William Holland (born 18 April 1980)[1] is an English musician, DJ, and record producer.[2] Holland records under various pseudonyms, including Quantic, the Quantic Soul Orchestra, The Limp Twins, Flowering Inferno, and Ondatrópica. His music features elements of tropical, cumbia, salsa, bossa nova, soul, funk and jazz.[citation needed] Holland plays guitars, bass, double bass, piano, organ, saxophone, accordion and percussion. Much of his sound is original composition, rather than sampling of other artists' material. In addition to his original compositions, he has also produced remixes of over 30 songs.

Will Holland
Will Holland performing with 'Quantic and his Combo Bárbaro' in 2009
Will Holland performing with 'Quantic and his Combo Bárbaro' in 2009
Background information
Also known asQuantic
Born (1980-04-18) 18 April 1980 (age 44)
Bewdley, Worcestershire, England
Genres[citation needed]
Years active2000–present
LabelsTru Thoughts
Selva

Holland's first label was called Magnetic Fields, on which he released heavy soul and funk. Holland retired Magnetic Fields in 2003. In 2018, Holland founded the record label Selva, based in Brooklyn, New York, and he has been releasing music on Selva since the start of 2020.

History

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He was born in Bewdley, Worcestershire, England.[1] His albums The 5th Exotic (2001) and Apricot Morning (2002) featured vocals from British artists including soul singer Alice Russell. In 2003, he assembled The Quantic Soul Orchestra, a project aimed at producing 1960s/1970s style raw funk, playing guitar himself, and featuring musicians including his sister Lucy on saxophone.[3]

In 2007, Holland moved to Cali, Colombia. He set up an analogue studio called Sonido del Valle and recorded and released the Quantic Soul Orchestra album Tropidélico (2007) and the self-titled debut from his tropical-dub side project, Quantic presenta Flowering Inferno (2008), which featured a variety of musicians from the area. He subsequently assembled the Combo Bárbaro ('Bárbaro' is a colloquial term in Colombia meaning 'very talented').[4]

Holland's collaboration with Nickodemus, "Mi swing es tropical", was featured on an Apple iPod television commercial in 2007.[5]

The Quantic Soul Orchestra

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The Quantic Soul Orchestra
 
Background information
OriginEngland
GenresFunk, salsa, bossa nova, soul
Years active2001–present
LabelsTru Thoughts
MembersWill Holland
German 'Chispa' Lawson
Javier Rivera
Popo Buckley
Past membersAlice Russell
Damian Bell
Rich Gibbs
Lucy Holland
Russell Knight
Simon Little
Oliver Minkley
Antonia Pheulatos
Russell Porter
John Styles
Dave Woodhouse

The Quantic Soul Orchestra is a live band project of various musicians and Holland. Holland has recorded under several names, most notably Quantic. The band's line-up changes from album to album, with sometime members including Holland's sister, saxophonist Lucy Holland, his Limp Twins collaborator Russ Porter and former Hardkandy member Simon Little. Will Holland plays guitar and bass, and performs some of the percussion.

Their music focuses on reviving a dusty funk and jazz sound. They are signed to the Tru Thoughts label and have released four albums to date[when?] as well as a collaborative album with funk and soul artist Spanky Wilson.[6]

Their album Tropidélico was recorded in Colombia, where Holland was based at the time.

Discography

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Albums

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Holland has self-produced 18 studio albums under various pseudonyms. Until 2020, all his albums were released on the label Tru Thoughts from Brighton:

Sortable table
Date Main recording artist Album
2001 Quantic The 5th Exotic
2002 Quantic Apricot Morning
2003 The Limp Twins Tales from Beyond the Groove
2003 The Quantic Soul Orchestra Stampede
2004 Quantic Mishaps Happening
2005 The Quantic Soul Orchestra Pushin' On
2006 Quantic One Off's Remixes and B Sides
2006 Quantic An Announcement to Answer
2006 Spanky Wilson & The Quantic Soul Orchestra I'm Thankful
2007 The Quantic Soul Orchestra Tropidélico
2008 Flowering Inferno Death of the Revolution
2009 Flowering Inferno Dog with a Rope
2009 The Combo Bárbaro Tradition in Transition
2012 The Combo Bárbaro Quantic & Alice Russell: Look Around the Corner (with Alice Russell)
2011 Quantic The Best of Quantic
2012 Los Miticos del Ritmo Los Miticos del Ritmo
2012 Ondatrópica Ondatrópica
2014 Quantic Magnetica
2015 Quantic Presents The Western Transient A New Constellation
2016 Flowering Inferno 1000 Watts
2017 Ondatrópica Baile Bucanero
2017 Quantic & Nidia Góngora Curao
2019 Quantic Atlantic Oscillations
2019 Quantic Atlantic Modulations
2020 Quantic & Denitia Nowhere
2023 Quantic Dancing While Falling

