Lovebox

Primary 1

1

Primary 1 is an apt name for Joe Flory, a lone polymatic musician, producer and singer who straddles an impressive range of styles, described by The Guardian as "feel good synth funk anthems with nagging infectiousness and easy danceability."
Armed with a wicked sense of humour and an encyclopedic knowledge of movies, his music is chocka full of stop-start melodies, bouncy synths, urgent stream-of-consciousness vocals and even the odd brass section. Put simply, here is an artist making some of the most arresting and innovative pop music around. Welcome to the charismatic world of Primary 1.

Born in the UK but having moved to tiny community within the Arctic Circle in Norway, Joe spent his formative years playing in a marching band with his cousins, before relocating to Singapore aged seven. Although the cultural differences couldn't have been more extreme, his passion for playing live lived on (a master of the drums) and as he moved into his teens, developed a hankering for Western music, in particular that from back home.
"I was listening to British music but from 6,000 miles away, so it would really drip through. It wasn't that easy to get hold of, so it meant I got into stuff with no press or hype, no fashion statement, no knowledge of any Britpop wars, just from clean hearing the music."
With his heart set on being a professional musician, "I wanted to be a fulltime drummer until I realised you were stuck at the back never making any of the decisions", Joe began to experiment with production, writing songs that would capture the essence of the sounds he was excited by from acts like Bassment Jaxx, De La Soul and Cassius.

Not long after a return to the UK to study film at University, Joe's tracks caught the attention of uber-producer and DJ Erol Alkan, who was so charmed by his distinct brand of synth-pop that he insisted on being the first to release Primary 1 on his own Phantasy Sounds record label. It was this 12" of ‘Hold Me Down' and a subsequent run of remix "cover versions" for bands including Metronomy, Late Of The Pier and Mystery Jets which lead to Primary 1 being signed to Atlantic Records. Further admirers were quick to follow, and Joe was soon collaborating with such artists as Riton, thecocknbullkid, Gonzales and Claire Maguire.
Though associations with Erol Alkan and Riton could perhaps align Primary 1 in the electro scene, it'd be a short-sighted conclusion for an artist making music so eloquently diverse that a waltz through his forthcoming debut album is akin to fast-forwarding through Bowie's entire career - if he'd taken Andre 3000 and Daft Punk to Berlin instead of Iggy.
The songs are populated with sharp, urgent and frequently acerbic lyrics all bundled into one-liners and rhyming couplets; a style Joe has christened "soundbite pop".
"I tell stories but I'm not great at being a narrator, so I'll tend to put lines in for their feeling and potency rather than a neat place in a story", which means we get memorable phrases like ‘Nightmare power in the midnight hour' (Dreamings) and ‘Do be do be do, who the fuck are you' (Foaming).
Having written and produced his tracks in a tiny studio crammed floor to ceiling with records, DVDs and brass instruments, Joe found a way to play everything heard on the songs too explaining "I like the naivety of taking any instrument and finding a way to make it work for me." And whether it be the brooding electronica of ‘Princess', the epic-pop of ‘Hold Me Down' or the sullen soul of ‘In The Middle', the distinct Primary 1 sound is united by Joe's gravelly vocals, which range from a urgent spoken whisper to a guttural falsetto.
A prolific songwriter and self-confessed perfectionist, Joe likes to take his time to tweak and prod his tracks until completely satisfied they've reached their potential. It's no wonder then that he's very adamant his "ultimate and singular goal is to release an album." Now aged 25 with his debut album, Other People, almost upon us featuring collaborations with John Hill (Santigold, Shakira), DJ Mehdi (Chromeo), and "his hero" Zdar on mixing duties, it's mission accomplished for this genuine 21st century popstar.