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Faithless Music CD's, DVD's and Bio
formed in 1995, are Rollo Armstrong, Sister Bliss and Maxi Jazz.
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Faithless BioFAITHLESS, formed in 1995, are Rollo Armstrong, Sister Bliss and
Maxi Jazz.
'Outrospective' was conceived after a lengthy break away from Faithless' relentless touring schedule, a factor
which informed the melancholy mood an lyrics of 'Sunday 8 PM'. Faithless has after all spent four years out of
five touring since the release of their revelatory debut 'Reverence' (released 1995), as they literally took
their music to any place that had shown an interest in the record. This meant that the band found themselves in
such unlikely situations as playing shows in the Arctic Circle, on golden sands in Puerto Rico and under armed
guard in Turkey. Having been largely ignored by the mainstream in the UK they returned from their travels as
veterans of the worldwide live scene, something that few bands in their domain could lay claim to. Their epic
house singles such as 'Insomnia' and 'Salva Mea' had an unmistakable impact and influence on the sound of
contemporary dance music. Often imitated, never bettered, as they say. The album's eclectic scope (house, blues,
soul, rap, folk all feature) stood out in a time of no-risk policies.
Maxi Jazz had spent years prior to joining Faithless rapping far and wide, djing on pirate radio in London and
running his own record label. His faith (he is a Nicheren Shoshu Buddhist) informs his extraordinary powerful
lyrics ('a true millenium man' - The Times) and he is the charismatic frontman of the band's live act. Sister
Bliss, a classicaly trained pianist and successful house music producer in her own right, is without doubt the
world's number one female DJ. It is Bliss who has the pleasure of roadtesting Faithless' new tunes off acetate,
often fresh from the mixing desks.
Rollo's sister Dido has performed lead vocals on tracks on all three Faithless albums (including 'Salva Mea' for
which she was allegedly paid 'a curry') and her (Rollo co-produced) debut album 'No Angel' has since topped the
UK and US charts. Talented family. Rollo, who once admitted that he "can't play an instrument, can't dance in
time, can't remember any melodies", doesn't play with Faithless live - 'pointless,' he reckons, as he 'couldn't
play anything onstage anyway'. Sister Bliss alleges that their studio relationship is "telepathic, symbiotic. He
gets on with the broad strokes, textures and colours - that's how he hears music, he's got that synaesthesia [a
clinical condition where sounds have colour], he says 'make it really sad, like a rainy day, I want to hear
thunder' - and I get on with all the anal fiddly bits.
There was more touring, including a stint coheadlining across South Africa with The Prodigy, and the headline
slot of the Muzik Awards Tour. They are widely regarded as on of the finest live acts of our generation. Maxi
says: "When I'm on stage I see couples who are at least 65. I see disco kids who scream whenever I move. I see
people in their thirties, who listen intently, squeezing their eyes shut and pumping their fits whenever they
hear lyrics they like. There's no such thing as a typical Faithless fan and I love that." Bliss continues: "When
people come to our gigs, we want them to be lifted. Changed. Empowered. Moved off the ground.
www.auralgasms.com/default.aspx?BandID=faithless
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