Will Holland

William Holland is a musician, DJ and record producer from Bewdley, Worcestershire. He is based in Colombia.

He records under various guises, notably, Quantic, The Quantic Soul Orchestra, and The Limp Twins. His music draws upon elements of salsa, bossa nova, soul, funk and jazz. Holland plays guitars, bass, double bass, piano, organ, saxophone and percussion. Much of his sound is original composition with little in the way of sampling of other artists' material.

When asked to describe what type of music he produces, Holland said:

"You're asking the wrong person really, but some stuff is hip-hop-orientated, some stuff is at house tempo, but not necessarily 'house' music, some of it has a strong Latin influence, some of it has a strong African influence, and some of it is just a mix-up of loads of styles."^[1]

Holland also has his own label Magnetic Fields on which he releases heavy soul and funk. He has also taken on remix duties for over 30 songs.

History

Holland decided on the recording name Quantic as he was a mathematics student, and it

"seemed like the best name as it describes a whole with two or more variables."

His albums The 5th Exotic (2001) and Apricot Morning (2002) featured vocals from British artists including soul singer Alice Russell.

In 2003, he assembled The Quantic Soul Orchestra, a new project aimed at producing 60s/70s style raw funk, playing guitar himself, and featuring other musicians including his saxophonist sister, Lucy Holland."^[2]

In 2007, Holland moved to Cali, Colombia. He set up an analogue studio and recorded and released The Quantic Soul Orchestra album Tropidélico (2007) and the self-titled debut from his tropical-dub side project, Quantic Presenta Flowering Inferno (2008), which featured a variety of musicians from the area. He subsequently assembled the Combo Bárbaro (lit. "group of barbarians", referring to non-Europeans).^[3]

Discography

Quantic

As Quantic, Holland has released four studio LPs and a b-sides album, on the Tru Thoughts label.

Albums

• The 5th Exotic (Tru Thoughts, 2001)
• Apricot Morning (Tru Thoughts, 2002)
• Mishaps Happening (Tru Thoughts, 2004)
• One Offs... Remixes & B-Sides (Tru Thoughts, 2006)
• An Announcement to Answer (Tru Thoughts, 2006)

Singles

• We Got Soul / Fresh Rhythm (7", Breakin' Bread, UK, (2000)
• Life In the Rain (12", Tru Thoughts, 2001)
• Through These Eyes / Life In the Rain (Remix) (12", Tru Thoughts, 2001)
• Apricot Morning (12", Tru Thoughts, 2002)
• Primate Boogaloo (12", Tru Thoughts, 2002)
• Search the Heavens (12", Tru Thoughts, 2002)
• Sweet Calling (12", Tru Thoughts, 2002)
• Search the Heavens (12", Tru Thoughts, 2003)
• Don't Joke with a Hungry Man (12", Tru Thoughts, 2004)
• Mishaps Happening (Remix) (12", Tru Thoughts, 2004)
• Perception (12", Tru Thoughts, 2005)
• Tell It Like You Mean It (12", Tru Thoughts, 2006)
• Sabor (12", Tru Thoughts, 2007)

Collaborations

As Quantic, Holland has also collaborated with several artists including:

• Greyboy, on the track "Got to Be a Love" from the album Soul Mosaic (2004)
• Alice Russell, on the track "Somebody's Gonna Love You" from the album Under the Munka Moon (2004). Russell has also written and performed vocals on several Quantic songs.
• Lanu, on the track "Mother Earth" from the album This is My Home (2007)
• Mr. Scruff, on the single "Donkey Ride" (2008), and on the b-side of Scruff's single "Sweetsmoke" (2002), entitled "It's Dancing Time".
• Nickodemus, on the single "Mi Swing Es Tropical" (2008)

The Quantic Soul Orchestra

With a live band of musicians, Holland has recorded as The Quantic Soul Orchestra. The band lineup has consisted of numerous members, with only Holland being a constant. Former members include Holland's sister, Lucy, on saxophone, and his Limp Twins collaborator, Russ Porter. They have released three LPs, plus a collaborative album with Spanky Wilson.

• Stampede (Tru Thoughts, 2003)
• Pushin' On (Tru Thoughts, 2005)
• I'm Thankful with Spanky Wilson, (Tru Thoughts, 2006)
• Tropidélico (Tru Thoughts, 2007)

The Limp Twins

Holland, along with DJ Russ Porter have released one LP as The Limp Twins.

Albums

• Tales From Beyond The Groove (Tru Thoughts, 2003)

Singles

• Living Well (7", Breakin' Bread, UK, (2001)
• Moving Closer to the Sofa (7", Tru Thoughts, 2002)
• Elemental (7", Tru Thoughts, 2003)

Quantic Presenta Flowering Inferno

Holland recorded a dub and reggae inspired album, released under the artist name Quantic Presenta Flowering Inferno.

Albums

• Death Of The Revolution (Tru Thoughts, 2008)

Singles

• Cuidad Del Swing (7", Tru Thoughts, 2008)
• Death Of The Revolution (7", Tru Thoughts, 2008)
• Juanita Bonita (7", Tru Thoughts, 2008)

Quantic and his Combo Bárbaro

With a new band of international musicians, Holland is currently recording as Quantic and his Combo Bárbaro. Their debut album Tradition In Transition was released in July 2009.

References

External links

• quantic.org
• Quantic at Allmusic
• MagneticFields.com
• Tru Thoughts.co.uk