Award-winning Belfast duo Bicep has unveiled their new three-headed CHROMA project, consisting of a record label, an event series, and an all-new hybrid audiovisual show.
After teasing pieces of the new CHROMA A/V show at their sold-out DRUMSHEDS gig in December, avant-garde producers Andy Ferguson and Matt McBriar have announced new details on the project, including a new single, “CHROMA 001 HELIUM,” marking their first release on the CHROMA label.
This new label will house “underground-focused” music from the esteemed “Glue” and “Apricots” producers.
“We’ve increasingly wanted to show a more rounded picture of what we do in the studio,” Bicep shared in a press release. “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.”
Pulling back the curtain on “CHROMA 001 HELIUM,” the pair added that the new track was written “specifically” for Bicep’s two-night run at London’s famed Alexandra Palace in 2022 to “add some more grit” into a show that “felt a little too sweet in certain sections.”
Bicep said the product is “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 pair describes CHROMA LIVE as a “hybrid between DJ set and live,” with plans for the show to be “constantly evolving and changing on a week-to-week basis with lots more experimentation.” They are bringing their new productions into the live performance space.
The front-facing visual imagery for the CHROMA project is crafted by acclaimed graphic designer David Rudnick, adapted for live performances by BICEP LIVE lead artist Zak Norman. It features live manipulation of visuals and lighting in real-time.
Bicep has already announced several CHROMA shows for 2024, including Radius Chicago, Coachella and Hideout Festival.
Listen to Bicep’s “CHROMA 001 HELIUM” below.
Featured image from Bicep.
