Church Andrews & Matt Davies - Yucca

Church Andrews & Matt Davies - Yucca

Tracklisting
Side 1
1. "Chirp" 2:50
2. "Ferns" 2:20
3. "Yucca" 5:06
Side 2
1. "Coral" 4:35
2. "Roses" 3:56
3. "Winstons" 3:23

The third release on Yorkshire-based Odda Recordings, following Kirk Barley’s
Marioneae and Flaer’s Preludes, Yucca confirms the label’s reputation for
championing music on the unstable ground between the organic and the synthetic.
Church Andrews and Maa Davies weave intricate patterns from Fibonacci sequences
on new mini-album, Yucca.

Producer and composer Church Andrews (aka Kirk Barley) and drummer Maa Davies
return to explore the outer limits of rhythm on a five-track suite that is at once
angular and fluid, natural and systematic. Drawn to the restrictions of working solely
with one synth and live drums, the pair found creativity in limitaOon, developing a
compositional dialogue between the sonic timbres of Kirk’s productions and Maa’s
percussive practice.

● Brand new album from experimental duo Church Andrews & Maa Davies
● Follows releases Axis (2022), Pollen (2021) and Neighbours (2020)
● The duo’s track ‘Romanesque’ was played by Aphex Twin at Villafranca FesOval in
2023
● Supported by the likes of Gilles Peterson, Fact Magazine, Worldwide FM, Boomkat,
BBC 6 Music and NTS Radio
● The duo have performed at fesOvals such as Rewire, Waking Life and Meakusuma
● Limited ediOon LP with intricate design from arOst and designer Oliver Pia – limited
to 500 copies
● FFO Lorraine James, Beatrice Dillon, Mark Fell & Rian Treanor, Moin and Aphex
Twin Evoking the primiOve yet complex form of the plant from which it takes its
name, Yucca features tracks that are built around rhythmic raOos of the Fibonacci
sequence. Mirroring spiral paaerns exhibited in nature, each track evolves like a
cellular structure of its own, from the livewire syntax of ‘Chirp’ and the deconstructed
ebb and flow of ‘Ferns’, to the mini-album’s Otle track, where crisp grooves flit
between modulated electronics like fireflies.
“I’ve always been inspired by music that is complex without sounding complex,” Maa
explains. He maintains a sense of bounce amid the intricate phrasing and cites
drummers Roy Haynes and his grandson Marcus Gilmore as inspiraOons, alongside
sabar drummers from Senegal and Mridangam drumming of South India.
With a shared background in hip-hop and the swung beats of J Dilla and Flying Lotus,
Kirk Barley and Maa Davies were also inspired by the minimalism of Terry Riley and
the sparse paleae of dub techno.
Wriaen and recorded in Lewisham in the spring and summer of 2023, Yucca follows
the release of Axis in 2022, with the duo having also performed at fesOvals such as
Rewire and Waking Life, and recorded live sessions for FACT magazine and Worldwide
FM.