Under the Quantic banner, Will Holland’s endeavours as a songwriter, musician, producer and sound engineer run deep. From focused solo productions and intimate collaborations to expansive ensemble projects, his reputation is forged on how he engages with local scenes and cultures around the world. Across his 20-years-deep discography it might be honey-coated synths or the natural lilt of live instrumentation that catch your ear, maybe even the arresting performance of a vocalist, but whatever the style on any given record, the Quantic stamp stands for soul-enriching sounds.
As a lifelong musical explorer, Holland has dug for records, jammed with artists and developed projects on every continent while developing his own soul-charged sound. He’s presented unheard wonders from Ethiopia and diligently compiled the extensively researched The Original Sound Of Cumbia. Whether working to collaborate and tour the world with soul legend Spanky Wilson or coordinating Ondatrópica with Colombia’s Mario Galeano and up to 40 musicians, Holland’s approach to every project is one of total immersion and commitment.
The earliest Quantic releases, such as breakthrough debut LP The 5th Exotic, embody the downtempo boom of the early 00s – all fuzzy jazz licks and dusty hip-hop beats. Holland was quick to expand his horizons with The Quantic Soul Orchestra – a celebrated stage and studio project which brought a vibrant ensemble of players together to render his innately funky music in the vivid tones of live instrumentation. He started working closely with Alice Russell, a treasure of British soul with a formidable range, who has become an inseparable part of the
Quantic story.
During his time living in Colombia, Holland created Flowering Inferno and dived into the fathomless pools of reggae and dub, as well as the cumbia and descarga of the region. Albums
such as Magnetica found him working with electronica sound palettes driven by his considered investment in South American traditional music, while with The Western Transient he returned to a grassroots style of jazz alongside six other talented players (Holland himself was on guitar). 2019’s “Atlantic Oscillations” infused sparkling disco arrangements with swooning orchestrations and angular broken beats, and a run of albums with Pacific folklore singer Nidia Góngora have yielded two albums of unabashedly beautiful balladry shot through with languid surf guitar, pattering drums and tender vocals.
Signalling his resurgent passion for the immediacy of club music, he reunited with Alice Russell for “Heaven Or Hell,” a forthright deep house single for Aus Records recorded and mixed at
Selva Studios, Holland’s studio in Bushwick, New York. This space, which also provided the launch pad for Atlantic Oscillations and other projects, opened a new chapter in Holland’s career and coincided with a bi-monthly residency at Good Room, a revered club space in contemporary NYC.
Quantic’s latest album, Dancing While Falling, is in many ways an evolution. The most live-sounding, euphoric and, in his own words, grown-up release to date. The Disco and House leaning record featured multiple collaborations with Andreya Triana as well as Rationale and Connie Constance culminating in an album that achieved A-list positions on 6 Music for months on end.
An artist always in conversation with his surroundings and prepared to change his circumstances at the behest of inspiration, Holland has already guided the Quantic narrative through more ventures and expressions than we could list in one text. With new chapters constantly being written, it’s a story which only deepens with time – a true reflection of global music’s eternally transient nature.
Dancing While Falling takes its final form on the 9th of October at Outernet London in a one-off, new-look live show. The performance will incorporate the best of live performance and electronic innovation capturing the spirit of Dancing While Falling while also using Outernet’s unique visual capabilities.
