The Klee Music EdenHurst Sessions was a programme to record and film twelve artistes over the course of 2021 at Liverpool’s 3rd Planet Recording Studios, under the watchful eye of up and coming Producer / Engineer Jose Ibanez.
Each Artiste performed, under live conditions, a five song set including one cover song from the Klee Music Publishing UK catalogue. The sessions were filmed and edited by Scott Mealey, and the tracked audio mixed and mastered by Paul Cullen.
Throughout 2022, Klee will release one session by each Artiste, available for download on the last Friday of each month. The session will then be deleted for download purchase, although it can be pre-ordered throughout the month of release. March’s release is from Christy Bellis.
Liverpool Noise: What was it that made you want to be involved with this Klee Music project? I mean, looking from the outside and from the participating artistes perspective, it must have been pretty daunting?
Christy Bellis: For me it was the idea of being a part of something special, with the label that allowed me to start my music journey as an artist. It seemed like a no brainer really. The prospect of recording a live session without the comfort of multiple takes definitely felt daunting initially but I was made to feel so comfortable in the studio by the team, the atmosphere on the day was electric and we all just had so much fun!
LN: What influenced the choice of songs that you performed? Also why did you choose to perform as the KMPUK cover Thomas Lang’s Sugar Don’t Work?
CB: I chose songs from my EP that I really enjoy performing live because I wanted that joyous feeling to come across in the recording. Sugar Don’t Work instantly stood out to me because of the theatrical feel the track has, along with the juicy chord progressions! I really enjoyed arranging this acoustically with Sean who played guitar on the track, we wanted to keep the original essence of the track whilst making it our own.
LN: As we have noticed, March 2022 is pretty busy for you. Not only is it your EdenHurst month, but also you played live a couple of weeks ago. How did the gig go?
CB: Yes! It’s very busy, but i’m so thrilled to be caught up in the excitement of this month! The gig went incredibly well, it was my debut headline as well as my first show with the band! I’ve had such amazing feedback since and I’m raring and ready to go with future gigs to keep up the momentum of playing live.
LN: Your debut EP Human Nature was a fantastic debut, which really set your stall out as an intelligent songwriter. These set of songs were brilliantly produced within the electronic genre, but for your gig you played with a band. How did you find and cope with the challenges of this transition?
CB: Thank you so much! I think I approached the transition of playing with the band the same way I created the songs, for me each word and every part of the arrangement has to mean something and add to the song, rather than just being there for the sake of it. So with the band we looked at each part individually to see what we could add to serve the song and bring them to life in a live setting! It was a real pinch me moment hearing my songs with the band for the first time, I felt really proud of my work and I’m immensely lucky to have such talented musicians on board!
LN: What can we expect from you for 2022?
CB: In 2022 expect new music! I’m very excited to dive back into the writing and producing side of things as well as bringing the ideas together with the artwork and visuals. Expect to see me playing live a lot more too, I’m keen to keep progressing in the local scene and play some more of the amazing venues Liverpool has to offer. However I’m also looking forward to expanding my gig circuit beyond Merseyside too!
Chrity Bellis’ EdenHurst session will only be available to download until the 25/3/22 as part of a limited run, so don’t miss out and pre order yours now https://kmpuk.co.uk/product/klee-023/
Steve Kinrade
