Portico Quartet: Portico Quartet – review

(Real World)Portico Quartet found the young audience that put them on the 2008 Mercury prize shortlist through the unique sound they invented as buskers – hooky and danceable systems music coloured by the melodic chime of the tuned hang drum, with jazzy textures furnished by a double-bass and a sax. It was a seductive mix, but one with limited growth potential. By 2009's Isla, Portico were expanding with synthesised strings and other electronics, and this year's eponymously titled release tak...

Read full article Share article