Sleepthief
Encyclopedia
Sleepthief is an American electronic music recording project formed by producer and composer Justin Elswick. Elswick began writing music for the album ten years prior to its release. The album was mixed, mastered, co-produced, and co-arranged by Israel Curtis. Sleepthief's first album, The Dawnseeker, was released in 2006.
Sleepthief is most often compared to musical groups such as Delerium
(in its output from the mid-1990s onward) and Balligomingo
, which produce emotive, melodic, synthesized music with what is often described as New Age
-influenced ethnic characteristics from other cultures. Also similar to these groups is Sleepthief's use of pop music-based song structures with performances by female singers: eleven vocalists contribute to The Dawnseeker, many of whom are established recording artists, and some having worked with the aforementioned groups previously.
followed by a law degree at J. Reuben Clark Law School
. He is currently a practicing attorney in Provo, Utah
.
In addition, Elswick wrote for Musical Discoveries, a music website dedicated to female vocalists, as an associate editor.
along with Quine, also worked with the group.
EP on June 30, 2009. It includes the original version as well as several remixed versions.
The track "Skimming Stones" performed by Kirsty Hawkshaw
is a reprised version that was originally released on a compilation album featuring various female vocalists, "Sirenes: The Beauty of the Female Voice". A music video was also produced for this track. "Skimming Stones"
The lead single for the new album, "World Gone Crazy", features the vocals of Coury Palermo and was released as a digital download EP on June 30, 2009.
The next single was "Reason Why", a duet performed by Coury Palermo & Zoë Johnston
(Digital EP - 23rd March 2010). Also a video has been shot for the track, set in the Provo Tabernacle, now destroyed by a fire in December 2010. Along with several remixes, a new song,titled "Asunder", was released. It is performed with the neoclassical/celtic duo Mirabilis
.
The tracklist is as follows:
Afterwards Justin released two new tracks, included in the compilation "Beauty 2 - Music That Touches The Soul" (25th October 2010). The first track "Another Day" (with Kyoko Baertsoen) is a cover of the song originally by This Mortal Coil
. The second, "Empyrean" (with Suzanne Perry) was performed with the glossolalia
technique.
He is currently busy with a side project, named Spythriller, (in collaboration with Caroline Lavelle
and Israel Curtis). The first video and related single will be released 15th November 2011. Every four weeks a new song will be released until the album is completed, after which it will also be released as a physical CD.
The first track to be released was Nightwish
cover song "Nemo", followed by "Spythriller". They can be found on the Spythriller official site and YouTube official channel.
In addition, he is working with Roberta Carter-Harrison on her solo album and with Carla Werner
, for her solo dance album.
A new Sleepthief release will likely be released in early 2012. It will be a 7-track EP. Kirsty Hawkshaw, Coury Palermo, Carla Werner, Jody Quine, and Kristy Thirsk
are the singers. In the beginning of June, Jody Quine recorded her two tracks titled "Mortal Longing" (as the EP) and "Falcon in Snow". They are in the same vein as "Eurydice" and "World Gone Crazy". A video for "Mortal Longing" was shot in September in Utah and is being editing (including the use of special effects) for release as a first single, tentatively in November.
Sleepthief is most often compared to musical groups such as Delerium
Delerium
Delerium is a band from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, formed in 1987, originally as a side project of the influential industrial music act, Front Line Assembly...
(in its output from the mid-1990s onward) and Balligomingo
Balligomingo
Balligomingo is an electronic music project by Garrett Schwarz and Vic Levak. Their music has been compared to that of Delerium, Massive Attack, Mythos, Nitin Sawhney and Enigma. The current Album Under an Endless Sky has been released via the group's website in early August 2009...
, which produce emotive, melodic, synthesized music with what is often described as New Age
New Age music
New Age music is music of various styles intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management or to create a peaceful atmosphere in their home or other environments, and is often...
-influenced ethnic characteristics from other cultures. Also similar to these groups is Sleepthief's use of pop music-based song structures with performances by female singers: eleven vocalists contribute to The Dawnseeker, many of whom are established recording artists, and some having worked with the aforementioned groups previously.
