News

Introducing… General Elektriks

• 23rd Nov 2010

General Elektriks is the brainchild of Hervé “RV” Salters. Known for his distinctive stream of consciousness keyboard playing , RV quickly became the go-to Parisian for his ‘vintage sound’ . A multi selling artist across Europe, RV has also worked with Femi Kuti, -M-, and DJ Mehdi, among others.

General Elektriks, now based in the US, began as a musical journal that followed RV through his move from San Francisco to Seattle, then back to Berkeley, where he currently resides. It was in the Bay Area that he hooked up with the Quannum crew [ Legendary producer DJ Shadow’s label] and started doing session work for them, and it was through Quannum that he also released the first GE record, 2005’s ‘Cliquety Kliqk’. Described by URB as “Ennio Morricone for the 21st century,” the album, which also featured appearances from Lateef The Truthspeaker and Chief Xcel, was a mix of vintage funk, hip-hop beats, noir riffs, cinematic arrangements, pop melodies and digital twinkle. And people caught on: besides a positive press response, ‘Tu M’intrigues’ was used in commercials for Mercedes-Benz’s E Class and Ralph Lauren’s Notorious perfume, while ‘Time to Undress’ was played in Woody Allen’s 2007 film, Cassandra’s Dream.

RV has also worked with Blackalicious, joining them in the studio to work on their third full length, 2005’s The Craft, and also joined them on their accompanying tours. Concurrently, he formed the trio Honeycut with singer Bart Davenport and drummer/ programmer Tony Sevener, and Quannum released their critically acclaimed debut, The Day I Turned To Glass, in 2006. As he was touring with Honeycut and laying keys down for more artists (Lifesavas, Lyrics Born, Curumin, Jel [Anticon], the Mighty Underdogs, to name a few), Salters started working on a second GE effort.

Currently touring with ‘Good City for Dreamers’ the latest album is a multi-dimensional, multi-cultural recording that puts the French expatriate in the growing ranks of artists who are citizens of the world, of artists who create sonic landscapes that feed as much on their origins as they do on their travels. It’s RV’s own take on psychedelia, one where future soul, old-school pop, sampling, indie rock, hip-hop and free jazz sparkle as they collide. Live, General Elektriks – comprised of a five-piece band, led by Salters – consistently sells out shows across Europe and USA.

Next year sees more activity for the band with the release of three General Elektriks produced records including Pigeon John, Honeycut (‘Three San Franciscans making unbelievably hip, soul infused indie funk to rival any Gorillaz and Gnarls Barkley offering’) and Antonionian.

An extensive tour will follow with new material in the Summer from the forthcoming album set for release in the Autumn.