Introduction
In addition, our clients benefit from our team's extensive experience
in marketing, promotion and label management across Europe. Some of our most successful projects include: "If the gods have any sense at all, this
record ('IF') should drag the co-ed cacophony from their staunchly
defended stronghold as arena underdogs and kick them squarely to the
top of the bill." - Rock Sound
"... compulsive, frantic, pop-killing bursts
of oddly compelling beaten to a pulp melodies..." - Kerrang!
"New [MSI] album, 'If', is an electro-punk
headfuck that's as colourful and inventive as it is a provocative
soundclash... an antidote to a world that takes itself too seriously"
- Metal Hammer
Signed to The
End Records Mindless Self Indulgence are undoubtedly the internet's
favorite band, their myspace page boasts over 18 million views, their
Youtube channel has over 20,000 subscribers and the band's message
board has over 57,000 active members.
After being a band for 10 years, 2008 was the year that Mindless
Self Indulgence exploded into the mainstream rock consciousness as
they completed 2 sold out UK tours which included sell out shows at
London's Astoria & Roundhouse, a main stage spot at the Reading &
Leeds festivals 2008, graced the covers of Kerrang! and Rock Sound
magazine, received a nomination for 'Best Album' at the Kerrang! Awards
2008 as well as playing a special show for Kerrang! Radio and playing
a very special show as part of the Kerrang! 'Week Of Rock' celebrations
leading up to the Kerrang! Awards 2008, all helping the band sell
nearly 10,000 copies of their latest album 'If'.
To mark the end of the band's most successful year to date and to
bring in 2009, they have recently been chosen to headline the Kerrang!
Relentless Energy Drink Tour 2009, a 15 date tour taking in the
width and breadth of the UK culminating in a date at London's infamous
Brixton Academy. Essential oversaw the UK & European release of 'If', distributing
the album across Europe and ensuring that 'If' was racked in HMV stores
up and down the country. Working closely with The
Noise Cartel, the band received massive press coverage which included
the covers of Kerrang! & Rock Sound magazine and several multiple
page features in both magazines. Essential was also able to assemble
a street team to flyer the album's details, not only at the band's
shows but at shows by similar artists. Eli
"Paperboy" Reed & The True Loves
"There are singers who sing and there are
singers whose sheer power of expression can knock you off your feet.
Eli 'Paperboy' Reed falls firmly into the latter category ... [he]
threatens to be one of the defining voices of the year"
- Mojo Magazine
"A voice to rival the greats" - Word
There was an audible buzz around a certain band at SXSW
2008. They had a horn section tighter than James Brown's, a rhythm
section that could hold a rock solid groove and a guitar player like
no other. But the voices speaking in hushed tones and whispers were
only talking about one man...the front man. He could work a crowd
into a frenzy and have them eating out of the palm of his hand, he
could lead a band like a seasoned pro and more importantly he could
definitely sing.
That man was 24 year old Bostonian Eli "Paperboy"
Reed. Following on from a very successful SXSW which saw the
band perform to packed out crowds, the band's label Q
Division chose to work with Essential Music & Marketing in
order to help bring the band and their album 'Roll With You' to Europe.
Working closely with In
House Press, Rapture PR & Station To Station, Essential has
been able to successfully introduce Eli "Paperboy" Reed
& The True Loves to a European audience. The band have featured
in numerous 'Ones To Watch' features and have been championed by the
likes of Q, Word & Mojo, who invited the band to play at the Mojo
Club this summer. Mainland Europe has proven to be a key territory for
the band as there has been phenomenal demand for them, most notably
in France which has seen the band play numerous sold out shows. Essential
has worked with PIAS France in order to ensure that the buzz around
the band continues to grow and that 'Roll With You' is widely available. Since then the band's profile has continued to grow
as they played sold out shows all over world include dates supporting
Duffy on her sold out US tour, seen there album be racked in HMV stores
up and down the UK and most recently have been invited to play on
Later With Jools Holland, an honor for any band. 2008 looks like only
the start for Eli "Paperboy" Reed and Essential is proud
to continue working with him into 2009 and beyond.
"a stirring Steve Earle classic."
- Guardian Unlimited Steve Earle has shown himself to be a prolific talent
since his first album 'Guitar Town' in 1986, since them he's been
on a turbulent journey battling drug addiction, serving time in jail
for drug and firearm offences, becoming an author, actor, playwright,
an outspoken political activist, DJ and producer, he also set up his
own label whilst still finding time to create a significant body of
work which has won him several Grammy awards and 13 Grammy nominations
as well as widespread recognition as one of the finest songwriters
and performers walking the earth.
