Valley of the Bears

'Their instrumentals establish a unique identity, whether updating Issac Hayes oceanic orchestral soul, or by subtly becoming as dry - and French - as Air' Uncut Magazine 'Hints of Africa, sweeping electro and heroic brass' Q Magazine 'A terrific achievement - one that's rich in ambition, high on quality and really deserving of a huge fanbase' Indie London The long awaited follow up to 2006's Friends In Faraway Places, Valley of The Bears is out on NOW and delivers a heady mix of lush electronica, world flavours and muted beats, from Laroca. Turntable culture and digital wizardry mix promiscuously with real instruments played live in the studio. Lush electronica and chopped-up 21st century beats fuse effortlessly with exotic gypsy flavours, tango rhythms and timeless Sufi soul. Chilled flutes and muted trumpets flirt wantonly with funky, choppy guitar riffs and brain-busting bass lines. It's music that is one minute reflective and profound - and as playful as a new-born kitten the next. On Valley of The Bears, Laroca didn't set out to defy the straightjacket of convention, simplistic categorisation and close confinement. It just turned out that way. Influences there are a-plenty, from Massive Attack to Gotan Project with a thousand musical stopovers in between. And yet Laroca still manage to sound like none of them.