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We got a nice review from Underwire a popular culture blog at Wired.com:

On Ensemble’s most recent effort, Ume in the Middle, is an interesting hybrid that should appeal equally to fusion aficionados and left-fielders in search of something stranger than the average jazz-hop fare found on indie labels like Ninja Tune.

Wired magazine is one of the few magazines I actually buy.  Usually it’s at an airport for inflight reading material, but being a magazine on all things high tech maybe I should be visiting the website instead.

BTW a lot of my favorite artists are on the Ninja Tune and Big Dada (Ninja Tune’s hip hop arm) including: Anti Pop Consortium, Diplo, DJ Vadim and the Cinematic Orchestra.  So Ninja Tune if you are reading this we are not too strange for you… really… please sign us.

One particular Jason Swinscoe Cinematic Orchestra album that has had an influence on my music is Everyday.  It’s a great album featuring vocals by Fontella Bass and amazing drumming by Luke Flowers.  I blame the track “Flite” for convincing me that, yes odd time grooves with just a bit of melodic material are interesting for six and half minutes.

A number of stations added “Ume in the Middle” this week including KBSU in Boise ID, WRBU in Peoria IL ,KRCX in Denver CO, and WBRS in Waltham, MA.  KEXP in Seattle spun “Yamasong”, KSYM in San Antonio played “After Rain” and lots of support from WXDU in Durham who played “After Rain”, “Waiting”, “Yamasong” and “Hiroya vs. Miniboss”.  We’ve had a substantial increase in radio airplay this week with more stations giving “Ume in the Middle” light and medium airplay.  We’re getting medium ariplay from KRUA Anchorage, WSDP Canton, WGTB Washington, WPTS Pittsburgh, WUAG Greensboro, XTSR Townson, WPMD  Norwalk and KNDS Fargo.  We’re getting light airplay from over twenty stations across the country including WCSB and WRUW Cleveland, WIIT Chicago, KEXP Seattle, WMBR Cambridge and KSYM San Antonio. We made the New World charts at several stations inlcuding: WCCS (#22), CJAM (#5), WXDU (#5), WMPG (#4) and WITR (#8), this was all enough to have “Ume in the Middle” debut at #40 on the CMJ New World Chart this week! (more…)

More radio stations continue to add and play “Ume in the Middle”.  Here’s the latest list of station that have added “Ume in the Middle” to their play lists: (more…)

We got a very nice review from Brett Hall in Metro Spirit an independent newsweekly based out of Augusta, GA:

When asked to define the term “avant-garde,” the majority of laypersons will probably answer with an arched brow and something like, “Um, weird art?” Well, for those of you who have not yet experienced a concrete example of avant-garde work, meet On Ensemble’s second CD release, “Ume In The Middle.” From start to finish, Ume introduces, displays, manipulates, and transforms several musical genres (traditional and new), molding them into a truly avant-garde experience. (more…)

“Ume in the Middle” continues to get radio adds and spins throughout the country.  We were #2 on the CMJ New World Adds charts for issue #1102.  Here’s an updated list of some of the new radio stations that haved added “Ume in the Middle” to their playlists and are starting to play tracks from the album: (more…)

Got a nice “Ume in the Middle” review from A & A:

Some really pretty avant garde stuff. The pieces are composed, and I don’t hear a lot of improvisation. The real astonishment here is the wide range of sounds used to complete the songs. That these sounds (vocals, instruments and some electronics) come from a small group of people is most impressive. The best part is that even when the ensemble heads for the extreme, the center holds. Fascinating.

Today is the official release date for “Ume in the Middle”!  It’s available now at CDBaby.com and on iTunes. We’re also hitting the road to celebrate the release of our new album with up coming performances in Ashland, Tahoe, Placerville and Berkeley.  Next month we’ll be in Eugene and the month after that  we’ll have some Los Angeles performances and perform at the California WorldFest along with this year’s headliners Los Lobos and the Indigo Girls.

Our radio campaign for “Ume in the Middle” kicked off this week and it’s off to a great start.  To see if a station near you is playing “Ume in the Middle” check the list below.  I’ll update this list frequently so if you don’t see you favorite station on the list keep checking back! (more…)