ISOTOPIA RECORDS NEWS
“Along with a trippy music video that digs into a chillwave style of sci-fi, it’s music that just feels good and animation that is gorgeous to look at.” (READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE)
“…the intoxicating sound of Paul Natural with the company of Airplane Man. Together they give us all a chance to explore a world so unique and so charming, sure to keep you hooked from start to end. There’s no denying that the pop sound they offer us is of the highest sonic quality.” (READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE)
Constance Hauman – THE QUARANTINE TRILOGY – 2nd Wave
AUGUST 9, 2020 | by Jonathan Widran
Thrust upon us and upending so much of our lives, COVID-19 has shone a spotlight on some of the best and worst of human behavior. There’s plenty of fear, anxiety and suffering to go around, but one of the more inspiring silver linings to emerge has been the fact that for the talented and determined, creativity cannot be vanquished, only diverted in unexpected ways. While musicians have been shut out from doing live gigs, many have kept their audiences engaged via livestream – and some, like soprano turned electronic pop singer turned ambient/jazz/new age pianist Constance Hauman, have put out dynamic, insightful and hopeful projects that they could scarcely have imagined creating a year ago.
The new age genre has been blessed this year to have numerous instrumental albums that meet the moment, so to speak, sharing music that seems uniquely designed to calm our nerves and offer optimism through these challenging times. For some artists, that’s been coincidental, because many of these works were completed before the pandemic hit and our collective lockdown began. As its impactful title so eloquently indicates, The Quarantine Trilogy, Hauman’s uniquely engaging five track instrumental EP, was only partially recorded during the lockdown, but its meditative, sonically inventive and seductively grooving tracks seem uniquely designed to carry us through the inner and outer storms to another realm in our consciousness.
A little background: A world renowned classical singer, Hauman has over 2000 international performances to her credit, portraying over 70 different roles. Shifting gears in the late 2010s, her 2015 album Falling into Now showcased the pop side of her artistry amidst of blend of pop, jazz, orchestral and alternative blue-eyed soul vibes – a style she built upon on her 2019 album High Tides. She also served in numerous capacities for the indie rock-funk band Miss Velvet and The Blue Wolf. Launching an exciting new phase of her career with The Quarantine Trilogy, the album is a series of improvisations that originated with her on piano and her drummer and longtime collaborator Ross Pederson on midi drums and synth.
The two recorded four of the five tracks the week before the total lockdown in NYC – the atmospheric and deeply immersive “Panacea,”; the moody, film score lush and ominously titled “Total Lockdown”; the funky and hypnotic, groove intensive “Apollo,” which features some of Hauman’s most elegant and melodic piano magic; and the more intense and slightly chaotic (and perfectly titled!) “Thought I Was Gonna Lose It,” whose sensual piano melody and rich orchestrations float above an oddly metered, stop and start shuffle groove (perhaps to contrast our aspirations with our current jarring reality). Hauman and Peterson continued to work remotely. He took the drums he had laid down electronically and substituted live drums from home. His wife, bassist Julia Adamy, added her bottom to further deepen the rhythmic flow of “Apollo.” (continued at link below…)
(LINK TO FULL ARTICLE & MUSIC SAMPLES HERE…)
Constance Hauman – THE QUARANTINE TRILOGY
JUNE 17, 2020 | by BT Fasmer
Constance Hauman recently released a digital EP entitled The Quarantine Triology. The recording includes four tracks, three of which were written in March 2020 prior to the lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic in New York, NY. The recording marks Hauman’s first foray as a solo pianist and her first release of purely instrumental music.
The recording features Hauman (piano), with contributions from the celebrated jazz virtuosi, Ross Pederson (percussion, synthesizers) and Julia Adamy (bass).
One of the most versatile performing artists on today’s contemporary music scene, Hauman’s rich imagination continually leads her to new realms of self-expression and artistic creation. In The Quarantine Trilogy she articulates her personal experience of the most disruptive, isolating, yet communally shared event of our time.
Following two highly acclaimed solo vocal albums – created with co-producer Ross Pederson – singer/ songwriter Constance Hauman leaves the vocals behind on The Quarantine Trilogy and channels her voice into the piano. The tracks Panacea, Total Lockdown and Apollo are real-time improvisations between Hauman and Pederson. They were recorded at Isotopia Studios on the eve of New York City’s lockdown resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. As social distancing regulations interrupted their recording sessions, they decided to leave the three tracks in their improvised states with the exception of Apollo for which Pederson and Julia Adamy remotely added drums and bass.
Spirit is an improvisation created by Hauman and Pederson on 13th January 2017, three days after Barak Obama’s Farewell Address. What began as an improvisation between strings and piano, became a moving tribute to President Obama’s legacy. Pederson asked Hauman if she wanted to add vocals or lyrics. Looking out the window at the full moon, Hauman said ‘There is only one voice I want to hear right now.’ They took phrases from Obama’s speech and added them to the track. Since Spirit’s release on Soundcloud in 2017, the track has received over 85,000 streams internationally. Hauman comments on the inclusion of Spirit on this recording, ‘Given the uncanny and unsettling timing of this catastrophic pandemic and with the virulent and divisive political climate of this election year, it seemed fitting to add Spirit to The Quarantine Trilogy’.
(LINK TO ARTICLE & MUSIC SAMPLES HERE…)
Isotopia Records to Release Constance Hauman’s THE QUARANTINE TRILOGY
MAY 13, 2020
On Friday 29th May 2020 Isotopia Records (www.isotopiarecords.com) will release a digital EP entitled The Quarantine Triology, a recording of instrumental works written and performed by Constance Hauman during the Covid-19 pandemic in New York. The recording includes four tracks, three of which were written in March 2020 prior to the lockdown. The recording marks Hauman’s first foray as a solo pianist and her first release of purely instrumental music. The recording features Hauman (piano), with contributions from the celebrated jazz virtuosi, Ross Pederson (percussion, synthesizers) and Julia Adamy (bass).
One of the most versatile performing artists on today’s contemporary music scene, Hauman’s rich imagination continually leads her to new realms of self-expression and artistic creation. In The Quarantine Trilogy she articulates her personal experience of the most disruptive, isolating, yet communally shared event of our time.
Following two highly acclaimed solo vocal albums, created with co-producer Ross Pederson, singer/songwriter Constance Hauman leaves the vocals behind on The Quarantine Trilogy and channels her voice into the piano. The tracks Panacea, Total Lockdown and Apollo are real-time improvisations between Hauman and Pederson. They were recorded at Isotopia Studios on the eve of New York City’s lockdown resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. As social distancing regulations interrupted their recording sessions, they decided to leave the three tracks in their improvised states with the exception of Apollo for which Pederson and Julia Adamy remotely added drums and bass.
Spirit is an improvisation created by Hauman and Pederson on 13th January 2017, three days after Barak Obama’s Farewell Address. What began as an improvisation between strings and piano, became a moving tribute to President Obama’s legacy. Pederson asked Hauman if she wanted to add vocals or lyrics. Looking out the window at the full moon, Hauman said ‘There is only one voice I want to hear right now.’ They took phrases from Obama’s speech and added them to the track. Since Spirit‘s release on Soundcloud in 2017, the track has received over 85,000 streams internationally. Hauman comments on the inclusion of Spirit on this recording, ‘Given the uncanny and unsettling timing of this catastrophic pandemic and with the virulent and divisive political climate of this election year, it seemed fitting to add Spirit to The Quarantine Trilogy‘.
The Quarantine Trilogy will be distributed digitally by Naxos and available on all major streaming and download platforms including, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, Soundcloud, Deezer, etc.
New York based Isotopia Records specializes in a diversity styles of popular and art music. Releases from 2019 include High Tides by Constance Hauman, Feed The Wolf by Miss Velvet & The Blue Wolf (featuring George Clinton) and Solitude by Lemoyne Alexander. Isotopia is a partner label of Dublin-based Heresy Records (www.heresyrecords.com).
Isotopia Records to Release THE QUARANTINE TRILOGY Written and Performed by Constance Hauman During the Pandemic
MAY 13, 2020
Why Feed the Wolf May Keep Icon George Clinton’s Fans Roaring for More
AUGUST 10, 2019
“Though one might question just how creatively Miss Velvet & The Blue Wolf could incorporate George Clinton’s well-acclaimed Grammy-winning vision, their much-awaited EP Feed The Wolf immediately responds to those doubts with a sensational, soulful, electric setlist that conflates the most unique genres, moods, and styles the musicians have to offer.
“The collaboration, as a result, is a scintillating masterclass from Miss Velvet and The Blue Velvet—their hazy, wondrous whiskey-soaked vibe summoning the funky spirits of the decades gone by. Yet, here George Clinton’s experience inserts an additional dimension to the album, one that sizzles and rocks through the crowds amidst the immersions of rock and roll.
“The eponymous single Feed The Wolf begins with a thundering drum solo: an adrenaline-chasing euphoria in Miss Velvet’s angst-laden, screaming, head-pounding voice giving the listeners a taste of the hysteric, head-shaking delirium to be expected from such a sensational confluence of talent. Elevating the grunge genre from the dive bar sphere to raising the roof at ampitheatres, these trio set of musicians will have fans of classic rock up from their seats, lifting their fists and screaming till their voice gives out. But Miss Velvet’s enigmatic voice is not just a thrilling reflection of the madness of the seventies or the liberation of the eighties—it is a powerful showcase of her vocal range. Sometimes she is slow and moody, sometimes she can shatter glass with those notes.
“And lastly, these show-stopping tunes are not just an excellent demonstration of the beautiful slice of music that is molded in the cauldron of creative genius and focused collaboration; they respect the instruments, as given by their extensive, rousing drum solos, guitar solos and vocal runs. By stirring in the familiar, fist-pumping groove of the classic rock genre with the relaxing, vocal-heavy energy of the grunge and the funk times, Feed The Wolf has proven why George Clinton deserves the unofficial title of the Funk Extraordinaire—his experience and inclination at picking and mixing the most intriguing and stimulating of sounds still holds up today. This album should be a call-to-action to all the musicians out there trying to rediscover their jam without realizing it’s right there beside them, dancing away the night.”
Constance Hauman – High Tides (review)
AUGUST 8, 2019
SINGER-SONGWRITER CONSTANCE HAUMAN’S latest album isn’t operatic. Instead, the classically trained soprano employs her spot-on intonation and clear, enunciated phrases in service of highly produced avant-pop songs—like a more colloquial, digitized song cycle…
Hauman is undeniably a strong singer, producing sonorous timbres with an earnest and endearing delivery.
…her winning interpretation of Francis Poulenc’s “Les Chemins de l’Amour.” The dreamlike instrumental textures provide a new context for the twentieth-century master’s alluring melody. Another inspired cover comes from an unlikely source—the alternative rock band Foo Fighters. “Everlong” is arguably the most iconic of the band’s songs, and Hauman’s vocal-centric take on the late-’90s hit frees Dave Grohl’s lyrics from underneath the original’s distorted grunge guitars and heavy backbeat. Unobscured by rock instrumentation, the innate beauty of the vocal phrases comes to the forefront, spearheaded by Hauman’s almost mournful tone.
…“Run Sister,” a midtempo, synth-driven song that enables the simple melody to float effortlessly above the dense fray of filtered keyboard sounds before morphing into an urgent dance track. Throughout the record, but especially on “Love Burns,” the vocals contain dramatic hints of musical theater. This quality gives the music a conversational immediacy that keeps the songs from drifting into digital detachment.
…although this art-pop collection’s soundscape is dominated by ambient layers of electronic filigree, the steady rhythmic thumps and stutter-step syncopations root the songs in a tactile sensibility. One of the most effective tracks is “Painful Strangers,” co-written by Hauman and Pederson. The song oscillates between arhythmic airiness and a sensual slow jam, as Hauman’s smooth, azure tone imbues an otherwise bittersweet song about fleeting romantic connection with tranquility.
With High Tides, Constance Hauman ran the risk of following in the footsteps of Renée Fleming on her indie rock-crossover album Dark Hope. Fleming’s voice seemed unnaturally boxed in by the pop-music production and the songs’ lower tessituras. More often than not, Hauman transitions more seamlessly from the classical to the colloquial—in the model of composer–singer Shara Nova of My Brightest Diamond, or contemporary classical specialist Mellissa Hughes on composer Jacob Cooper’s album Silver Threads.
…High Tides is a solid offering that gains steam with each successive listen.
Miss Velvet and The Blue Wolf (tour)
MAY 13, 2019
George Clinton, who turns 78 in July, recently announced his final outing, the One Nation Under A Groove tour, which will feature a variety of artist lineups to celebrate Clinton’s final dates at the helm of the Mothership. Capping over 50 years of touring and recording, George Clinton & P-Funk will be joined by Galactic, Dumpstaphunk, Fishbone, and Miss Velvet and The Blue Wolf, all of whom are taking time out of their own busy touring schedules to hit the road with the Grammy-winning, formerly-rainbow-dreaded funk, hip-hop, and rock & roll pioneer.
Constance Hauman – High Tides (review)
MARCH 11, 2019
“INSPIRED MUSIC THAT FLOODS THE LISTENER’S CONSCIOUSNESS”
“MAGNIFICENTLY DESIGNED and REMARKABLE SOUNDING SPECTACLE”
HIGH TIDES is another album by Constance Hauman for which the British Guardian should already have reserved a place as ONE OF THE TEN BEST POP ALBUMS OF THE YEAR.
…arranged in an electro-pop framework – her EXQUISITE rendition of the aria “Les Chemins de l’Amour” INSPIRES DEVOUT ADMIRATION
Constance Hauman – High Tides (review)
MARCH 11, 2019
ANOTHER ALL-ROUND HIT: FRAGILE YET INTENSE, TOUCHING, ROUSING, FULL OF DEPTH AND BLESSED WITH CLEAR HIT POTENTIAL
Constance Hauman – High Tides (review)
MARCH 11, 2019
Constance Hauman proves her BRILLIANT MASTERY of different genres in “HighTides” 10 tracks, once again revealing her EXTRAORDINARY CRAFTSMANSHIP AS A SONGWRITER … UNDENIABLE TALENT AND ASTOUNDING VERSATILITY AS A SINGER.
HAUMAN’S OWN HAUNTING LYRICS AND VOCALS POIGNANTLY COMMUNICATE INTENSE FEELINGS WHICH MOST OF US LACK THE WORDS TO EXPRESS
Constance Hauman – High Tides (review)
FEBRUARY 21, 2019
by Ingo Möller
Over the decades Constance Hauman has presented herself in a diversity of musical styles. In 2015, the artist released her first solo album titled “Falling Into Now.” “High Tides” is the second work of the opera singer, composer and actress.
Set in a beautiful hardcover book, Hauman’s new album contains ten new titles that are difficult to describe as they do not fit within clear cut stylistic boundaries. Many of the songs are presented in atmospheric settings, eschewing traditional melodies and their complexity is only sparingly revealed after multiple listenings.
The album contains eight new songs from the pen of the singer as well as two covers, “Everlong” and “Chemins d’Amour.”
On “High Tides” Constance Hauman celebrates artistic freedom as well as an avant-garde approach to pop music.
The singer’s second album is a multi-layered and artistically appealing invitation to all listeners who fancy something musically new.
Constance Hauman – High Tides (review)
FEBRUARY 21, 2019
by Ullrich Maurer
Constance Hauman has a rather unconventional career as an up and coming Pop Queen.
In addition to her role as the musical director of the funk soul band Miss Velvet and The Blue Wolf and as a singer/songwriter on her own behalf, she is also on the road as an actress, pianist, producer and above all as an opera singer. This is why it is not surprising that her second album as an art-pop artist is distributed by the classical music company, Naxos, and that it demonstrates elements of musical drama and theatricality. Electronic elements common to the art-pop genre are present, but the album also displays organic elements due to the exalted vocal performance which reminds one of the greats of Kook Pop.
But Constance Hauman is more than another Kate Bush – simply because the songs (among them the barely recognizable Foo Fighters cover “Everlong”) seem structurally conventional despite a certain, spacey sound cloud aesthetic. In the final analysis: As a slightly whimsical musical oddity, the whole thing makes sense.
Constance Hauman – High Tides (review)
FEBRUARY 21, 2019
by Torsten Kohlschein
Constance Hauman is a multi-talented artist: Hailing from the US state of Michigan, she works as a classical singer, actress, pianist, composer, lyricist, producer and leader of the indie funk rock band Miss Velvet and The Blue Wolf. Quite likely due to the fact that she has her fingers in so many pies, it is only at this point in her varied career, that the 58-year old Hauman is now releasing her second album, High Tides (Isotopia).
In the ten titles of the well-designed dignified hardcover booklet, the soprano blends classical, pop, lounge, jazz, electronic and “white” soul into a rousing sonic mixture. While the album may not fit neatly within any specific musical genre, it exerts its bizarre charm and appeal precisely because of this.
Constance Hauman – High Tides (review)
FEBRUARY 21, 2019
“High Tides” (Isotopia Records/Indigo) is the uncomplicated title of the second album by opera singer, songwriter, pianist and producer Constance Hauman. Stylistically, everything the album offers to the listener works, even the enraptured operatic voice, but also elements of pop, electronic music, soul, funk, jazz and rock; though above all, it possesses the spirit of the avant-garde and post punk.
