Eric Hilton (Photo by AliZare)
Montserrat House and Eric Hilton of the legendary duo Thievery Corporation release his forthcoming solo debut album, Infinite Everywhere, on June 19.
While Thievery has hopped across various genres and painted with a broad musical brush over 25 years of albums and live work, Eric’s upcoming solo album is an offering that is much more distilled, focused and personal, and presents itself as an elegant exploration of inner space.
Eric recently presented “Infinite Everywhere,” the title track of the album.
“‘Infinite Everywhere’ is an introduction,” Eric said. “The last 25 years of my creative output have been about Thievery Corporation. I dearly love my brethren, Rob [Garza], and although that project isn’t necessarily done, my solo stuff is what the next 25 years are about.”
Recorded at The Winter Palace in Washington, DC, Infinite Everywhere and its concept predates the current global crisis but is remarkably prescient, conveying feelings of melancholy and optimism in equal measure. And while Hilton has incorporated exotic musical ingredients from diverse cultures on his previous work with Thievery Corporation, this album is decidedly more European in feel and allowed him to expand his artistic pedigree.
Stream “Infinite Everywhere” by Eric Hilton on YouTube:
“I’m kind of the drum and bass guy in Thievery and I’ve never been much of a player of melodic instruments,” Eric said. “I’ve always been a bit of studio rat, but I’ve found I really enjoy making music on my own — late-night with just me and a keyboard, I’m kind of hooked on that. On this record, I played nearly every instrument, which I’ve never done before. This album is me challenging myself to play more.”
With Hilton’s long-established alchemical abilities, concocting unique musical creations with Thievery Corporation — as well as birthing acclaimed gathering spaces in DC — it should come as no surprise that Infinite Everywhere delivers both beauty and substance to the listener.
“When you’re making music, you have a responsibility to contribute to music in general — to try to express a unique thought, which is very difficult,” Eric said. “I want every record I’m involved with to be beautiful, with empowering vibrations that recognize the spectrum of emotions. I don’t entertain defeatism, and I will always gravitate to positivity and perseverance. Hopefully, people get that feeling when they listen to this record.”