Want to read more?
We value our content and access to our full site is only available with a subscription. Your subscription entitles you to 7-day-a-week access to our website, plus a full digital copy of that week’s paper to read on your pc/mac or mobile device. In addition, your subscription includes access to digital archive copies from 2006 onwards.
Just want to read one issue? No problem you can subscribe for just one week (or longer if you wish).
technical support? Click here
Subscribe Now
Oban’s own Neil Armstrong has released his first music video to accompany his new electropop single Go On Up!
Born in Oban and raised in Connel, Neil now lives with his family in the Serranía de Ronda in Andalucía, Spain.
It’s been two years since The Oban Times last reported Neil’s lockdown albums Nearly Life and Finding A Way Home.
Armstrong describes these first two releases as eclectic and rather downbeat as a result of paying tribute to the music of his youth during the pandemic era.
“This time I was determined to produce something upbeat, electro pop, energetic and with a more sophisticated production sound,” he told us.
“I’d been listening to a lot of Steely Dan and Daft Punk and wanted to head off in that direction. Go On Up! is the result.”
In a modern world wracked with insecurity, Neil describes his new single as “an invitation to journey towards positivity and a call to ascend towards our better selves”.
Penned in early 2022 during a song writing retreat lead by renowned, multi-platinum songwriter Andrea Stolpe, Neil composed and recorded the core of the tracks in his home studio in Andalucia.
Determined to make the track danceable and uplifting, Neil remembers composing with “retro synth sounds to create an energetic electropop groove, using 808 drum tracks and Juno pads to create a nostalgic mood”.
Industry reviews have been quick to appreciate this with the likes of Electrowow.com reporting Go On Up! as “totally channelling an incredible 80s feel”.
Neil attributes the success of the sound to his collaboration with his long time producer and friend Jose Maria Sagrista at Punta Paloma Studios, where the human elements of hand percussion, cymbal washes and special effects were added, along with the talents of Pablo Cadenas on bass, and Elizabeth Zeder on backing vocals.
With recording finished, Neil reached out to the legendary German Mix and Master Engineer Klaus Bohlmann.
“Klaus mixed the song in a way that makes it really jump up and out of any mobile, car or hi-fi sound system,” said Neil, obviously delighted with the result.
“As soon as I heard the final master of Go On Up!, I was certain that the time was right to produce my first music video.”
Neil worked with local videographer David Guillen to record in his hometown, Gaucin.
The video was filmed from dawn until dusk on a hot July day capturing enchanting images of Neil’s family, neighbours, and musical friends amidst a backdrop of white-washed streets and rocky mountain tops.
The single Go On Up! is available on all streaming platforms via the following link https://ditto.fm/go-on-up.
The music video Go On Up! is available on Vevo via YouTube https://youtu.be/ZBQxwMHXCV8.
Photograph: Neil Armstrong has released his first music video to accompany his new electropop single Go On Up! Photograph: Jason P. Howe/www.jasonphowe.com. NO_T35_NeilArmstrong_GoOnUp
