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Project Smok

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Project Smok
Project Smok performing in 2023
Project Smok performing in 2023
Background information
GenresScottish folk
Years active2017–present
Members
  • Ali Levack
  • Ewan Baird
  • Pablo Lafuente
Websiteprojectsmok.com

Project Smok is a neotraditional Scottish folk band.

History

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The band was formed in 2017 by Levack and Lafuente, and brought on Baird in winter 2018.[1]

Musical style

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Simon Thompson, reviewing their performance at the 2023 Edinburgh International Festival, described their style as "defiantly tuneful, relentlessly upbeat, and an utter joy".[2]

Jim Gilchrist of The Scotsman, attending the same concert, noted their "blistering energy and impressively empathetic cohesion," with "Levack's low whistle playing all breathy swoops, overtones and rapid-fire ornamentation, over Lafuente and Baird’s tightly syncopated accompaniment." He felt, personally, that "tempering that relentlessly full-on musical muscle with more nuance would have been welcome," but acknowledged that the band had "delighted" festivalgoers.[3]

Johnny Whalley, reviewing The Outset for Folk Radio UK, commented that the band has "developed a framework for their compositions that ensures the traditional and electronic instruments sit comfortably together, producing music that can alternately energise or calm the listener."[4]

Band members

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  • Ali Levack (pipes)
  • Ewan Baird (bodhrán)
  • Pablo Lafuente (guitar)

Discography

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  • Horizons (EP, 2017)
  • Bayview (2020)[5][6][7]
  • Esperanza (EP, 2021)
  • The Outset (2024)[4][8]

References

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  1. ^ "6 Questions with Project Smok". The Nest Collective. 31 August 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  2. ^ Thompson, Simon (13 August 2023). "Project Smok's utterly joyous concert of Scottish neo-trad music at the Hub". Seen and Heard International. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  3. ^ Gilchrist, Jim (13 August 2023). "EIF reviews: Project Smok". The Scotsman. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  4. ^ a b Whalley, Johnny (16 January 2024). "Project Smok – The Outset". Folk Radio UK. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  5. ^ Whalley, Johnny (12 May 2020). "Project SMOK: Bayview". Folk Radio UK. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  6. ^ Mele, Michele (2020). "Bayview by Project SMOK". Bright Young Folk. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  7. ^ Monaghan, Alex (Summer 2020). "Living Tradition CD review of PROJECT SMOK – Bayview". The Living Tradition. No. 134. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  8. ^ Barrett, Caitlin (19 January 2024). "Project Smok – The Outset: Album Review". At The Barrier. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
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