Arts & Culture
“Two hugely talented and creative musicians

Captivating new folk duo Dipper Malkin are celebrating the release of their highly anticipated album ‘Tricks of the Trade’ which they will be debuting at Oxford’s Folk Club Friday October 6.

Their beginning was but a whisper, but that whisper has steadily grown to become a clamour over the last year. Dipper Malkin are rapidly earning a reputation for elevating traditional music to new heights of sturdy beauty and sophistication.

With the release of their first album, ‘Tricks of the Trade’, it is clear that Dipper Malkin realise that they are the lucky benefactors of previous generations’ invention, celebrating their inheritance through every note, whilst avoiding the trap of complacency by offering their own inventions.

John Dipper (viola d’amore) was one third of The English Acoustic Collective alongside Chris Wood and Robert Harbron and currently works with string quartet Methera, while Dave Malkin (guitar, voice) was a founding member of trio Tandem, stylishly combining traditionally informed compositions with live electronics.

The album provides a new lease of life for the viola d’amore, an unusual instrument from the baroque period with seven bowed and seven sympathetic strings.

Malkin said: “The greatest compliment we could think to pay to our ancestors, those responsible for this rich and fascinatingly idiosyncratic tradition, is to elevate the repertoire they’ve provided for us.

“It’s important to us both that we look outwards for inspiration. We aim to present work on a par with contemporary classical music in terms of its intrinsic artistic value, produced to the standard of a big-budget release, as thrilling and accurately executed as improvised jazz, but most importantly rooted in our tradition.”

Folk Radio said: “Two hugely talented and creative musicians, a potent combination!”

The show will start at 8:30pm - tickets will be released soon and will be available at www.oxfordfolkclub.com.

Photo credit: Jack Reed