Observations: Duke Special is boxing clever
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Musicians need to box clever in the digital age to make up for declining sales, and Peter Wilson, aka Duke Special, is proving an expert at it. The Northern Irish artist recently expanded his profile by playing on-stage for the National Theatre's Mother Courage and Her Children, starring Fiona Shaw. A soundtrack to the production is due out in March as part of a box set, The Stage, a Book and the Silver Screen, which includes songs from Kurt Weill's unfinished Huckleberry Finn and an album based on the Paul Auster novel The Book of Illusions.
It seems a perverse move when album sales have nosedived, but Wilson is determined that art should triumph over commerce. "Since my first EPs, I've always loved the artwork and physicality of what I produce – it's a signpost to how people should approach the music," he says. Duke is providing more than recordings: his offerings range from lyric sheets to private gigs over dinner.
Duke needs funds to promote his triple-disc set and has so far achieved 90 per cent of his target. Less of a concern, though, is forging deeper relationships with his fanbase. "I used to be on a major label, V2, so got used to doing things like promotion at a certain level," he says. "At a time when the music industry is so uncertain, I want to show that artists don't need to feel restricted."
Duke Special's offerings are available at Pledgemusic. com/projects/ 131
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments