PURPLEHAUS Music is excited to announce the release of the label’s debut album from Solardrive. Solardrive is the new music project from producer, label head and creative engineer Balthazar Getty. Solardrive got its start when Getty was gifted a Pro-Tools rig from his wife and their friend Joaquin Phoenix, which lead to impromptu recording sessions in Getty’s pool house-cum home studio with whomever happened to be hanging out at the house. Guests on the record range from Ozomatli vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Asdri Sierra, Mother Tongue bassist David Gould and Rain Phoenix (Joaquin’s sister).
Getty emerged from the Pool House three weeks later with an organically created, lightly edited album. “It was almost like it was a painting,” says Getty. “And I didn’t want to go back and start adding new colors and different shapes on top of something that I feel really encapsulated that time and those three weeks. I just left it alone as a testament to the space we were in then.” Getty describes the record as capturing a moment in time, “It’s a throwback record to the records that I grew up loving,” he says, citing Massive Attack, Wu Tang Clan, Portishead and Tricky among others. “It’s a very moody kind of album that you can kick back and chill to and you can put on from beginning to end.”
VIBE Magazine called the first single “No Drama” featuring TC and Kevin Hicks, “A throwback meets new-age, which is able to playfully tell a heart-wrenching tale. Solardrive feels like The Roots and James Brown had a baby, then amplified it with Massive Attack’s hormones.” Indie Shuffle said, “It makes you want to keep on listening/repeating.”
Solardrive is only the beginning of what promises to be a jam-packed year for Getty: the multi-talent also plans to release the debut album from his hip-hop duo, The Wow, alongside rapper KO The Legend, in addition to another Ringside album, under PURPLEHAUS Music (named for his favorite color purple and favorite band Bauhaus).
“In some way I feel the most at home there,” Getty says. “There’s nothing like the instant gratification that you get from going in the studio and leaving in a couple hours with something you can listen to. It can be an addictive feeling!”
John Sargeant, writing on NeuFutur as Sargeant, is the founder and editor-in-chief of NeuFutur Magazine, where he has covered independent music, PC hardware, consumer tech, and gaming culture since 1998. With over 25 years of continuous digital publishing experience, he has written thousands of hands-on game and record reviews, conducted in-depth hardware field testing, and analyzed digital media monetization trends. His work prioritizes first-hand evaluation and long-term product testing.
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