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Bloc+Music release Ensemble Part 1!
"Delete U2 and fit this on a playlist instead."
- The Sunday Herald
Bar Bloc are delighted to announce the release of the first of four free compilation albums via their Bloc+Music label, available to download for free now via Bandcamp.
A stream of the compilation album was exclusively hosted by The Skinny yesterday and is a veritable treasure trove of some of the most talented up-and-coming bands who encompass the Scottish music scene right now.
You can stream and download the Bloc Ensemble Part 1 for free via Bandcamp.
The compilation is the culmination of the venue hosting some of the best up-and-coming artists in Scotland and beyond, and is the perfect showcase for a venue and label that has been renowned for cultivating grass roots art in Scotland. Bloc was recently nominated for an Unsung Hero Award at the Scottish License Trade Awards due to its initiatives to help the wider musical community in Scotland as well as deserving social causes. Indeed, Bloc have helped local bands by subsidising a touring van which is loaned to musicians at cost price (non-profit) enabling bands to tour and perform their art on a financially sustainable basis. As well as this, their label Bloc+Music is run on a non-profit basis to allow Scottish musicians to release their music without having to kowtow to the practices and pressures of major labels. This has seen the likes of So Many Animal Calls, Campfires In Winter and Felix Champion thrive and allowed them to progress their musical career at their own pace and in their own image.
Bloc’s DIY ethic is worn firmly on their chest and has aided not just the music community but the creative sector in Scotland in general with the backing of DIY label StruggleTown as well as Hay Man!, TYCI and Ment1 He1th, all of which carry the work of young Scottish artists and authors who have been instrumental in highlighting political and social issues to the wider Scottish community.
The first of four compilation albums feature the likes of Adam Stafford, Vasa, Deathcats and Verse Metrics and is a perfect example of the creative output Bloc have been at the forefront of for a over a decade. The compilation also illustrates the diversity and talent prevalent in the Scottish music scene of which Bar Bloc and Bloc+Music have been leaders in their field and will continue to spearhead for many years to come.
Bloc Ensemble Part 1 is available to download for free via the Bloc+Music Bandcamp.