“High Tides” makes an outstanding impression as a CD. Its ultra-noble design is presented in the format of a small book that includes all of the songs’ lyrics. The arrangements are edgy, thoroughly interesting and sometimes even idiosyncratic, harkening a wild romantic beauty which is very close to the ideals of Sally Oldfield, also reminiscent of the joy of experimentation of Laurie Anderson or Anne Clark, though above all, it evokes the mystical excursions of Kate Bush.
The album won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, as Constance Hauman and co- producer drummer Ross Pederson stand for the New Wave, Post Punk attitude of the early 1980’s rather than for the pop zeitgeist of today (exemplified by Pederson’s unique beats and grooves) or for that matter, traditional opera. The fact that Constance Hauman is also the keyboard player and Music Director for the the dazzling, unique funk rock band and newcomer power-house vocalist Miss Velvet and The Blue Wolf says a lot about the charismatic Madame Hauman and her new album “High Tides” which actually makes “high waves” and all the more so one can say: “High Tides” both polarizes and fascinates.
Miss Velvet and The Blue Wolf supporting George Clinton at Australia’s Bluesfest 2019
FEBRUARY 20, 2019
A dizzying array of acts have been announced to support 21 Bluesfest sideshows
Bluesfest Touring have announced 21 support acts to play with major artists such as Iggy Pop, Fantastic Negrito, George Clinton and more this April. After perfecting the lineup of their 30th Anniversary festival, Bluesfest have found equally rare talents to support the headline artists nationwide.
The list of artists is dotted with home-grown talents, including names such as The Chats, Miss Velvet and The Blue Wolf, Shaun Kirk and Baby Blue.
Hailing from the Central Coast, whacked drongos The Chats have been leaving pubs across the country in tatters. After the clip for their quintessentially Aussie tune Smoko scored 5.5 million hits the trio have been on a tour whirlwind, including sold out shows in the UK. From jamming in a mate’s bong shed to supporting The Growlers, Peter Bibby and now Iggy Pop, the trio have been fanning the flames of Australian pub music with their own flare.
Similarly, Miss Velvet and The Blue Wolf band have certainly earned their keep around the globe. After a residency at NYC’s Rockwood Music Hall and two European tours the band started blowing up on airwaves in Germany, Finland and Estonia. After a last minute slot supporting George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic they landed another 62 slots with the legendary aficionados, leading them ultimately to Australian shores.
Constance Hauman – High Tides (review)
FEBRUARY 15, 2019
Artist: Constance Hauman
Album: High Tides
Media: CD
Style: Pop, Opera, Funk, Singer / Songwriter
Label: Isotopia Records / Indigo
Duration: 49:33
Published: 02/15/2019
Website: constancehauman.com
Even if you hold the red, with white embossed shapes designed Digi-Book to “High Tides” by CONSTANCE HAUMAN in the hands, you are impressed. Here, someone has saved no expense and effort, because even the inside of the hardcover wrapping is like a book with 40 (!!!) Pages, which also contains a table of contents and an index, all of which are on each, in the hard-bound booklet refer to the song contained. Curiosity is aroused when looking at and flipping through this coffee table art book of “High Tides” and one is inclined to buy this beautifully designed work blind, because behind it just has to hide good music. Yeah, she’s really hiding behind … and actually she should have liked a KATE BUSH too.
But who is CONSTANCE HAUMAN, who dedicates her album to “love, the past, the present and the future” and provides each song with quotations from Friedrich Nietzsche to Albert Camus or even Yoko Ono and Arthur Miller as well as Paul Tillich?
Naturally, CONSTANCE HAUMAN is a classic opera singer, but at the same time a pianist, actress, composer and producer – also unmissable on this album. A true universal talent whose career began in major international concert halls, theaters, cinemas and opera houses, but not on pop or rock stages.
So now she turns to the sophisticated pop with high-quality songwriting lyrics, which she implements in addition to the piano primarily by many electronic sound generator.
Often she accompanies a melancholy mood. Much like it was already in their highly acclaimed and funk rock sensation celebrated band MISS VELVET AND THE BLUE WOLF. But that she also played in front of Queen Elizabeth I singing in the Vienna State Opera, brought her much recognition. And how beautiful an aria can sound from her, which she packs into an electronic pop scaffolding, can be heard with devout admiration on “Les Chemins de l’Amour.”
Already the 2015 debut album “Falling Into Now” was voted by the British Guardian as one of the top 10 pop albums, with the explicit reference that one expects the fusion of pop, opera and funk. Just this way, CONSTANCE HAUMAN continues on “High Tides,” with a lot of melancholy and thoughtful resonates. Especially her fear for nature plays a big role in the text as well as separation fears and experiences. That’s another reason why we discover some very meaningful philosophical quotes in the booklet, such as Francois De La Rochefoulcaulds: “True love is like a spirit that everyone talks about but few have seen.”
