I've found myself quite entranced by Shura's self-described "night folk", having stumbled upon her work in collaboration with Hiatus, who we've praised in the past for his "moody electronica". In fact, I think I'm going to be on the radio this evening talking about the project, so tune into Now Playing on BBC 6Music from 7pm, if you dare.
My powers of Googling suggest that Shura also involved one Patrick Duncombe, as well as vocalist Aleksandra Denton, who both met at university. The same university as I attended, as it happens, although I don't think any of us ever spoke. I'm not entirely sure that Patrick is still on the scene but I perhaps errantly described Shura as a solo artist when pre-recording my radio segment. Apologies, Patrick, if you are still very much involved.
Anyway, the two acts have collaborated for a series of tracks, perhaps most notably on 'Fortune's Fool', which is coming out as a single on 10th October. It's backed by the serene 'River', which you can download in its original demo version as well as hearing the updated effort below.
They deliver a hypnotic sense of mysticism conveyed through experimental beats and sparse haunting vocals. In particular, it was the quietly electrifying 'First' that won me over, a prime example of their genre-defying collaboration - a jaw-dropping mix of soul, trip-hop, electronica and dubstep.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Hiatus + Shura - First by shura
FREE DOWNLOAD: River [Demo] by shura
STREAM: Hiatus and Shura - River by shura
Find more on Shura at weareshura.com, and Hiatus at hiatusmusic.net.
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