BOLDEN. is a fast-rising jazz house duo blending the soul of jazz with the rhythm of electronic music. Emerging from the UK’s vibrant underground scene, Reuben Barrett and Catherine Rannus, both gifted multi-instrumentalists with contrasting but complementary musical journeys, are forging a new path for modern jazz and electronic fusion.
Reuben, a self-taught artist of guitar, bass, drums, and keyboard, brings a raw, intuitive approach to rhythm and harmony. Catherine, a classically trained pianist, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist on flute and saxophone, brings a strong sense of melody, harmony, and feel to BOLDEN.’s evolving sound. As one of the few women in the modern jazz house space, especially on the instrumental side, Catherine brings a vital and often underrepresented perspective to the genre. Her presence on stage and in the studio not only redefines expectations but also opens space for a more inclusive vision of what jazz music can be.
On their new single, “Cold nights and city bike rides,” BOLDEN. blend their modern jazz solace with sleek Hip-hop to create a beautiful portrait of a genre evolving. With a spoken-word style flow, rapper Oliver Rees finds a snug pocket to deliver his thought-provoking words and subtle bounce, creating an enticing sonic conflict that drives “Cold nights and city bike rides.” On the other hand, the duo creates an infectious instrumental with muted colors that bursts out of the speakers, combining the elegance of smooth jazz with the urgent danceability of modern electronic music. BOLDEN. manages to seamlessly blend these elements together for a simplistic yet potent single that introduces the duo as a forward-thinking addition to a burgeoning modern jazz scene. “Cold nights and city bike rides” is an immersive listen from a refreshing duo who only see genre norms as a starting place for their lofty visions to branch off of.
“We collaborated with a local rap artist, Oliver Rees, after catching one of his performances and seeing the potential for something special,” explains the duo when asked about “Cold nights and city bike rides. “The track delivers hard-hitting lyrics – like the line ‘Is it all destined to fade though? Guess I won’t know till the gravestone’ – but it’s also deeply reflective and tinged with melancholy, with subtle glimmers of hope for the future. We really enjoyed creating that emotional contrast, especially by blending the softness of the flute with the raw energy of the rap.”
