PETER GABRIEL i/o Bright-Side Mixes (2023 UK/EU limited edition 12-track double album 2-LP. Always looking to push the boundaries i/o is not simply a collection of a dozen songs - all 12 tracks are subject to two stereo mixes: the Bright-Side Mix handled by Mark ‘Spike’ Stent and the Dark-Side Mix as reshaped by Tchad Blake. This edition contains the Bright Side Mixes housed inside a gatefold picture sleeve with pink coloured spine-wrap obi factory sealed) Track Listing: More than 20 years in the making this December finally sees the release of i/o Peter Gabriel’s first album of new material since 2002’s Up. During 2023 Peter has been releasing a new song from the album on the occasion of every full moon. Being revealed roughly every four weeks each track has been allowed to find its own time and space to enjoy its own orbit. “It’s a little like getting a Lego piece each month ” Peter explains. Now it’s time to stand back and admire the final completed creation. And what a creation – 12 tracks of grace gravity and great beauty that provide welcome confirmation of not only Peter’s ongoing ability to write stop-you-in-your-tracks songs but also of that thrilling voice still perfectly delightfully intact. Throughout the album the intelligent and thoughtful – often thought-provoking – songs tackle life and the universe. Our connection to the world around us – ‘I’m just a part of everything’ Peter sings on title track i/o – is a recurring motif but so too the passing of time mortality and grief alongside such themes as injustice surveillance and the roots of terrorism. But this is not a solemn record. While reflective the mood is never despondent; i/o is musically adventurous often joyous and ultimately full of hope topped off as it is by the rousingly optimistic closing song Live and Let Live. Always looking to push the boundaries i/o is not simply a collection of a dozen songs. All 12 tracks are subject to two stereo mixes: the Bright-Side Mix handled by Mark ‘Spike’ Stent and the Dark-Side Mix as reshaped by Tchad Blake. “We have two of the greatest mixers in the world in Tchad and Spike and they definitely bring different characters to the songs. Tchad is very much a sculptor building a journey with sound and drama Spike loves sound and assembling these pictures so he’s more of a painter.” Both versions are included on the double-CD package and are also available separately as double vinyl albums. And that’s not all. A third version – the In-Side Mix in Dolby Atmos comes courtesy of Hans-Martin Buff “doing a wonderful job generating these much more three-dimensional mixes” and is included in three-disc set including Blu-ray. Peter has kept his trusty inner circle of musicians close to hand which means guitarist David Rhodes bassist Tony Levin and drummer Manu Katché are sterling presences throughout. Several songs bear the fingerprints of long-time associate Brian Eno whilst there are notable contributions from the likes of Richard Russell pianist Tom Cawley trumpeters Josh Shpak and Paolo Fresu cellist Linnea Olsson and keyboard player Don E. Peter’s daughter Melanie contributes warm backing vocals as does Ríoghnach Connolly of The Breath. Soweto Gospel Choir and Swedish all-male choir Oprhei Drängar lend their magnificent harmonies and the mass strings of the New Blood Orchestra led by John Metcalfe both soothe and soar. Peter has also invited a range of visual artists to contribute a piece of art to accompany each track. The dozen artists make an exceedingly impressive team of collaborators: Ai Weiwei Nick Cave Olafur Eliasson Henry Hudson Annette Messager Antony Micallef David Moreno Cornelia Parker Megan Rooney Tim Shaw David Spriggs and Barthélémy Toguo. Having handpicked the artists Peter recognises that “They have the same obsessive attention to their visual work that we musicians have in sound.” Side A 1. Panopticom 2. Playing For Time 3. The Court Side B 4. Four Kinds of Horses 5. i/o 6. Love Can Heal Side C 7. Road to Joy 8. So Much 9. Olive Tree Side D 10. This Is Home 11. And Still 12. Live and Let Live