Maribou State release first single in three years, ‘Blackoak’ - News - Mixmag
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Maribou State release first single in three years, ‘Blackoak’

The track marks the duo's first since their DJ mix with fabric

  • Words: Becky Buckle | Picture: Fabrice Bourgelle
  • 25 July 2023
Maribou State release first single in three years, ‘Blackoak’

Maribou State is back with an all-new single, ‘Blackoak’.

The duo made up of Chris Davids and Liam Ivory, have released their first work in three years since their DJ mix with fabric.

Out now via Ninja Tune, the track was made almost entirely in one day - which they mention is “extremely rare” for them.

It was then completed on a trip with the help of their own amateur choir which is made up of their friends.

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They explain in a statement: “We invited all our friends down and got them to sing the main hook, “do that for you”, in the stairwell of the house.”

Maribou State found inspiration for this new track by listening to some of the UK’s well-loved artists including the likes of David Bowie, The Beatles, The Prodigy, Chemical Brothers and many more.

“Over the past few years, we’d both begun to struggle with our sense of selves and how connected we felt to our roots in Britain,” the pair recall.

They state: “In ‘Blackoak’ we tried to capture the spirit of all these things, and it unintentionally helped us reconcile some of our feelings of indifference. For us, it sits at the apex of our musical journey so far.”

The name ‘Blackoak’ is in reference to the area where the bulk of the single was created during the winter of 2021 and as part of the physical release, they will be donating £1 of every vinyl sold to the Woodland Trust.

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“Having both been fortunate enough to grow up in an area surrounded by woodland, we’ve always had a strong connection and affinity with forests and now more than ever we fully support the Woodland Trust in their efforts of restoration and protection for these magnificent and vital areas,” they explain.

More work from the duo is expected in the next coming months.

Listen to Maribou State’s ‘Blackoak’ below.

Becky Buckle is Mixmag's Multimedia Editor, follow her on Twitter

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