Jo Mango

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"In the crowded field of contemporary folk, Murmuration is the living, breathing proof that Jo Mango is standing that bit taller than the rest."
- The Skinny

“Immensely charming…" - The Times

Following on from her incredible 2012 sophomore album Murmuration, Jo Mango enlisted the help of an excitingly unexpected grouping of international artists to remix all 10 tracks of that album to extraordinary effect. The result was Transformuration, out now via Olive Grove Records.

The album ranges from the breath-taking dignity of English new-folk linchpin Adem’s version of ‘Cordelia’, to Australian Ben TD’s largely instrumental reworking of ‘Blue Dawn Light’ that nods to electro of the likes of Erlend Oye. One half of SAY nominated Scottish duo Conquering Animal Sound remixes as CARBS and completely re-envisages the dark layers of ‘Kingdom’ with finger-clicks and hand-thumps, while ex-Frightened Rabbit guitarist Gordon Skene (aka Fraction Man) takes a bombastic shot at ‘Crossties’. Alongside this, American remixer Cycad moves on from his previous work with Tilly and the Wall, to reshape ‘Every Certainty’ into a sound-designed choir-like, cathedral piece.

The result is like the original album, in that, amongst the clamour of a crowded market, it places a gentle and insistent demand on the listener to stop and consider. Despite the light-hearted humour of the title, Transformuration presents an intellectual reimagining of the original album in myriad surprising and enlightening ways, that continue to foreground the complex (dark and delicate) nature of Mango’s unique voice.

The original album was recorded and produced by Adem Ilhan (Adem, Sliver Columns) who became a good friend of Mango’s during their time on the road together, performing in collaboration with Vetiver, Juana Molina and Vashti Bunyan in the Zero Degrees of Separation tour and with David Byrne, who curated Welcome to Dreamland, the sell-out show at Carnegie Hall in 2007. The significance of the difference in sound that Mango has orchestrated here is all the more surprising given the lo-fi, homespun, African tale-telling of her most recent EP, When We Lived in the Crook of a Tree. As ever, the breadth and depth of her approach to her musical creation, is testament to her deep thoughts on the music world as part of her work as a Dr of Musicology (she was given her PhD in music in 2012), and her insatiable appetite for experimentation with instrumentation and timbre.

Transformuration was released as a limited edition tape as part of 2014's Cassette Store Day celebration and then on full digital release through Olive Grove Records, out now.