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The Vernon Spring

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The Vernon Spring is the solo project of London musician Sam Beste. A project that whisks together his jazz background with electronic production, ambient textures and soul depth. But long before Beste became The Vernon Spring, he played piano with Amy Winehouse for most of her career. That collaboration also paved the way for work with artists like Gabriels, Kendrick Lamar, Joy Crookes and MF DOOM.

Beste grew up with a record collection that ranged from Thelonious Monk to Bob Dylan, D’Angelo and Luigi Nono. After several years as a producer and sideman, he helped found the alt-soul band Hejira in 2010, before he began releasing music under the name The Vernon Spring in 2019.

His debut EP and subsequent releases, including the acclaimed A Plane Over Woods and Earth, On A Good Day, established the project’s distinctive sound: ethereal piano work, emotionally charged vocals and subtle electronics.

New album Under a Familiar Sun, made together with producer Iko Niche, takes a step toward more sample-driven, hip-hop-inflected production without losing its grip on the soft and melodically exploratory. Writer Max Porter’s poem “The Breadline” gave the album its conceptual frame, cellist Kate Ellis contributes arrangements, and Brooklyn-based vocalist, producer and astrophysics PhD candidate aden appears throughout. Beste himself describes the music as a meditation on responsibility in an uncertain time.