"SULTANOV" OUT JULY 1 2013 ON SULTANOV RECORDS

Moscow-based but Azerbaijani by birth, Dan Sultanov is a singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, visual artist and scriptwriter and on 1 July 2013 releases his anticipated self-titled debut album.

Produced and co-written by Andy Wright, whose studio credits include Annie Lennox and Simply Red, ‘Sultanov’ is a varied and diverse album, influenced by everyone from Tchaikovsky and Beethoven, to Beatles and Jimi Hendrix through Depeche Mode, Radiohead and Michael Jackson. No wonder then, that even Sultanov struggles to define its sound.

‘It’s a combination of energy and romance, rhythm and melody,’ says Dan. ‘For me, melody is the key component to any song. So I’ve focused on this and worried less about what genre it fits into.’

Highlights include the single ‘Keep On Running,’ whose propulsive synth lines and solid songwriting carry echoes of Phoenix in its punchy chorus and vocal harmonies. Forthcoming single ‘Break Free,’ Sultanov’s take on what can only be called career frustrations, combines layered harmonies, a pounding drumbeat and guitars reminiscent of European indie-poppers The Whitest Boy Alive.

Elsewhere, there’s ‘What Lies Beneath’, a Sultanov favourite which fuses Morcheeba-era trip-hop beats with lush strings, the rocky riffs of ‘Television’ and the distorted 90s bass lines of the electric ‘Black Light.’ Other tracks like the 60s sounding ‘Live Your Life’ and ‘How You Gonna Know’ mark the album’s most optimistic moments; and don’t miss the album closer, the soothing classical strains of ‘Can’t Change.

Born in Baku, Azerbaijan, Sultanov comes from long line of acclaimed artists, who have single-handedly created some of the most distinguished art and art directions in former Soviet Union, today Russia, and Europe for generations. His grandfather Tahir Salakhov is an internationally celebrated Azerbaijani painter and draughtsman – a leading light in Russian art for the better part of 50 years, whilst his mother and grandmother are also artists. His aunt, Aidan Salakhova, is a world known gallerist who has her work exhibited across the globe, including at the 2011 Venice Bienniale, where two of her sculptures were controversially censored.

Following in his family’s footsteps, Sultanov is using his debut album to also showcase his own art. The sleeve and accompanying booklet all feature his artwork, whilst the video for ‘Keep on Running’ is an animated short based on his own ink drawings.

‘I have always been surrounded by art in its many different forms,’ says Dan. ‘All these sounds, rhythms, colours, canvases, paints, charcoals, everything, helped develop my vision of the world and made me the person and artist that I am today. I can’t wait to finally share my music.’

 Single ‘Break Free’ and the accompanying album ‘Sultanov’ are both out July 1.

Track Listing:

1 – Keep On Running

2 – What Lies Beneath

3 – Break Free

4 - Touched

5 – Black Light

6 – How You Gonna Know

7 - Television

8 – 50 Fathoms Down

9 – Live Your Life

10 – Can’t Change

For more information, please contact Steve Rose @ EMMS steve@emmspublicity.com 0207 607 5765 

April 30, 2013 7:55am ET by Emms Publicity   Comments (0)

, ,

SHARE THIS

Latest Press Releases