First a World Barista Championship, and now a Mercury Music Prize? Our series on musicians in coffee continues today with these two cuts from James Hoffmann’s long-shelved recording project, King Seven. Forgive him for not logging into Myspace since 2008 – he’s been rather busy running Square Mile Coffee Roasters.
Blippy. boppy and beautifully tonal, sometimes gentle like a lullaby, occasionally roaring with deep bass-tones and layered drum loops, the two available tracks from King Seven are reminiscent of Dan Snaith’s pre-Caribou recording moniker Manitoba, or the instrumental side of Icelandic nocturnes Mum. Think bell chimes, panned-and-swirling acoustic guitars and careful, sometimes glitchy percussion choices. From King Seven’s bio on Last.FM:
“King Seven, James Hoffmann, released his debut EP โHiddenโ in 2003, and hasnโt done a great deal since. A couple of released remixes float around – done for Hint and Leave Land for Water. The release of โHiddenโ on Bonoboโs Solid Steel mix prompted fresh interest in King Sevenโs music but so far no more has surfaced.”
Listen to both tracks here via Myspace, which was a perfectly acceptable avenue for sharing one’s music in the mid-2000s.





