Skybreak

If Jack Ramsay’s first few projects as Skybreak were escapist fantasies influenced by a deep sense of wanderlust, HALF BLOOD is the culmination of his lived experiences out in the real world. After leaving university to embark on his first two North American tours and releasing what he felt was his “perfect” EP in Moonglow, Ramsay found himself in a creative rut. Having said everything there was to say with his colour bass sound for the time being, he turned to his heritage and to the roots of bass music itself for inspiration.

Raised just outside NYC by an American mother and a British father, Ramsay grew up making frequent trips to New York and London, which ended up becoming the breeding grounds for his third album. Attending DnB/UKG raves in these urban environments and diving deep into music from some of England’s pioneering electronic acts (<a href="spotify:artist:4WvwRJA3YhUn5J2caHXoAG" data-name="Coki">Coki</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0uCCBpmg6MrPb1KY2msceF" data-name="Burial">Burial</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6kBDZFXuLrZgHnvmPu9NsG" data-name="Aphex Twin">Aphex Twin</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6FXMGgJwohJLUSr5nVlf9X" data-name="Massive Attack">Massive Attack</a>) drove him to focus on groove &amp; atmosphere, while still allowing subtle splashes of colour to seep through the concrete.

The year leading up to HALF BLOOD has been Skybreak’s most ambitious and accomplished to date, with notable firsts including reaching 1 million streams on a track (“<a href="spotify:track:61kmDZXjXGBWh8YnWjFCQY" data-name="Accelerate">Accelerate</a>”), a silent disco on NYC’s F Train promoting the album, a sold out co-headline with <a href="spotify:artist:3hMTYaexWgGkXqvbkt6EIS" data-name="Chime">Chime</a> in Tokyo, a music video (“<a href="spotify:track:5UiBPe2tMACirmcdSpjP13" data-name="Terminal">Terminal</a>”), a lecture at the Berklee College of Music and performances at Ubbi Dubbi &amp; Starbase (where he premiered “Ever Again,” his collaboration with <a href="spotify:artist:20DZAfCuP1TKZl5KcY7z3Q" data-name="SLANDER">SLANDER</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:7c0XG5cIJTrrAgEC3ULPiq" data-name="Ty Dolla $ign">Ty Dolla $ign</a>).