Todra also belongs to Hauman’s song “Waiting For You.”
But true pop anthems like “Run Sisters” and “Mystic Vision” can be found on “High Tides” as well as the very tender love ballads “Lonely Xmas” or “Painful Strangers,” with the already mentioned “Les Chemins de l’Amour “is a composition by the Frenchman Francis Poulenc and the ballad “Everlong” comes as a cover version of the FOO FIGHTER DAVE GROHL.
“High Tides” is definitely another CONSTANCE HAUMAN album for which the Guardian should already have a place for the top ten pop albums of the year.
CONCLUSION: The musical and theatrical all-rounder CONSTANCE HAUMAN offers with “High Tides” a spectacularly designed and impressive-sounding music spectacle, in which she deliberately does not conceal her opera education and successfully combines pop music with vocal arias. In addition, the melancholy mood as well as the thoughtful lyrics “High Tides” turn into a truly impressive work of art made up of popular and classically inspired music that “flooded” the listener.
Thoralf Koss (translated by Google Translate)
Demand pop with depth: the new album by Constance Hauman
JANUARY 22, 2019
Even without drifting too much into sensationalism: CONSTANCE HAUMAN is a true universal talent.
The lady works as a singer, actress, pianist, composer, copywriter and producer.
Her career has made her a permanent guest in international concert halls, theaters, cinemas and opera houses.
And as you know it from such multiband people, they often work for others before they think of themselves.
But when Constance puts herself in the spotlight, something very special comes out of it.
Be it as keyboardist and musical director of the immensely celebrated funk rock sensation Miss Velvet And The Blue Wolf (most recently on tour with George Clinton, a new album is already in the works) or as Queen Elizabeth I at the Vienna State Opera.
The lady has an impeccable reputation as a creative surprise bag.
Her solo debut Falling Into Now was voted one of the top ten pop albums of the year in 2015 by the British Guardian.
As you can see, pop, opera, funk … Ms Hauman feels comfortable in a variety of genres.
The new solo High Tides is a renewed all-round hit: Fragile yet intense, touching, rousing, full of depth and yet blessed with a light-footed hit potential.
CONSTANCE HAUMAN — High Tides
Isotopia Records / Naxos USA/Canada / Proper Music UK
Release: 25.01.2019
Constance Hauman – High Tides
Isotopia Records to Release Constance Hauman’s High Tides
JANUARY 17, 2019
Constance Hauman – High Tides
Isotopia Records to Release High Tides by World Reknown American Singer Constance Hauman
JANUARY 17, 2019
Exclusive Music Video Premiere/Music Review: “DARE” from “BAD GET SOME” – Miss Velvet and The Blue Wolf Unleash Radioactive Funk/Rock
NOVEMBER 20, 2017
All I can say is, “Yowza!” Miss Velvet and The Blue Wolf are cap-a-pie prodigiously talented. The melodies are phenomenal, the rhythms are combustible and Miss Velvet’s voice contradicts the nonexistence of the phlogiston.
“BAD GET SOME” and “DARE” blew me away.
— Randy Radic, Huffington Post
(READ FULL REVIEW HERE)
Constance Hauman – Falling into Now
voted one of the Best Albums of 2015 by Pop Music Critics from The Guardian, UK
DECEMBER 22, 2015
DECEMBER 16, 2015
New Music: Tanita Tikaram, The Spook School, Constance Hauman, Rough Trade Counter Culture 15
DECEMBER 12, 2015
Constance Hauman – Falling into Now
Personal songs that take you from despair to enlightenment
NOVEMBER 2015
FROM THE NEW LISTENER //GERMANY
Music Review by Oliver Fraenzke
Constance Hauman risks an entirely new style on her album Falling Into Now, the first release of the newly founded label Isotopia Records which is distributed by Naxos. The personnel on the album include Ms. Hauman as vocalist and pianist and Ross Pederson on drums, percussion, bass, guitar and Midi instruments.
Limiting Falling Into Now to a single genre would not do justice to the album and would be to miss the point of the recording. The singer Constance Hauman is a true musical chameleon: She became famous when she stepped into the role of Cunegonde in Berstein’s Candide, in a performance conducted by the composer, and won international acclaim for singing the title role on the first live recording of Alban Berg’s Lulu in Copenhagen. In Falling Into Now she experiments with a diversity of electronic effects, atmospheric sound clouds and also improvisation though to categorize the album even in this manner would be to ignore the directness, openness and complexity of the recording. For these reasons every song requires an individual discussion.
