Blue States

With the help of a couple friends, Andy Dragazis' outfit Blue States became active in 1997. After playing out for a short amount of time, Dragazis relocated to Sussex, England, and was courted by Memphis Industries, a label that began issuing his singles. Between 1998 and 1999, five were released, setting the table for Nothing Changes Under the Sun, an LP released in 2000. In 2001, Thievery Corporation licensed the record in the U.S. on their Eighteenth Street Lounge Music imprint, adding bonus tracks to the original sequence. Dragazis also has several remixing credits, including work for Hefner and Badly Drawn Boy.The sultry, cinematic Man Mountain appeared in fall 2002. The 2004 full-length The Soundings saw Dragazis and the band work with more traditional song structures, and included the song Season Song, which went on to become the title track of cult zombie movie 28 Days Later. Their 2007 follow-up, First Steps Into..., saw Dragazis return to a more solo-orientated approach, returning to his electronic music roots with more open, expansive soundscapes. 2016's Restless Spheres adopted a similar approach, and saw Blue States draw upon some guest artists, such as Swedish vocalist Mayasa, and Toby Jenkins/The Squire of Somerton, amongst others. ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi