Zero Kelvin
Zero Kelvin is a project curated by Jackson Taylor (aka Deadman Bed). The title is derived from the lowest possible temperature, as described on the scale developed by Lord Kelvin (whom the River Kelvin - which runs through Glasgow’s West End - is named after).
In mid 2007 during an un-characteristically sentimental moment Jackson observed that his friends and family were all really talented. The idea of Zero Kelvin arose as a way to document this talent in the form of a collaborative album - something which would be especially worthwhile in the case of those who were unlikely to release an album of their own. He asked 9 people each to record and submit a track, under the pseudonym of their choice.
The results were great, many people pulling out their best recorded performance to date. What came as a surprise, however, was the generally downbeat mood of the tracks - meaning that the title Zero Kelvin (sometimes referred as “absolute zero”) became all the more appropriate. The resulting album was released in August 2008.
The Album
Click on the record cover to download the album and artwork.
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August 2008
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In 2007, ten friends grouped together to create an album, each recording one song. The result was Zero Kelvin, a perhaps surprisingly cohesive record, united by the dark current running through the majority of the tracks.
Further information
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Featured Artists
| Beaches Of The Proud | His track "River Of Us" was recorded for Zero Kelvin but due to the seemingly endless co-ordination time for the project it was released on The Truth Always Follows Me Around EP before Zero K was even finished. |
| Gordon Beveridge | The singer of Palace Ballet makes a rare solo appearance. Interestingly he is the only contributor not going under an assumed name... |
| Bobo Bean | The female half of Pet Hate in her solo guise. The warm analogue quality of her recordings is a counterpoint to the often cold (but ever-hopeful) landscapes of her lyrics. |
| Deadman Bed | The curator of Zero Kelvin and "head" of TTL, aka Jackson Taylor. His track "Another Fire" was originally performed by his former band The Science but was never recorded by them. Following on from a demo of the song made in 2006, Fake Fake Nick emailed two proposals for drum tracks to accompany Jackson's synth, and offered to record the song properly. In the end Nick also overdubbed his original guitar part from The Science version, making it one of the most collaborative Deadman songs to date. |
| Fake Fake Eyes | Fake Fake Nick Mathers has taken the post-rock noise-guitar sound he developed as part of The Science and turned it into a whole new entity. On his track "In Silence" he is in a more restrained ambient mode, but still manages to retain that dark vibe we know and love. |
| Little Red Ants | The former bassist for The Makos has also played in All The Kings Horses (with Dave "Captain Crash" Allan and AJ Gravis) and along side Jackson and AJ in a late incarnation of Wake. His solo project is best described as Diamond Electronica - beautiful like an engagement ring but sharp as a dentist's drill. |
| Mercurian | Keira "Mercurian" MacMillan writes touching songs and is the owner of a fantastic voice. She recorded strong vocal takes and other bits and pieces of her track "Chasing Echoes" before venturing off on a Walkabout in Oz. It was then passed on to her brother Euan (Ota Benga) and Jackson (working together under the name Maison Du Menergy) to finish off - adding drums and subtle electronics. |
| Ota Benga | A founding member of The Science, Euan MacMillan previously made music under his band nick-name Beard Science. His current project sees him integrating electronic sounds with his trademark rock guitar, plus a new-found confidence and style. |
| Phimy | An old school-friend of Euan Macmillan, Phimy was a founding member of the band that went on to become The Science. He has since established himself as Glasgow's premier Jingle-writer-for-hire. His track "Control Zed" is his most ambitious recording so far and we feel privileged to be able to present it as part of this album. |
| TWAIN | Megan Faye is an artist by day and usually by night. But every now and then she picks up her violin and lets it wail - on these rare but exciting occasions she calls herself TWAIN (Task Without An Interesting Name). |
Other Contributors
| Graham Lister | A multi-talented artist, who kindly provided the album's front cover image. |
| Rhona Meg | Jackson and Bobo's sister Rhona contributed the poem Best Friends Forever which is printed on the back cover of the album. It was based in part on the working title for the project - 10p Mix - which, for those not in the know, is when you buy ten penny-sweets chosen at random by the shop owner. |