In this experimental music, Hauman proves herself to be a musician of the first rank. She flexibly adapts to every mood and style without seeming forced or contrived at any time. Her voice is clear and flawless, but can also assume very somber timbres when needed and amazes with spontaneous transformations. Her voice is particularly distinguished by a light breathy tone, which she uses to express a range of moods from frivolity to self-assuredness.
With every note the listener feels her connection with these songs and the various roles she slips into; she clearly feels comfortable in her own skin and continuously blossoms in the music as if there were nothing nicer in the world than to be singing this exact song. There is also an incorruptible cleanliness to her sound and an exceptional use of dynamic gradations that she uses to great emotional effect.
Additionally it is extremely pleasant that Hauman is not among those who feel it necessary to add vibrato to every note, when she does use vibrato – as well as other vocal effects – it is only to create a specific and well-considered musical point and never merely as a mechanical device.
Also featured is Ross Pederson, who apart from the piano, plays all other instruments and is responsible for recording and mixing the album. Pederson creates a dense sonic fabric, over which Hauman can freely float and maneuver without ever drowning in or becoming isolated from the accompaniment. Pederson provides a rhythmic conciseness and a versatile instrumental palette. Overall, the instrumental fabric is pregnant and interspersed with electronic sound spectra and echo effects. These come across as neither standardized nor exaggerated.
The album presents fourteen songs to texts written by Hauman. They cover a wide spectrum of the most diverse worlds, all of which stand side by side on an equal footing. No song is in any way negative nor falls out of the conceptual framework of the album. Even the improvisations are in line with the artistic plan and appear stringent and held together by a conscious tension, both in terms of the vocals and the accompanying musical voices. From the first track, Dark Angel (which is an absolute highlight for me) the listener is absorbed and taken on a journey into the world of human feeling and emotions. With each new track one trembles anew at the thought of what may follow and within the songs one can only expect the unexpected – the energy and concentration never slacken.
The booklet offers a highly artistic presentation and each page is laid out in a new yet consistent style that perfectly supports the printed texts of the songs. Photographs of the singer in different dramatic scenes and situations are presented throughout the booklet. They call up an artistically mysterious aura that characterizes the entire album.
The music – recorded between 2012 to 2014 in New York City and Paris – documents a sophisticated and mature work, and here this becomes audible!
~ ~ ~
FROM SCENE MAGAZINE UK
Constance Hauman | Falling Into Now
Music Review by Rod Nicholson
The idea of a world-renowned opera singer taking a run at an album consisting of an ambitious self-penned song-cycle about the ending of a passionate love affair and the inevitably destructive aftermath in its wake seems like both artistic risk-taking on an epic level and something that makes simple good sense considering the nearly-always dark subject matter of most classic operas.
American soprano Constance Hauman takes up the challenge on Falling Into Now and emerges triumphant despite the many pitfalls that awaited in an ambitious undertaking like this. Hauman’s soulful voice and the mostly spare musical backing takes these pitch-black lyrics to a place that wouldn’t have been out of place in Kurt Weill’s work or in the perceptive downside of pre-Hitler era cabaret.
Highly Recommended.
Performance: A
Production: A
Isotopia Records
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ISOTOPIA RECORDS PRESENTS FALLING INTO NOW, THE DEBUT ALBUM OF NEW AND ORIGINAL SONGS COMPOSED AND PERFORMED BY AMERICAN OPERA STAR, CONSTANCE HAUMAN
North American Release: Friday 30th October 2015
Discovered by legendary composer/conductor, Leonard Bernstein, and renowned as one of the most theatrically and musically gifted lyric coloratura sopranos of her generation, Constance Hauman has thrilled audiences on the stages of the worlds great opera houses and concert halls.
With FALLING INTO NOW, she makes her debut as a pop chanteuse and a skilled and emotionally trenchant songwriter. The album presents a cycle of songs that are conceptually and affectively linked, recounting Ms. Hauman’s odyssey from the edge of darkness to a land of new beginnings and illumination. The 14 songs on the album document the pain and complexity of broken relationships, betrayal and the fortitude one manifests in both integrating and leaving the past behind. While FALLING INTO NOW recounts a deeply personal journey, it is one that anyone who has known love and loss can both relate to and empathize with.
