Dextro / Rubber Oh

• More wows from Wandering Oak here  •


• Dextro •
Dextro is the work of Scottish musician and producer Ewan Mackenzie, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK (also the drummer in the UK rock band Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs). Having been released through Border Community (James Holden, Nathan Fake) Groenland Record (Neu, Harmonia, Eno), and remixed by Clark (Warp), The Village Orchestra and Dane Law, among others, the music of Dextro has routinely pushed the boundaries of ambient, electronic and drone genres. Dextro has been described as "an engrossing miscellany of stargazing sounds" (Narc Magazine), "a beautiful, wet, windy landscape that screams adventure, drama and danger" (A Strangely Isolated Place), and to quote Igloo magazine, "Haunting, pastoral and evocative music from a unique artist, Dextro has the power to paint very beautiful landscapes and to transport the listener to a higher state of consciousness".


Dextro has also been performed live alongside artists such as Loscil, Adam Betts, Nathan Fake and Amon Tobin, where live percussion, guitar and synth drones interchange to create what commentators have described as "akin to climbing and descending from a mountain" (Muzik Dizcovery) and a "rich interstellar wonder: an ambiguous dreamzone awash with arresting visuals and transcendental possibilities" (Narc Magazine)


• Rubber Oh •
Rubber Oh is the weirded-out psych-pop project of North East musician and producer Sam Grant [Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs guitarist/producer]. Based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Rubber Oh is an outlet for warped sounds, heavy rhythms and dense melodies. Collaborations and contributions run throughout the project from numerous creatives, including Richard Dawson, Rozi Plain, MeLostMe, Ceitidh Mac, and Voka Gentle.


Grant created Rubber Oh in 2020, and June 2022 saw the release of debut album, Strange Craft, on Rocket Recordings.


In 2024 Grant is returning with ambitious follow up album ‘SOIL’. With support from PRSF this sophomore record picks up where 2021’s debut ‘Strange Craft’ left off, presenting kaleidoscopic melodies floating above dense rhythms. It skirts a line between dark heavy riff and floating harmony. However, where the acclaimed ‘Strange Craft’ was a focussed, at times minimal affair, ‘SOIL’ looks to break out into a vast filmic landscape. It is a record with a new found confidence in what Rubber Oh is, both thematically and sonically.


Live, the latest incarnation of the project sees Grant as a solo performer with laptop, samples, loops and FX. The set works with the songs and their layers to develop new perspectives and arrangements - strident rhythms and upbeat psyched out melodies. The performance is accompanied by live triggered visuals.