Trwbador are one of the most recent examples of this trend ...... here's an article from the Llanelli Star about them ....
A MUSICAL duo from Llanelli are hoping to go on to great things after cutting an album in their attic.
The acoustic two-piece Trwbador has been making waves in the UK music scene, with recent exploits ranging from performing at the Olympic park to recording with Cornershop.
Now, friends Owain Gwilym and Angharad Van Rijswijk are looking forward to releasing their first album Eponymous next year — showcasing the vibrant mix of genres, spanning techno and relaxed acoustic, which combine to give their music its unique sound.
Despite growing up in the same area — Owain in Llannon and Angharad in Llanllwni — it was not until they both were studying in Cardiff that they realised how well their musical styles matched.
"We know each other from the Llanelli scene, but it wasn't until I needed someone to sing on my uni project in third year that we realised we should start a band," said guitarist Owain.
"And then Bethan Elfyn from Radio 1 offered us a gig and it all went from there really.
"We called the band Trwbador because we wanted to show that we are a bilingual band. Trwbador doesn't actually mean anything but it is our way of spelling the Welsh word for troubadour which is a kind of singing poet — a bit like a court jester."
And singer Angharad said the group took influences from many places.
"It's difficult to describe our music but other people have likened us to people like Stereolab and Four Tet," she said.
"Growing up in a rave culture and being heavily into music, we also listened to a lot of singer-songwriters. We loved the idea of going out and making music. It was a natural combination of all the things around me."
Over the past year, Trwbador has played at the Camden Crawl in London and also as a warm-up act ahead for the Olympics opening ceremony.
Angharad said: "It was all a bit hectic playing the Olympics. We were rushed through the crowds to the stage and didn't really know what was going on. We were playing as people arrived so it was a strange kind of crowd. But we really enjoyed the experience."
But the pair said being in the studio was what they both really enjoyed.
"Our favourite experience is probably not the gigs. We really enjoy the writing process," said Owain. "Making the album was really fun. We're really looking forward to the next album so we can put to use all the new things we have learned making this one. It's a constant process.
"We have a studio set up at home. We started recording with a microphone on our computer and then put all our money that we made from the band into buying more microphones and instruments.
"Now we have a full array of quirky ethnic instruments, microphones and pre-amps."
Angharad said: "It's really nice being able to record in your own home. If you're in your own studio, you can do takes with a cup of tea and in your slippers.
"And nobody gets annoyed that you're taking 10 takes to do something.