You Matter by Julie Campiche Quartet

ABOUT THE ALBUM

The Julie Campiche Quartet have returned with their sophomore album ‘You Matter’. It is an experimental body of work in avant-garde jazz with the magical, unexpected and emotive sounds of the harp at its core. It is a compelling hopeful message to the world concerning themes of climate change, refugee crisis, patriarchy and human identity for our dark and troubled times.

Experimental jazz harpist, vocalist, composer, electronic music producer, Julie Campiche’s innovative musical language is an on-going process in which she shares her vision of the world. Through her early experience in jazz, classical electronic and avant-garde experimentation this harp jazz pioneer has developed an authentic extremely diversified style. Her music is imbued with intensity. It is urgently fragile.

Campiche founded the Julie Campiche Quartet in 2016 by bringing together some of the most promising Swiss musicians of their generation to create an ensemble that has stood apart. Their work includes instrumental electronic effects in the acoustic space intertwined with organic sounds and electronic samples all of which are used in a complex musical structure. The quartet’s sonic signature is unique in the world of contemporary and progressive jazz.

The Quartet, comprised of Campiche, Manu Hagmann (bass), Clemens Kuratle (drums) and Leo Fumagalli (saxophone), toured Europe for over three years ultimately becoming part of the European live circuit. Their 2020 debut album was the critically acclaimed ‘Onkalo’, which means ‘cave’ in Finnish and is the name of an underground Finnish radioactive waste reservoir. Through sounds of spiritual jazz, or ‘chiaroscuro’, this first album already reflexes Campiche’s desire to ally her music with wider world issues such as the on-going climate emergency.

Work on their new album “You Matter” took place over many months, which gave them time to deepen their musical exploration and the development of their work. It is the fruit of their five years experience on the road together. They have grown as one voice towards a new visionary, conceptual, intimate space. Their orchestration is more developed, the instrumentation more expressive, their musical structures and harmonics more and more complex.

Campiche explains: “There is a very real complicity and musical trust between the four of us, which gives the group more space for collective creativity. The horizons of our sound have broadened while remaining faithful to the energy and the inspiration I have brought to the process. We have expanded our technical limits and taken more risks together.”

‘You Matter’ offers new compositions that transcend technical complexity while above all honouring music itself. Among the album’s seven tracks is the emotional energy and oppressive rhythm of ‘Aquarius’, the SOS Mediterranean boat that was condemned in Italy for trying to save drowning refugees; ‘The Other Share’ which is inspired by the complex relationship between oneself and the other, or between ones own many facets; the mesmerising call to action in ‘Fridays Of Hope’, which includes excerpts from speeches by climate activist Greta Thunberg; the moody spiritual jazz of ‘Parenthese’ about the many things we constantly put off doing; the interplay and enigmatic sounds of “Lies”; the haunting ‘The Underestimated Power’, which highlights the undervalued power of women; and finally the captivating sounds of ‘Utopia’! This new album is eloquent in concept as it takes the listener on a unique sensory journey.

Julie explains “We can feel overwhelmed by everything that is happening in the world, especially the climate crisis and what it bodes for us all. We can easily lose the impression that our actions count or have consequence. The idea is to re-connect with ourselves; with the feeling that we can impact our world; that our actions are important and meaningful. What I’m trying to do as an artist is to create a link between the big and the small, the intimate and the societal. We all matter, You Matter, so don’t give up, we can all make a difference.”


PRESS HIGHLIGHTS

« More subtle, yet equally impressive, Swiss harpist Julie Campiche’s UK debut revealed a unique voice both in her electronically processed instrument and the style of her playing. »
Jazzwise Magazine

« A singular voice, Camiche is carving out her own path and her development will merit watching. »
All About Jazz

« As regards bands which particularly impressed me, the combination of harp with saxophone, bass and drums in Julie Cam- piche’s Quartet stood out; they created a very attractive and distinctive sound. »
London Jazz News

« Campiche is a composer of vision and ambition »
The Jazz Mann

« Her sound on the harp is very individual and captivating, her music from groovy to contemplative, from ambient to modern jazz, with deep musical content, at the same time accessible and challenging and rewar- ding when listening closely. And it can be all that in one song ... without losing its magic!! Julie Campiche is sure an artist to have an eye on for the future! »
All that jazz

"This Swiss harpist looks the times we live in straight in the eye. Her music dramatically expresses the anguish that stirs within us and the healing solutions to which she aspires."
Telerama (FR)

"She is one of the rare harpists who have made a place for themselves in the world of Jazz. Julie Campiche, composer and inspired instrumentalist, subtly intertwines electronic effects with acoustic sound to create somber yet luminous lyrical worlds."
Le Canard Enchaîné (FR)

"The writing is smart and the arrangements are polished. Each composition is "committed".
Each piece has a story to deliver, a fight to lead, a reflection to share. None of them lacks pertinence, nor emotions, nor tension. »
Jazzsques (BE)

Harpist Julie Campiche’s work is an on-going process of musical innovation. Through research and experimentation she has developed the use of electronic effects that enhance the scope of her improvisational work. She has a very personnel technique and her own musical language.
Julie performs in numerous European clubs and festivals on a regular basis.

www.juliecampiche.com