Experimental electronica project Minerva Wakes is the creation of musician, producer/DJ, artist and writer Jo D'arc. Minerva's Wakes makes dark, juicy triphop with a twist of glitchy psychedelia. Primal electro bass tones move with strong beats creating a powerful backdrop to hauntingly entwined melodic vocal harmonies. Lush synths are gripped by a glint of raw dub bass bringing softness to the dark energy.
Minerva Wakes has evolved into a multi-arts project including an album of music and poetry exploring the awakening of the Goddess; a short-story delving deeper into the detail of this awakening and an abstract photography project adding further fuel to the concept piece. This will be carried into the live show. Expect the unexpected.
Jo worked with The Tron Theatre, Glasgow and Playwright Studio Scotland on the initial phase of turning the Minerva Wakes concept into a theatre show so elements of this influence the performance of the music of Minerva Wakes.
The album was launch at a pop-up outdoor gig in a secret location in the Scottish Boarders. Since then Minerva Wakes has performed across the country including dates in Bristol, Glasgow, Newcastle and Leeds as well as festival slots at Eden Festival, Solfest, Doune The Rabbit Hole and Gallus Adventures.
The album received positive reviews from BBC Introducing, Is This Music, Loud Women, NHC, The Ginger Quiff and You Call That Radio. The tracks released as singles were both played on BBC Introducing being referred to as 'dark, weird and glorious'. The pamphlet that accompanies the album of music was published by Wordville Press and a collection of prints all available to purchase here.
Press
‘Dark, weird and glorious’
- BBC Introducing
‘‘Tell Me’ is a dark and electronic goth trip-hop track which takes a bit of getting used to but repays with repeated listens. A bit impenetrable at first (to these ears), it is all about the backbeat and, when you realise this, it reveals itself as a real monstrous slow-burner…’’
— Is This Music
‘‘Years of cultivation have culminated in a gritty, edgy electro entity set to awaken the goddess and entice fractious, visceral shapes to ferment in the mind and body.’’
— Bella Caledonia
“The follow up to Tell Me is Perfect Soul, and it is as trippy and woozy as I could have hoped for. A different direction from The Twistettes altogether, with more of a Portishead than punky feel, Perfect Soul is perfectly hypnotic, Jo’s breathy vocal calming your soul as the beats intensify towards the close.”
— The Ginger Quiff
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LISTEN
Minerva Wakes is available on all popular streaming sites including Spotify. Follow and add to your playlist!
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WATCH
There are a number fo music videos on our youtube channel. Subscribe to our channel if you’d like to be first to see new videos.
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BUY
There are CD’s, t-shirts and other merchandise available in the online store. Check it out…