Singles

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  • 2001: Quantic – "We Got Soul"
  • 2001: The Quantic Soul Orchestra – "Super 8"
  • 2001: The Limp Twins – "Living Well"
  • 2001: Quantic – "Life in the Rain"
  • 2002: Quantic feat. Aspects – "Primate Boogaloo"
  • 2002: Quantic feat. Alice Russell – "Sweet Calling"
  • 2002: Quantic – "Apricot Morning"
  • 2002: Quantic – "Through These Eyes"
  • 2003: Quantic – "Search the Heavens"
  • 2004: Quantic – "Mishaps Happening"
  • 2005: Quantic feat. Spanky Wilson – "Don't Joke with a Hungry Man"
  • 2005: Quantic – "Perception"
  • 2005: Quantic – "One Off's Remixes and B Sides"
  • 2006: Quantic – "The Sound of Everything"
  • 2006: Quantic feat. Alice Russell – "Somebody's Gonna Love You"
  • 2006: Quantic – "Tell It Like You Mean It"
  • 2007: Quantic – "Sabor"
  • 2008: Quantic & Nickodemus – "Mi swing es tropical"
  • 2008: Quantic presenta Flowering Inferno – "Juanita Bonita"
  • 2008: Quantic presenta Flowering Inferno – "Death of the Revolution"
  • 2008: Quantic presenta Flowering Inferno – "Ciudad del Swing"
  • 2008: Quantic – "When You're Through"
  • 2009: Quantic & Nickodemus – "Sun People"
  • 2011: Quantic – "Sol Clap"
  • 2011: Quantic & Los Miticos del Ritmo – "Hiphop en Cumbia"
  • 2012: Quantic & Alice Russell with the Combo Bárbaro – "Look Around the Corner"
  • 2012: Quantic & Alice Russell with the Combo Bárbaro – "Magdalena"
  • 2013: Quantic & Alice Russell with the Combo Bárbaro – "I'd Cry"
  • 2013: Quantic & Ana Tijoux – "Doo Wop (That Thing)"
  • 2013: Quantic & Nidia Góngora – "Muévelo negro"
  • 2014: Quantic – "Duvidó"
  • 2014: Quantic & Alice Russell – "You Will Return"
  • 2014: Quantic – "Spark It"
  • 2014: Quantic – "El Yagé" (self-released)
  • 2023: Quantic feat. Andreya Triana - "Run"

Collaborations on individual songs by other artists

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Holland has collaborated and was featured on many recordings by other musicians, including (listed alphabetically):

  • DJ Greyboy, on the track "Got to Be a Love" from the album Soul Mosaic (2004).
  • Kinny, on the track "Enough Said" (2008).
  • Lanu, on the track "Mother Earth" from the album This Is My Home (2007).
  • Mr. Scruff, on the tracks "It's Dancing Time" (2002), "Giraffe Walk" (2006) and "Donkey Ride" (2008).
  • Nickodemus, as co-producer for "La lluvia", "Didibina" on the album Sun People (2009), and on "Conmigo" (2012) as guitarist.
  • Nostalgia 77, on the track "Thing" (2004); as saxophonist.
  • Alice Russell, on the track "Somebody's Gonna Love You" from the album Under the Munka Moon (2004).
  • Transgressors, on the tracks "Will Power" and "Money for Born, Money for Die" from the single Will Power (2012); as guitarist.
  • The Whitefield Brothers on the track "Lullaby for Lagos" from the album Earthology (2009); as guitarist.
  • Wilbur Soot on the album “Mammalian Sighing Reflex” (2023);

References

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  1. ^ a b "Quantic Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  2. ^ Horan, Tom (24 April 2014). "Quantic: 'All music is authentic'". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  3. ^ "Quantic". NME. Retrieved 22 April 2009.
  4. ^ "Quantic & B+ (Album, Film, Photo, Q&A)". Choice Cuts. Retrieved 22 April 2009.
  5. ^ "iPod + iTunes Ad: Mi Swing es Tropical". Apple. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2008.
  6. ^ Slawecki, Chris (21 February 2007). "Spanky Wilson & The Quantic Soul Orchestra: I'm Thankful (2007)". All About Jazz. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
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