“If you wake up and there’s no reason, get yourself a job down at Dixons and be somebody”
Coming through with the Hacienda-swagger of Primal Scream and the dry wit of The Streets, hero of Swindon CHANEY releases his new single ‘Dixons’ via Skint.
On the surface, the song might be an ode to one of Britain’s forgotten High Street icons; but under the dancefloor-friendly facade, it’s a lament to the perils of small-town suburban claustrophobia.
Chaney says: “I wrote ‘DIXONS’ in a riled up mood after a few remarks when I was working at my first proper job, pulling pints at my local. If you do something creative with your days, rather than working a 9-5 at a retail store or bank – people in small towns normally have something clever to say! In the heat of the moment, after one too many “When are you gonna get a proper job” kind of remarks, I had ‘Dixons’ going round my head”.
Continuing Chaney’s obsession with the Great British Rave, ‘Dixons’ features the sonic elements so familiar with the era – a punchy piano riff collides with four to the floor rhythms and, for the first time, Chaney’s own vocals.
The release follows January’s rave-inspired single ‘Let U Know’ and its accompanying headline grabbing video, which featured a Noel Gallagher lookalike licking windows in Swindon town centre.
Despite describing it as the “least aspirational place in the world”, Swindon is at the beating heart of Chaney’s music. His hometown – a nowhere-land slap-bang somewhere between Bristol and Reading – has recently become something of an obsession for the 20-year-old. As one by one his friends have drifted away to university or bought houses and settled down, he’s been left with little more than the dreary high-streets for company – providing the backbone of inspiration for his music.
Chaney, aka Theo Altieri, began his career in music early. He got his start touring pubs, playing drums in his brother’s band until his older sibling decided he was too cool to play alongside an eight-year-old and Theo was forced to go solo. So he picked up a guitar, starting writing songs and had signed a publishing deal before the age of 18.
After making his trade as a singer/songwriter for a while, he started to experiment more with dance music, playing with loops and beats in his parent’s basement. What emerged quickly became his signature style: winking odes to nights out, set against irresistible club-ready backdrops.
Alongside his music, Chaney has also been promoting a series of successful club nights #SAVESWINDON (inspired by the ‘Save Fabric’ campaign of last year)
Chaney will release his debut EP this year.
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