Ali Wilson’s highly anticipated artist album Tabula Rasa is released on Untidy Trax. Ali gives us a rundown of the tracks on the album and the inspiration behind them. Pianos, The Knuckleheadz, T-99 and his dad all played a huge part in the creation of this musical masterpiece.
So… welcome to Tabula rasa… a clean slate from many a thing over the past few years..
Uno This is inspired by my love of Latino music. When in Brazil I heard lots of Pianos like this and always wanted to make a track in this style.
Feel The City Breakin Inspired by the Bee Gees,, ha ha ha, I used part of their lyrics in Stayin Alive and re-recorded them myself into tech style!!!
Piiranha (Feat Andy Farley & Matt Smallwood) We were all on a Patrik Topping kinda vibe for this one… need I say anymore!!!
Alien (Feat Phil Able) This was inspired quite a few years ago by a Psy track Phil played me. It’s deep dark and techy
Cognate (FeatMatt Smallwood) A big techno banger with minor stabs from back in the day!
BOD A big Piano riff that reminds me of the 90’s when I grew up listening to all that hooky piano house!
Rhythm Just an out and out banger that was ispired by listening to some early stuff from Richie Hortin, Carl Cox etc.
Thundergroove (Feat Martin Begley) We wrote this track just before the last Riot @ The End and it was inspired by the name of the Funktion 1 sound system in there called Thunder Ridge.
Hands Up Inspired by some of Faithless’s early tracks, tuff groove with some trance elements!
Roborock Another 4 to the floor tech banger that feels like it should be in the mid 90s!
Rawkus Inspired by T-99 Anastacia, one of my favourite old skool tracks ever!
Tatami (Feat Matt Smallwood) Myself & Matt have always love our tribal sounds so with this we thought we’d get on a Yeke style banger!
Sex Drugs, Rock n Roll I actually wrote this about 10 years ago and revisited it after Sam & Amo were loving the vocal. The vocal just popped into my head one night as I was falling asleep, then the guitar just came from the rock n roll vocal!!!
Take Me Away (Feat Matt Smallwood)
This was inspired by Knuckleheadz, big bass, big groove and a voc that sticks in your head for months!
Keep On Lovin Me Again, a big 90’s influence for me, with vocals from oldskool and jungle kinda vibes!
Big Beat This was influenced by the whole of the hard house sound from the early 2000’s, hoovers n horns, whoop whoop!
Give It Up I’ve always wanted to do something along the lines of Man with the red face, so this was based around that!
This album was mainly inspired by my mate Dad who passed the end of last year, luckily I had a good few days with him before he went and the things he said to me were part of the making of this album… do want you want to do before it’s too late!
Also the fact that many people that had been into the House that’s hard sound from years back when it was more a tuff funky sound seemed to be all conversing alot more and inspiring each other again after being away from this sound for a while!
So I present to you Tabula Rasa… I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we did making it!!!
Big Love!!! Ali
You can buy Ali Wilson’s Tabula Rasa here!
