Popforward: Primary 1

This edition of Popforward is an unusual one, because I’m about to “tip” an act that has already ceased to exist. Primary 1, aka Joe Flory, was known for producing leftfield electronic music and remixing artists like Mutya Buena and Metronomy before he decided to take the mic and embark on a major label pop career. He first got on my radar for “The Blues”, a stunning collaboration with Nina Persson (The Cardigans). Signed to Atlantic UK, he released two good singles in a row, “Princess” and “Never Know”, with the latter being his most instant pop number to date. However, despite having the tunes and visually arresting videos, his music remained relatively overlooked, and things got all too quiet. After a while, I found out he deleted his blog and Twitter without an explanation. Apparently, due to his frustration with the music industry, he retired the “Primary 1” moniker and called it a day. The album, “Other People”, was quietly chucked on iTunes with little promotion or fanfare. It is such a shame when things like this happen, because I’ve heard the album, and while it feels a bit underdeveloped, it’s certainly has its share of highlights. He proved to be indeed quite good at making moody, low-key pop music that blends electronic, folk and soul together nicely, like a more downtempo Hot Chip. I hope he will continue to make music under a different guise. Check out the opening track, “A.O.K”, a pick-me-up electro ditty with a chantlike hook that goes “If I can be happy, you can be happy too”. Make sure to get his lullaby-esque cover of “Tonight You Belong to Me”, and see the very cool video for “Never Know” after the jump.

 

MP3: Primary 1 – A.O.K

 

MP3: Primary 1 – The Blues (feat. Nina Persson)

 

MP3: Primary 1 – Tonight You Belong to Me (Cover feat. Anna Prior)

 

 

Primary 1 is giving away 3 tracks from the album (in wav form, no less), along with other tracks & remixes on their Soundcloud. “Other People” is out now digitally, and is available for streaming at Spotify.