Tape and Bill Wells first met in Stockholm while Bill was performing his music with The Concretes and Jens Lekman. Both artists were aware of each other’s work and upon this first meeting they spoke of collaborating together on a recording. A year later Bill invited Tape to perform three concerts together at Triptych Festival in Scotland. During their visit a day was spent recording at Ca Va Sound in Glasgow. Those recordings were the start of something truly special. In 2008 Bill traveled to Stockholm to again perform some concerts with Tape and it was during this visit that a week was spent recording at Tape’s own Summa Studio. It was the recordings from this session that became Fugue. The four tracks selected were the ones where the music sounded like something completely of it’s own, something other than Bill Wells or Tape. With the use of piano, organ, Fender Rhodes, guitar, bass, electronics, drums and synthesizer Fugue is truly a unique and timeless recording from these legendary and prolific artists. Simplistic, searching and fragile.

Bill Wells is a self-taught musician from Falkirk. Bill first became involved in the Jazz scene of Central Scotland, backing artists such as Bobby Wellins and Bruce Adams. In 1989 he formed the Bill Wells Octet, which featured most of Scotland’s leading Jazz musicians at the time, as well as London based players such as Harry Beckett and Lol Coxhill. He then started working with Glasgow bands such as The Pastels and Future Pilot AKA and has since gone on to record for a variety of labels such as Domino, Geographic, Leaf, Creeping Bent, Karaoke Kalke, Textile, P-Vine and Wee Black Skelf.

Bill Wells has toured the world with a wide variety of musicians such as the Japanese band Maher Shalal Hash Baz, Swedish singer/songwriter Jens Lekman, and German electronica musician Stefan Schneider. Bill is currently a member of the Isobel Campbell / Mark Lanegan band and he has ongoing projects with the Bill Wells Trio, The National Jazz Trio Of Scotland, Aidan Moffat, and a line up including Annie Whitehead, Stefan Schneider and Barbara Morgenstern. Last Summer he began work on a recording featuring Jim O’ Rourke on guitar. Bill has also worked with Kevin Ayers, Richard Youngs, Teenage Fanclub, Evan Parker, Arab Strap, David Tibet, Frida Hyvonen, Kid Loco, Barry Guy, Jad Fair, Bridget St John and Benni Hemm Hemm.

Swedish trio Tape was formed in 2000 by brothers Andreas and Johan Berthling with Tomas Hallonsten. Taking cues both from pop, experimentalism, and minimalism their sound has become recognized internationally and is clearly something of its own. Their first album Opera was released on the Häpna imprint (which Johan is a co-owner of) in 2002. Working intuitive, all by themselves, they created mini symphonies out of electronic sounds paired with a stunning melodic lyricism. With an array of electronic and acoustic instruments at hand they have gone on to release three additional full length albums (Milieu, Rideau, and Luminarium). In 2006 they collaborated with Japanese duo Tenniscoats for their album Tan-Tan Therapy. The same year they recorded in Tokyo with Japanese quartet Minamo for the album Birds of a Feather. Tape are truly masters of their craft.

Tape’s Johan Berthling also plays in the Sten Sandell Trio (with pianist Sten Sandell and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love) as well as the group Fire! (with Mats Gustafsson and Andreas Werliin). He is also a member of the live band of El Perro Del Mar and Taken By Trees (along with Tape’s Tomas Hallonsten).