year' Award.

During his time in Berlin, a compilation of all of Ellis's Welsh songs as Colorama was released on his own new Agati label, entitled Dere Mewn!.[37]

In September 2017, Some Things Just Take Time was released, showing Ellis taking a more acoustic, folk-influenced direction. The album was produced by Edwyn Collins & Liam Watson. Other collaborators included Ellis's close friends Cody and Luther Dickinson (Black Crowes and North Mississippi Allstars), Rob and James Walbourne (The Rails, The Pretenders, The Pogues), Jason Wilson (The James Hunter Six) and B. J. Cole. Recorded as live to capture the energy and excitement of Colorama's performances, the album was put straight to tape in London at Edwyn's West Heath Yard Studios and at Liam Watson's Toe Rag Studios. [38][39][40][41]

2018 saw the tenth anniversary re-issue of Colorama's debut album, Cookie Zoo, made available for the first time outside of Japan via a new Madrid-based record label, Banana & Louie Records.

Following Some Things Just Take Time, Ellis worked extensively both with The Pretenders and with Edwyn Collins. Whilst on tour in South America, Chrissie Hynde suggested that he make an album in Welsh with Brazilian musicians – this he did in Rio de Janeiro late in 2018, releasing Joia! as the first solo project under his own name, Carwyn Ellis & Rio 18 in 2019.

During this period, Ellis also recorded intermittently with American producer and multi-instrumentalist Shawn Lee at his studio in London, which ultimately resulted in the eighth studio album as Colorama, Chaos Wonderland. This was released 31 July 2020, and featured a guest appearance from Icelandic-Sri Lankan artist Lay Low on vocal.[42]

Discography

Albums
  • Chaos Wonderland (2020, Spain); Banana & Louie Records
  • 10th Anniversary Cookie Zoo (2018, Spain); Banana & Louie Records
  • Some Things Just Take Time (2017, UK); Agati
  • TEMARI (2014, UK); AED Records
  • Good Music (2012, UK); AED Records
  • Llyfr Lliwio / Colouring Book (2011, UK); See Monkey Do Monkey
  • BOX (2010, UK); See Monkey Do Monkey (2010, Japan); Noise McCartney Records / Victor Entertainment
  • Magic Lantern Show (2009, UK); Redbricks Recordings
  • Cookie Zoo (2008, Japan); NOISE McCARTNEY RECORDS / Victor Entertainment

Singles
  • Dusty Road (2020, UK); Agati
  • And (2020, UK); Agati
  • Forget Tomorrow (2014, UK); Aruthrol
  • Hapus? (2012, UK); Aficionado Recordings
  • Cerdyn Nadolig /Christmas Card (2010, UK); See Monkey Do Monkey
  • Sound (2007, UK); Redbricks Recordings

EPs
  • Heaven's Hotel (2014, UK); AED Records
  • Do the Pump (2013, UK); AED Records

Compilation albums
  • Dere Mewn! (2015, UK); Agati
  • #40 Mawr Radio Cymru (2015, UK); Sain
  • Mannequins (2009, UK); Kartel
  • The Music Sounds Better With Huw: Vol. 1 (2009, UK); Wichita Recordings

Remixes

References
  1. "datatransmission.co.uk ARTIST COLORAMA".
  2. "Western Mail-The changing man – Carwyn Ellis".
  3. "Getintothis : Interviews : Carwyn Ellis talks new Colorama album Some Things Just Take Time, songwriting, and Wales".
  4. "Bad News Records ARTIST COLORAMA". Archived from the original on 9 April 2014.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. "BESIDE THE B-SIDE Colorama: 'Turnham Green'".
  6. "Commuter Love: Colorama's Turnham Green and the romance of the suburban tube station".
  7. "An ode to the joy and madness of the B-side".
  8. "Who to watch at SWN Festival 2010 via Your Cardiff – Wales Online".
  9. "Port Eliot Festival:ARTIST:COLORAMA". Archived from the original on 21 June 2015. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  10. "Green Man Festival : ARTIST COLORAMA". Archived from the original on 21 June 2015.
  11. "David Fletcher Obituary – Musicians' Union Website".
  12. "Glastonbury 2009 – Colorama".
  13. "Western Mail-The changing man – Carwyn Ellis".
  14. "datatransmission.co.uk ARTIST COLORAMA".
  15. "The Digital Fix – Magic Lantern Show".
  16. "THE INDEPENDENT Peer to peer: The stars' albums of the year COLORAMA:BOX". London. Archived from the original on 15 September 2014.
  17. "Shindig! No.20". Archived from the original on 9 April 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  18. "BBC Cymru Artistiaid COLORAMA".
  19. "BBC Cymru Deg Nadolig Lisa Gwilym".
  20. "Wonderfulsound COLORAMA 'Cerdyn Nadolig' (or 'Christmas Card' in English)". Archived from the original on 9 April 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  21. "The top Welsh sounds of 2010 -Wales Online".
  22. "Interview – Colorama". Themmp.tv. Archived from the original on 30 August 2011.
  23. "Welsh Music Prize Nominees". Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  24. "BBC Radio Wales – Bethan Elfyn – Colorama Llyfr Llywio/Colouring Book". Archived from the original on 9 April 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  25. "Folk Radio UK – Introducing : Colorama".
  26. "Beat City: Magic Lantern Show/Colouring Book".
  27. "eMusic : Colorama, Good Music". Archived from the original on 26 January 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  28. "Louder Than War : Colorama – Good Music".
  29. "Phonica Records-HAPUS? COLORAMA AFICIONADO RECORDINGS".
  30. "The nearest faraway place : BBC Kent:Sean Rowley – New Release : Colorama – Heaven's Hotel".
  31. "Colorama-Temari".
  32. "BBC Radio Wales – Glittering, soulful music from Colorama".
  33. "Double A-sides : Welsh singles club via Wales Online".
  34. "ZARELLI (feat. Leonard Nimoy) - Soft Rains". Bronzerat.limitedrun.com.
  35. Tomlinson, Graham (3 June 2015). "In Conversation with Carwyn Ellis". Walesartsreview.org.
  36. "MOJO - Watch A Cosmic Tribute To Star Trek's Leonard Nimoy". Mojo4music.com.
  37. "Sound of Brit: Review : Colorama – Dere Mewn".
  38. "From The Margins : Review : Some Things Just Take Time".
  39. "music won't save you : Review : Some Things Just Take Time".
  40. "Getintothis : Interviews : Carwyn Ellis talks new Colorama album Some Things Just Take Time, songwriting, and Wales".
  41. "El País : Live Reviews : Las cristalinas canciones del galés Carwyn Ellis propician una de las noches más hermosas en la vida del Café Berlín".
  42. "IN CONVERSATION: Colorama's Carwyn Ellis on new 'Chaos Wonderland' album".
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