Love Bites: CD and limited edition 7” single      

The collaboration of one of the UK’s best kept musical secrets and one the UK’s most renowned purveyor of weird and wonderful as Will Tang, a singer/songwriter, guitarist & Blues harmonica guru hailing from Rochdale, teams up with Manchester DJ, producer and Twisted Nerve label boss, Andy Votel to produce one of the most eclectic releases of the year so far!
Votel, who likes to dabble on the musical fringes, has managed to mould Will’s rootsy acoustic style with a furious tommy gun break beat to create an unlikely concoction of whiskey soaked Blues sensibilities underpinned with a killer dancefloor groove.
Will, who has English and Chinese roots, is virtually a household name in Hong Kong. With a 13 year career and 5 albums under his belt, Will’s unique style, which draws on elements of everything from Blues, Jazz, Rock, Pop to Hip Hop, has garnered much interest in the UK, including that of Votel, whose previous remixing duties include the likes of Elbow, Broadcast, Badly Drawn Boy, and Ian Brown.
With a string of UK dates in the pipeline this limited release remix will be served as an appetizer to Will’s forthcoming new album release due later in the year.
 

Jan Hargreaves

Wow. Cow bells, harmonica, a driving repeat on the bassline, and rapid fire breakbeat drumming – it’s hip-hop meets soul meets funk meets god knows what. And he comes from Rochdale??
Will Tang does the blues in a similar vein to Captain Beefheart (in his clearer moments of thinking). Forget what Gomez thought was the blues. You can even by-pass the 22-20s take on the genre. If you want a fresh interpretation of the blues, look no further than this.
What Votel has done on the two remixes here is recognise that blues is roots music. As is hip-hop. As is garage. He’s twisted Tang’s grungy blues to create some funked up block rockin’ beats on Your Love Bites, and has gone for a sleazy, trippy mash up on Travellin’ Man.
Your Love Bites has sozzled my brain like a rough Kentucky bourbon. It’ll make you dance like you’ve got ants in your pants.
 

Matt Taylor

Andy Votel, master of all trades jack of none, turns his hand once again to remixing with this up and coming blues talent. Tang’s trademark whiskey-soaked riffs receive the Votel treatment, complete with some of the toughest breaks ever committed to vinyl!
A single to kick start your Spring!
8/10