John Paul Jones Launching New Album
John Paul Jones is poised to release the first album by his project Minibus Pimps – an experimental collaboration with electronic musician Helge Sten, who’s known for his work under the titles Deathprod and Supersilent.
The Led Zeppelin bassist aims to “connect the dots between the progressive rock of the 1970s and the exciting developments in Norway’s music scene since the late 1990s.”
Named after a track they found on a Chinese experimental compilation album, Minibus Pimps started as a live act in 2011. The album Cloud To Ground features seven tracks recorded in different venues in England, Norway and Denmark.
The project is based around a custom computer system including “electronics, samplers, processors, instruments and iPads,” Sten reports, adding: “The music contains composed and improvisations elements on an equal scale.”
Cloud To Ground is released on March 4 via SusannaSonata.
It’s Jones’ first release since forming Them Crooked Vultures with Dave Grohl and Josh Homme in 2009. In 2012 Foo Fighters mainman Grohl vowed the supergroup would make another album, saying: “I know that someday we’ll do stuff, because we love playing with each other.”
The first three Led Zeppelin albums are expected to be re-released this year with additional material, following guitarist Jimmy Page’s restoration work.