Bassist Mark Wade Releases Solo Record Songs From Isolation.
Mark Wade has gained international recognition with his trio and their 2015 debut recording “Event Horizon” and 2018 follow up “Moving Day”.
The popular New York bassist is a three-time Downbeat Magazine Reader’s Poll finalist. For his 2020 release, Songs From Isolation, Wade steps out on his own to present a unique solo project.
The five selections included in this offering are comprised of music performed solely on the acoustic and electric bass. Each song is accompanied by a music video. Wade produced the music and videos at home during the Covid-19 lockdown in New York City in Spring 2020.
The result is a deeply personal expression of music-making that breaks new ground in Wade’s musical evolution. The pandemic brought an end to live music around the globe and forced musicians to use technology to keep their creative juices flowing and continue to perform. While many musicians have taken to combining remotely recorded tracks to create a virtual “band,” Wade sought a different approach: “I thought this would be the time to try a solo bass project. It’s something I always had in the back of my mind and wanted to try but I never seemed to find the time for. It’s a great challenge for any bass player to have to carry the whole show on their own. This project has been a great creative outlet for me at a time when there wasn’t much happening.”
To create the music for this visual album, he draws on the full range of sounds that the acoustic and electric bass can produce. Wade creates the sound of a full ensemble by using the acoustic bass in its traditional role, playing melodies, grooves, and solos. He adds the texture of percussion by hitting the body of the bass in different ways. Bowed bass parts at various times add a cello-like quality to the sound. Wade further expands the sonic landscape by adding electric bass to the mix, a first for his recordings.
“My first love was the electric bass, and I’ve always seen myself as both an electric and acoustic bass player.”
His approach on the electric is varied. He sometimes comps like a guitar player, plays upper register harmonics, or solos with different delays and distortion applied to the sound. The music, however, is only half the story. The videos that accompany each song are an integral part of the project and new form of expression for the artist.
His approach on the electric is varied. He sometimes comps like a guitar player, plays upper register harmonics, or solos with different delays and distortion applied to the sound. The music, however, is only half the story. The videos that accompany each song are an integral part of the project and new form of expression for the artist.
“When we went on lockdown, I decided to dive into the process and learn some higher-level video techniques.” The use of video became part of the process of interpreting the music itself. Growing up on MTV and music videos, he was always amazed at how his perception of a song changed from hearing it on the radio to seeing it on video. Video can help impart a certain feeling toward the music. Wade finds this process “fascinating.”