Biography
Born in Southern California, Elswick served as an LDS missionary in Texas and received a B.A. degree in History from Brigham Young University. Throughout this period, he became a self-taught musician. Justin also studied in Ireland, graduating with a Master's degree in philosophy at Trinity College, DublinTrinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
followed by a law degree at J. Reuben Clark Law School
J. Reuben Clark Law School
The J. Reuben Clark Law School is a professional graduate school located in Provo, Utah at Brigham Young University. Founded in 1973, the school is named after J. Reuben Clark, Jr.—former U.S. Ambassador, Undersecretary of State, and LDS Church General Authority—and its charter dean was former...
. He is currently a practicing attorney in Provo, Utah
Provo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
.
In addition, Elswick wrote for Musical Discoveries, a music website dedicated to female vocalists, as an associate editor.
History of Sleepthief
Elswick began working on songs with Curtis around 2003. Russell Elliot, editor-in-chief of Musical Discoveries, put Elswick in contact with singer Jody Quine in December 2003; Quine became the first singer to join with the project, recording three songs and being filmed for a music video by 2005. Vic Levak, who worked with BalligomingoBalligomingo
Balligomingo is an electronic music project by Garrett Schwarz and Vic Levak. Their music has been compared to that of Delerium, Massive Attack, Mythos, Nitin Sawhney and Enigma. The current Album Under an Endless Sky has been released via the group's website in early August 2009...
along with Quine, also worked with the group.
The Dawnseeker
- "Here I Confess"
- featuring Joanna Stevens
- "World Gone Crazy"
- featuring Coury Palermo
- "Skimming Stones (Reprise)"
- featuring Kirsty HawkshawKirsty HawkshawKirsty Hawkshaw is a British dance/electronica/house/trance musician and songwriter. She is known for her participation as lead vocalist for the group Opus III, and her collaborative work with other musicians and producers....
- featuring Kirsty Hawkshaw
- "Labyrinthine Heart"
- featuring Jody Quine
- "A Kind Of Magic"
- featuring Zoë JohnstonZoe JohnstonZoë Johnston is a British singer-songwriter , who grew up in Nottinghamshire. Johnston is best known for her vocal contributions to Faithless, Above & Beyond, Bent, and Delerium.-Early career:...
- featuring Zoë Johnston
- "A Cut From The Fight"
- featuring Kristy ThirskKristy ThirskKristy Thirsk is a platinum selling Canadian singer-songwriter best known for her work with Delerium.-Rose Chronicles:She was the singer and a co-writer for the band Rose Chronicles, which was signed to Nettwerk in the 1990s. Rose Chronicles released two full-length albums: Shiver , which won a...
- featuring Kristy Thirsk
- "Rainy World"
- featuring Caroline LavelleCaroline LavelleCaroline Lavelle is a British singer-songwriter and cellist who has created three solo albums and contributed vocals, music, and production help to many other artists and bands.-Career:Lavelle studied at the Royal College of Music in London...
- featuring Caroline Lavelle
- "Ariadne (The Dividing Sea)"
- featuring Joanna Stevens
- "Reason Why"
- featuring Coury Palermo & Zoë JohnstonZoe JohnstonZoë Johnston is a British singer-songwriter , who grew up in Nottinghamshire. Johnston is best known for her vocal contributions to Faithless, Above & Beyond, Bent, and Delerium.-Early career:...
- featuring Coury Palermo & Zoë Johnston
- "Fire King"
- featuring Jody Quine
- "Reversals"
- featuring Kristy ThirskKristy ThirskKristy Thirsk is a platinum selling Canadian singer-songwriter best known for her work with Delerium.-Rose Chronicles:She was the singer and a co-writer for the band Rose Chronicles, which was signed to Nettwerk in the 1990s. Rose Chronicles released two full-length albums: Shiver , which won a...
- featuring Kristy Thirsk
- "There's Something Going On"
- featuring Roberta Carter Harrison
Singles
The lead single for the new album, "World Gone Crazy", features the vocals of Coury Palermo and was released as a digital downloadMusic download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
EP on June 30, 2009. It includes the original version as well as several remixed versions.
- Psychosomatic (Radio) Mix
- Nick Murray Mix
- Martin Preston Mix
- Sensory Gate Mix
- Coury Palermo Mix
The track "Skimming Stones" performed by Kirsty Hawkshaw
Kirsty Hawkshaw
Kirsty Hawkshaw is a British dance/electronica/house/trance musician and songwriter. She is known for her participation as lead vocalist for the group Opus III, and her collaborative work with other musicians and producers....
is a reprised version that was originally released on a compilation album featuring various female vocalists, "Sirenes: The Beauty of the Female Voice". A music video was also produced for this track. "Skimming Stones"
The lead single for the new album, "World Gone Crazy", features the vocals of Coury Palermo and was released as a digital download EP on June 30, 2009.
