25 October 1999

Brighton based Pilote, nom de guerre of Stuart Cullen, has been knocking out skits and tracks since the pimply age of 17. Nearly self taught, just a few guitar lessons, he cites influences as diverse as Black Dog, Stevie Wonder, Phillip Glass and Public Enemy. He has developed an inviting sound without depending on specific gadgetry, “I’ve got an old PC and a dodgy Yamaha, you adapt to what you have.”

This lack of reverence of hi-technology has not cornered him into the lo-fi ethos; his music transcends these boundaries with its audible enthusiasm, an emotional, provocative and not entirely melancholy free sound. His tunes often invoke a childish smile on your face, sensual and sensitive. It also displays a dry wit and humour which has something to do with the odd smattering of obscure, subliminal and comedic samples from TV chat shows, and snippets of Peter Cook! Tracks such as the new single,”No Truck” will have you wincing with pleasure, a lilting piano cadence and sloppy hip-hop rhythms, funky and gorgeous.

This complex music produces indefinable emotions, “ Well once someone said my music was really summery, then I spoke to someone else who said my music was really wintry, so I suppose it is multi-seasonal!”

Pilote’s debut album release for Certificate 18 is called “Antenna”, a collection of tracks displaying heavenly hooks, snatched euphorias from a very friendly dancefloor, happy softcore evolving from microscopic breakdowns, these adventurous rhythms, plural melodies and ambient textures will keep you intrigued.