Strut proudly presents the debut album from producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Momoko Gill. Fresh from her critically acclaimed collaboration Clay recorded with cult electronic artist Matthew Herbert, Momoko steps forward in her own right for the first time with her remarkable debut solo album. Momoko has long been one of the UK electronic and jazz scene’s best-kept secrets.

A self-taught drummer, producer, songwriter, and vocalist, she has brought her unique touch to collaborations with Alabaster DePlume, Matthew Herbert, Coby Sey, Tirzah, and Nadeem Din-Gabisi (her musical foil in An Alien Called Harmony). Extensive touring behind the drum kit, at the keys and in front of the mic have honed her compositional and production instincts. With Momoko, Gill emerges into the spotlight with an album that is entirely her own. Throughout, you can hear the stylistic flavours of jazz musicians as much as singer-songwriters, experimental artists and electronic producers. Though Gill rejects imitation, sculpting her sound through feel and expression rather than tradition. Based in London and having grown up in Japan and the US, Gill channels her breadth of perspective through her musical ideas and storytelling, with a unique voice developed through instinct, collaboration and solitary study.

The album’s eleven tracks take in a wide spectrum with the jazz-infused groove of ‘No Others’ and harmony-drenched, reflective ‘Heavy’ contrasting with the dark, confrontational sound of 'Shadowboxing' leading into an eerie left-field instrumental beat, ‘Test A Small Area' and the impressive 50-person choir on ‘When Palestine Is Free’ (which includes heavyweights Shabaka Hutchings, Soweto Kinch, Alabaster DePlume, Coby Sey, Marysia Osu and more). It is a deeply personal and poetic recording and showcases the full uncompromising range of Momoko’s vison, presented in her own voice. Momoko was produced by Momoko Gill, recorded at Total Refreshment Centre, mixed by Matthew Herbert and mastered by Alex Gordon at Abbey Road Studios.

TRACK LISTING

1. SATELLITE
2. NO OTHERS
3. HEAVY
4. REWIND/REMIND
5. SHADOWBOXING
6. TEST A SMALL AREA
7. 2CLOSE2FARR
8. ANYWAY, I’M DROWNING
9. WHEN PALESTINE IS FREE
10. RIVER
11. INEFFABLY

A soulful, elastic collaboration, 'Clay' treads nimbly between the dancefloor and the more introspective moods of the early hours, both reminiscent of Herbert’s iconic album 'Around The House' while taking off in a compelling new direction. Agile and open-hearted, 'Clay' is a thrilling, sonically adventurous record from two of the UK’s most forward-thinking artists.

Orbiting around Herbert’s fleet-footed productions and the ingenuity of Momoko Gill’s dexterous, melodic writing, 'Clay' is at once stripped-back and rhythmically complex, drawing on a variety of found sources - from japanese kotos to basketballs - to give the sound an unmistakably organic feel.

Bringing together original sampling techniques, live improvisation and lush, expansive arrangements, 'Clay' is lifted into higher realms by Momoko Gill’s intimate vocal performance, soaring wide-winged across the album’s eleven tracks, whether on the euphoric melancholia of ‘Mowing’ or the emotive duet ‘Heart’.

Prefaced by lead singles ‘Babystar’, ‘Need to Run’ and ‘Someone Like You’, Clay follows the 2024 release of debut collaboration ‘Fallen’ and Momoko Gill’s remix of Matthew Herbert’s ‘The Horse Is Here’. And yet, although 'Clay' marks the first full-length release between Herbert and Gill, the duo’s shared passion for pushing sonic boundaries has played a crucial role in their respective careers to date.

For Herbert that means treating the world as an instrument, making music using everything from the sounds of a bomb exploding in Libya, a horse skeleton, a tank driving over a meal made for Tony Blair, 20,000 dogs, 245 shops and countless other noises. His album 'ONE PIG' – which follows the lifecycle of a pig from birth to plate – remains one of the most ambitious and provocative pieces of electronic music this century, cementing his reputation as an utterly singular composer, artist and producer.

Self-taught in drums and composition, Momoko Gill’s journey to 'Clay' has been similarly experimental – cutting her teeth in South London’s multi-disciplinary music scene, embracing new challenges andcollaborating with the likes of Coby Sey, Tirzah and Alabaster DePlume. Although drums and vocals are her mediums of choice, Gill’s multi-instrumental talents were on full show on 2024’s EP as 'An Alien Called Harmony' with poet/rapper Nadeem Din-Gabisi, and she continues to hone her style in the frictions between genres.

With an intuitive feel for one another’s sound, 'Clay' is a meeting of musical minds that resonates far beyond the sum of its parts - a startlingly fresh, beautifully conceived record from two artists who sound like they’ve been playing together all their lives.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Funky, organic dance music that would be just as comfortable soundtracking the post-club meetup or bouncing heads in the mid-afternoon sunshine terrace. Falling somewhere between mellow house, Balearic and downbeat, the dream collaborative efforts of Herbert & Momoko will hopefully continue beyond this stunning electro-acoustic statement.

TRACK LISTING

1. Calm Water
2. Need To Run
3. Mowing
4. More And More
5. Heart
6. Animals
7. Fallen Again
8. Babystar
9. Show Me
10. Someone Like You
11. Circle Shore