Steve's first album since signing to New
West Records is 'Washington Square Serenade', his first since
relocating to New York and his love note to his new home. Essential
is delighted to have worked with such a respected musician on such
a critically acclaimed album.
Working with Richard Wootton Publicity, massive amounts
of publicity was secured to promote the album including multi page
features in Mojo, Uncut, Q, The Independent On Sunday, Word Magazine,
The Times and The Daily Telegraph and reviews across numerous publications
including The Sun, Rock 'n' Reel, and Record Collector. The record
was also championed by BBC Radio 2 as interviews, acoustic performances
and spot plays from the record were secured on high profile shows
including Jonathan Ross, Bob Harris, Mike Harding, Johnnie Walker,
Mark Radcliffe & Stuart Maconie, Alex Lester, and Simon Mayo.
Steve was also invited to perform on Later With Jools
Holland alongside Duffy, We Are Scientists and MGMT, where he performed
with a DJ and was interviewed by Jools Holland.
Essential is proud to have worked with a talent such
as Earle and is looking forward to 2009, which judging by his past
output will more than likely see another new release.
"This record was born as a dinner conversation.
While dining in New York with David and some other friends, I mentioned
that I had accumulated a lot of music, which, despite my intentions,
I had never formed into songs. David volunteered to give them a try.
By and large, we stuck to our separate territories: I worked on the
instrumentals, and he generally focused on the lyrics and vocals.
This arrangement seemed to work well. "With their new album, Everything That Happens
Will Happen Today, the pair rejoin the rock conversation as if they'd
never left." - Rolling Stone
Being approached to release 'Everything That Happens
Will Happen Today', the first new collaboration album between seminal
artists David Byrne & Brian Eno since 1981's 'My Life In The Bush
Of Ghosts', will stand as one of the landmarks in Essential's history.
David Byrne & Brian Eno vowed not to include any
record companies in the album's release and never one's to shy away
from new technologies David Byrne & Brian Eno released the album
digitally some time before it's physical incarnation. Essential was
asked to provide the deluxe physical version of the album, which included
material not available with the download version, for Europe and we
were only too happy to part of such a exciting project.
Using our European contacts we were able to ensure that
the album was available across all European territories as well as
ensuring that the album's launch was highly publicized across the
UK securing reviews in publications such as Q, NME, Mojo, Uncut, Word,
Plan B, The Times, The Guardian and numerous others.
It was also well received by radio with BBC 6Music championing
the album from an early stage, BBC Radio 2 & Radio 4 also showed
strong support for the album along with XFM & the BBC World Service.
David Byrne is due to head out on tour performing a
selection of songs from all the projects that he and Brian Eno have
worked together on including 'Everything that happens...'. The tour
starts in early 2009 and takes in most major cities in the UK, click
here to purchase tickets.
"...Cube spits some of his sharpest rhymes
in years" - Rolling Stone
One of the most well known and respected rapper's on
Earth, Ice Cube, returned in 2008 with 'Raw Footage', the follow up
to 2006's 'Laugh Now, Cry Now'. More politically charged than his
previous albums 'Raw Footage' sees Ice Cube taking shots at corrupt
government practices, senseless violence and the it's effects on innocent
bystanders and the media's portrayal of rapper's such as himself:
“Last year the talk about rap was so distorted,”
Ice Cube says. “You had Don Imus blaming the fact that gangsta
rappers say, ‘Nappy headed hoes,’ so he thought it was
cool to say it, like he listens to gangsta rap. It was bull. The Virginia
Tech killing, it came on the heels of that, so somehow gangsta rap
was the cause of that. It just kind of snowballed into all these different
kind of things.” Essential was extremely proud to have been given the
chance to work with such an icon of modern culture and immediately
began work with experienced press company Duff
PR (who have previously worked with artists such as the Spice
Girls, Tool, Velvet Revolver, Metallica, Pearl Jam, Outkast and many
more) who was able to secure a cover feature in legendary hip-hop
magazine Hip
Hop Connection as well as coverage in specialist magazines such
as Flipside, Front, Knave and more traditional music publications
including Mojo, Uncut & Q.
Upon starting this project, we quickly realized we were making something
like electronic gospel, music in which singing becomes the central
event, but whose sonic landscapes are atypical of such vocal-centered
tracks.
I want music to be inviting, to offer the listener a place inside
it. I think David responded to this with sensitivity and skill, and
his natural edginess made those familiar progressions sound new to
me once again."
Brian Eno