Bicep — AKA Andy Ferguson and Matt McBriar — have today unveiled their new single “CHROMA 001 HELIUM”, marking the launch of their ambitious new project, CHROMA.
Representing a significant evolution for the duo, CHROMA combines a record label, a series of curated events, a brand new and constantly evolving Bicep AV/DJ show, and a unique visual identity created in collaboration with David Rudnick and his Terrain studio.
Discussing “CHROMA 001 HELIUM”, Bicep shares that “HELIUM was written specifically for our London Ally Pally shows at the end of 2022. The show felt a little too sweet in certain sections and we wanted to add some more grit into the show”. As a result “HELIUM”, they say, stands out as being “a bit darker and more club-focused than most of our music we have released over the past few years. Although it’s actually a pretty fair representation of what we’re listening to and playing in our dj sets”.
The releases on CHROMA — which will all feature Ferguson & McBriar in some form — were formulated with an ethos to cover everything “from Acid to Alkaline”, and the idea behind the label is twofold: as both a home for their own more underground club focused productions, and also a platform to share their wider music styles. “We’ve increasingly wanted to show a more rounded picture of what we do in the studio,” they explain. “We do a lot of more heavy techno focused music, ambient and various other styles that don’t really fit into the “BICEP” sound, and which often never sees the light of day.” As such, fans can expect a wider musical palette and range of BPMs, and there will be a number of collaborations and music released under aliases, each with their own distinct sound and visual identity. “We want to use CHROMA to push our sounds and challenge people more than we probably have in the past,” they continue. “The label is designed to evolve and draw on inspiration constantly, both musically and aesthetically. We’re wanting to essentially create a world that’s an up to date representation of us both personally in terms of our evolving tastes.”
The launch of the new single and label follows the duo’s recent takeover of London’s 15,000 capacity Drumsheds, where they played their biggest “Bicep Presents CHROMA” AV/DJ show to date, with tickets selling-out within minutes of going on sale. The event featured a stacked lineup curated by Ferguson and McBriar which included Daphni (Caribou), Rival Consoles, Kelly Lee Owens, Clark, Marcel Dettmann, Special Request, SHERELLE & more, and marks the first in a series of special CHROMA events planned throughout the coming year. Explaining the new CHROMA performances, they share that “The same team who work on our BICEP LIVE show is working on CHROMA. This show will be much more fluid, constantly evolving and changing on a week to week basis with lots more experimentation.”
Though billed as an AV/DJ performance, the ‘Bicep presents CHROMA’ shows are actually more of a hybrid between DJ and live. The pair have several pedals and a drum machine they can use on stage, and there is a connection between the decks and the visuals team which allows the latter to see what is being played in real-time adapting their visuals accordingly. This in turn gives Bicep the freedom to experiment with each performance, keeping the visuals and music working in tandem, no matter the direction they decide to take things.
Renowned for their distinctive visual output, Bicep have also devised a new CHROMA visual identity, created in partnership with David Rudnick’s studio Terrain — who is currently working on the rebrand of Emirates Stadium (Arsenal) with Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller and Rueben Dagmoor, and has previously collaborated with the likes of Nike, The ICA and musicians including Evian Christ, Black Midi, Oneohtrix Point Never, RL Grime, and Katy Perry. The new identity includes a bespoke visual system and typography that will feature across all aspects of the CHROMA project, with fans given a first glimpse by the duo’s long-time BICEP LIVE visual collaborator Zak Norman, who incorporated it into the incredible light and laser show at Drumsheds. “We’ve been massive fans of David’s work for over a decade, since seeing his early flyers at clubs we attended,” they say. “We share a lot of the same inspirations in the design world and also grew up heavily influenced by rave culture, albeit on different sides of the water but with similar experiences. We really wanted to bring a unique language to CHROMA and having David’s experience along with his bespoke approach to design and typography felt a perfect fit.”
“CHROMA 001 HELIUM” is released today, with the duo having just announced two CHROMA shows at London’s Finsbury Park and Brighton Beach later this year, with a Chroma AV/DJ performance also announced for Coachella. See below for other upcoming Bicep tour dates, and stay tuned for more news in the coming weeks and months.