The next single was "Reason Why", a duet performed by Coury Palermo & Zoë Johnston
Zoe Johnston
Zoë Johnston is a British singer-songwriter , who grew up in Nottinghamshire. Johnston is best known for her vocal contributions to Faithless, Above & Beyond, Bent, and Delerium.-Early career:...
(Digital EP - 23rd March 2010). Also a video has been shot for the track, set in the Provo Tabernacle, now destroyed by a fire in December 2010. Along with several remixes, a new song,titled "Asunder", was released. It is performed with the neoclassical/celtic duo Mirabilis
Mirabilis
Mirabilis is a Latin adjective meaning "amazing, wondrous, remarkable", and is used to refer to:*Mirabilis , the fifth album by British vocal group Mediaeval Baebes*Mirabilis , an ethereal/neo-classical band...
.
The tracklist is as follows:
- Reason Why (feat. Zoë Johnston and Coury Palermo) Sleepthief
- Reason Why (Blue Stone Remix) [feat. Zoë Johnston and Coury Palermo]
- Reason Why (Chris Brush Mix) [feat. Zoë Johnston and Coury Palermo]
- Reason Why (Bryan El Mix) [feat. Zoë Johnston and Coury Palermo]
- Asunder (feat. Mirabilis)
Afterwards Justin released two new tracks, included in the compilation "Beauty 2 - Music That Touches The Soul" (25th October 2010). The first track "Another Day" (with Kyoko Baertsoen) is a cover of the song originally by This Mortal Coil
This Mortal Coil
This Mortal Coil was a gothic dream pop supergroup led by Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of the British record label 4AD. Although Watts-Russell and John Fryer were technically the only two official members, the band's recorded output featured a large rotating cast of supporting artists, many of whom...
. The second, "Empyrean" (with Suzanne Perry) was performed with the glossolalia
Glossolalia
Glossolalia or speaking in tongues is the fluid vocalizing of speech-like syllables, often as part of religious practice. The significance of glossolalia has varied with time and place, with some considering it a part of a sacred language...
technique.
He is currently busy with a side project, named Spythriller, (in collaboration with Caroline Lavelle
Caroline Lavelle
Caroline Lavelle is a British singer-songwriter and cellist who has created three solo albums and contributed vocals, music, and production help to many other artists and bands.-Career:Lavelle studied at the Royal College of Music in London...
and Israel Curtis). The first video and related single will be released 15th November 2011. Every four weeks a new song will be released until the album is completed, after which it will also be released as a physical CD.
The first track to be released was Nightwish
Nightwish
Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee, Finland. Formed in 1996 by songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former vocalist Tarja Turunen, Nightwish's current line-up has five members, although Tarja has been replaced by Anette Olzon and the...
cover song "Nemo", followed by "Spythriller". They can be found on the Spythriller official site and YouTube official channel.
In addition, he is working with Roberta Carter-Harrison on her solo album and with Carla Werner
Carla Werner
Carla Werner is a singer and songwriter from New Zealand who began her music career at age 11.Her first major record deal was in 2002 with Columbia Records, Sony Music and was followed by the release of her debut album Departure in 2003...
, for her solo dance album.
A new Sleepthief release will likely be released in early 2012. It will be a 7-track EP. Kirsty Hawkshaw, Coury Palermo, Carla Werner, Jody Quine, and Kristy Thirsk
Kristy Thirsk
Kristy Thirsk is a platinum selling Canadian singer-songwriter best known for her work with Delerium.-Rose Chronicles:She was the singer and a co-writer for the band Rose Chronicles, which was signed to Nettwerk in the 1990s. Rose Chronicles released two full-length albums: Shiver , which won a...
are the singers. In the beginning of June, Jody Quine recorded her two tracks titled "Mortal Longing" (as the EP) and "Falcon in Snow". They are in the same vein as "Eurydice" and "World Gone Crazy". A video for "Mortal Longing" was shot in September in Utah and is being editing (including the use of special effects) for release as a first single, tentatively in November.
External links
- Official Site
- Official YouTube Channel
- Interviews with all vocalists for The Dawnseeker at Musical Discoveries
- Interviews with all vocalists for Labyrinthine Heart at Musical Discoveries
- Interview at DJFIX
- Review of Labyrinthine Heart at All About Jazz