Bicep have unveiled “CHROMA 004 ROLA”

Bicep have today unveiled “CHROMA 004 ROLA”, the latest single to be taken from their ongoing CHROMA project — which comprises a record label, a series of curated events, a brand new and constantly evolving Bicep AV/DJ show, and a unique visual identity created in collaboration with David Rudnick and his Terrain studio,

“ROLA” is another statement track from the duo: stripped-back and raw, with a distinct UK flavour, it was written, quite literally, with the dancefloor in mind as the opening track for their epic CHROMA takeover of London’s mammoth 15,000 capacity Drumsheds venue at the end of 2023. The single also received a first play from Zane Lowe on Apple Music’s New Music Daily Radio on release today.

“We wanted something dark and heavy to play as our first tune, as a stark departure from the Live show,” explained Bicep. “It’s exactly what we’re wanting to achieve with CHROMA, a track written for the dancefloor with a specific idea in mind. It’s a chance for us to stretch our legs outside a traditional album cycle and focus purely on music for us djing. It feels really refreshing for us to write music and play it out that same week. It’s been really fun for us to let people hear a bit of a tougher sound from us.”

Despite its genesis in the middle of a stormy December in London, “ROLA” is a track that has just as much impact on a warm summer night, or — as evidenced by their recent standout Coachella performances — a peak-time festival stage,  and comes as the pair gear up for a double-slot at this year’s Glastonbury, where they will bring both their ‘Bicep presents CHROMA’ AV/DJ show, which headlines the IICON stage on the Thursday night, and a world exclusive performance under alias DOVE on the Levels stage. Bicep has also been announced as headliners at this year’s Wilderness Festival, will be closing out Creamfields Runway stage, are playing at MIRA — Barcelona’s Digital Arts Festival — in November, and will also play North American shows at Portola, CRSSD and Making Time.

It’s the latest in a run of new music set for release on CHROMA throughout 2024, with the duo also hosting a number of ‘Bicep Present CHROMA’ takeovers, at London’s Finsbury Park and Brighton Beach next month, with lineups carefully curated by Bicep themselves.

July 19th – Brighton Beach – w/ Palms Trax b2b Job Jobse, Ross From Friends, Kelly Lee Owens, Peach, Hammer b2b Ysanne

August 2nd – Finsbury Park, London  – w/ Joy Orbison, Baby T, Mia Koden, Skee Mask, SUCHI, Surusinghe

Though billed as an AV/DJ performance, the ‘Bicep present CHROMA’ shows are actually more of a hybrid between DJ and live. The pair have several pedals and a drum machine they can use on stage, and there is a connection between the decks and the visuals team which allows the latter to see what is being played in real time adapting their visuals accordingly. This in turn gives Bicep the freedom to experiment with each performance, keeping the visuals and music working in tandem, no matter the direction they decide to take things.

“ROLA” marks the fourth release in the CHROMA label series, and follows DOVE’s “Bi83”, a collaboration with Benjamin Damage (under their alias B.D.B) titled “L.A.V.A”, and inaugural Bicep CHROMA single “HELIUM”. Support for CHROMA has come from The Observer, Guardian, Resident Advisor, Billboard, MTV, FADER, Wonderland, NME, Mixmag, DJ Mag, Stereogum, Notion, Paste, The Line Of Best Fit, PopMatters, Brooklyn Vegan and many more. With Bicep also appears on the cover of Disco Pogo’s April Issue.

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