The album features Ms. Hauman as vocalist and on keyboards along with the percussionist/programmer Ross Pederson, who also serves as co-arranger and recording engineer.
FALLING INTO NOW marks the launch of Isotopia Records (www.isotopiarecords.com), a New York-based label founded by Ms. Hauman together with Heresy Records CEO, Eric Fraad. Isotopia will focus on popular music, dance music and fusions of classical and jazz. Mr. Fraad says of Isotopia, “Along with Constance we are signing some truly game changing artists who have the potential to capture the imagination of a wide public and at the same time remain on the cutting edge of their genres.”
Isotopia Records is a new imprint of Heresy Records the critically acclaimed Irish-based label whose 2015 release The Wexford Carols reached #1 on the Billboard and Amazon World Music Charts. Isotopia, is distributed in North America by Naxos of America and internationally by the Naxos Group of Companies and a consortium of leading independents. The album will be released on multiple formats including CD, digital download and streaming services around the world.
FALLING INTO NOW: TRACK LISTING
1. DARK ANGEL 5:36
2. ECLIPSE 5:02
3. SORRY EYES 4:41
4. BROKEN PEARL 4:31
5. FALLING INTO NOW 3:53
6. GRAND TRINE 6:53
7. BELLS OF ST MERRY 4:56
8. SILENT NIGHT 5:46
9. BURN THE HOUSE DOWN 4:32
10. THAT TOOK IT OUT OF ME 4:20
11. VENUS TRANSIT 5:52
12. SAFETY 5:38
13. ANGELS 4:51
14. AUTUMN LEAVES 7:55
NOTES FOR EDITORS
ABOUT CONSTANCE HAUMAN
“Constance Hauman, a lustrous coloratura soprano of wide-ranging tastes and versatility, made headlines all over Europe as the waif/sex-goddess in Alban Berg’s Lulu… meanwhile her performance piece Exiles in Paradise, backed up by research worthy of a Ph.D. is tossed off with the pizzazz of a diva. And damned if Ms. Hauman doesn’t lead with ‘Falling in Love Again’ displaying a sensuality of phrase and brilliance of tone that owes not a lick to Marlene.”
~ The Wall Street Journal
“Constance Hauman’s Morgan le Fay is simply sensational”
~ The Times (London)
Constance Hauman is renowned as one of America’s most adventurous, talented and versatile lyric coloratura sopranos. Leonard Bernstein discovered her when she replaced the ailing June Anderson in the role of Cunegonde from Candide. Her signature roles, Lulu and Zerbinetta, are amongst the most difficult in the operatic repertoire
Constance has song over 2,000 performances of opera and hundreds of concerts with a wide array of leading international companies including, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Welsh National Opera, English National Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Opera National de Paris, Berlin Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, London Symphony and London Philharmonia amongst many others.
Ms. Hauman has worked with many of the world’s foremost conductors and stage directors such as Daniel Barenboim, Michael Tilson Thomas, Kent Nagano, Kurt Masur, James Conlon, Peter Sellars, Mark Morris, Robert Carson and Pier Luigi Pizzi. She wrote, directed and starred in the one-woman show, Exiles in Paradise which caused a sensation at the 92nd Street Y in New York, Schoenberg Hall in Los Angeles and at the Jewish Museum in Berlin.
PUBLIC RELATIONS ENQUIRIES
UNITED KINGDOM
Phill Savidge
Phill@phillsavidge.com
Tel/Fax: +44 (0)208.348.0373
Mobile: +44 (0)7887.584.242
NORTH AMERICA
Raymond Bisha and Kelly Rasch,
Naxos of America & Naxos Canada
Raymond Bisha: rbisha@naxosusa.com
Tel: 917.892.1249
Kelly Rach: krach@naxosusa.com
July 22nd — Isotopia Records becomes an imprint of Heresy Records, Ireland.
August 4th — Isotopia Records announces distribution by Naxos International and LMI (UK).
August 7th — Selections from Falling Into Now make their radio debut live on Bbox Radio with creator/singer/pianist/songwriter Constance Hauman.
September 21st — Isotopia’s single Angels climbs to 50,000 listens on Jango Radio, for a total of 55,000 listeners on combined streams and digital stores.
October 2nd — Isotopia’s second single Sorry Eyes goes live on iTunes, Spotify and numerous other DDP’s.
October 30th — Street and digital release date for Falling Into Now for North America, Europe and Asia.
December 2nd — Street date for Falling Into Now in the United Kingdom.
