"Velvet" is the second single by

The Big Pink The Big Pink are an English electronic rock band from London, consisting of multi-instrumentalists Robertson "Robbie" Furze, Akiko Matsuura and Charlie Barker. Initially a duo, they signed to independent record label 4AD in 2009 and won the ...

, and their first single with the

4AD 4AD is a British record label owned by Beggars Group. It was founded in London under the name "Axis" (after the Hendrix album) by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent in 1980 as an imprint of Beggars Banquet Records. The name was changed to 4AD a ...

label. "Velvet" was released as a digital download and on 7-inch vinyl on April 20, 2009, and was later included on their debut album '' A Brief History of Love'' in September 2009. "Velvet" was re-issued as a single on February 15, 2010. The song was self-produced by the band, and mixed by producer

Alan Moulder Alan Moulder (born 11 June 1959) is an English record producer, mixing engineer, and audio engineer. Early life Moulder was born on 11 June 1959 in Boston, Lincolnshire. He was educated at Boston Grammar School. He had an interest in music fro ...

. The 7-inch single features the exclusive B-side "An Introduction to Awareness", while the 12-inch single features a cover version of

Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...

's 1964 song "These Arms of Mine".

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...

described "Velvet" as "undeniably immense, but it's a tribute to the Big Pink's skill and maturity that it still manages to sound intimate," and awarded the track a 7 out of 10 rating. In August 2009, "Velvet" was included on Pitchfork's ''Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s'' list, voted in at number 500. On Pitchfork's end-of-the-year ''Top 100 Tracks of 2009'' list, "Velvet" was voted at #42. A 7-minute remix of "Velvet" by

Gang Gang Dance Gang Gang Dance is an American band based in Manhattan, New York City. They are known for their distinctive sound which blends elements of psych-rock, ambient electronics, hip-hop, and Eastern music influences with the vocals of singer Lizzi ...

followed the original single release in May 2009 as an online-streaming single. Remixes by Mount Kimbie and Van Rivers & The Subliminal Kid (producers for Fever Ray) were also commissioned. The song was commonly covered by Swedish artist

Lykke Li Li Lykke Timotej Zachrisson (born 18 March 1986), known as Lykke Li (), is a Swedish singer. Her music often blends elements of indie pop, dream pop and Electronic music, electronic. Her debut studio album, ''Youth Novels'', was released in 2008 ...

during her 2011 Wounded Rhymes Tour.

Track listing

;7" vinyl (AD 2915) and download # "Velvet" – 4:15 # "An Introduction to Awareness" – 4:22 ;2010 12" vinyl re-issue (BAD 3X09) and download # "Velvet" – 4:15 # "Velvet" (Perversion) – 3:46 # "These Arms of Mine" (

cover) – 2:37 ;Remixes * "Velvet" (BDG Remix by

), 6:50 – available as a free download on the band's website in May 2009, and later included on a one-sided/etched pink-and-black-coloured 12" single with limited edition vinyl pressings of ''A Brief History of Love'' in September 2009. * "Velvet" (Mount Kimbie Remix), 3:12 – available on a 4AD promo CD-R of "Velvet" remixes, and also included on the band's Japanese EP ''This Is Our Time'' in June 2009. * "Velvet" (Van Rivers & The Subliminal Kid Remix), 4:01 – also available on a promo CD-R of "Velvet" remixes, and as one of three exclusive bonus tracks featured on the Japanese pressing of ''A Brief History of Love''.

Credits

2009 release

* All music and vocals by Robbie Furze and Milo Cordell. #"Velvet" #* Produced by The Big Pink. #* Lauren Jones – vocals. #* Akiko Matsuura – drums. #* Engineered by Jimmy Robertson. #* Mixed by

at Assault and Battery. #* Recorded at ''The Big Pink'' and at Miloco Garden, London. #"An Introduction to Awareness" #* Produced and recorded by The Big Pink. #* Mixed by Al O'Connell. #* Recorded and mixed at ''The Big Pink''. * Art direction and design by

Vaughan Oliver Vaughan Oliver (12 September 1957 – 29 December 2019) was a British graphic designer based in Epsom, Surrey. Oliver was best known for his work with graphic design studios 23 Envelope and v23. Both studios maintained a close relationship with ...

and Chris Bigg at v23. * Photography by Marc Atkins a
panoptika.net

/ref>

2010 release

* All music and vocals by Robbie Furze and Milo Cordell. #

"Velvet" (Perversion) #* Performed by Milo Cordell, Robbie Furze,

Akiko Matsuura Akiko Matsuura (also known by the name Keex) is a Japanese drummer and vocalist residing in the United Kingdom. She has worked in numerous bands in the U.K. Career Matsuura is the front woman of the English art rock band PRE. Matsuura has worked ...

, and Daniel O'Sullivan. #* Produced, recorded, and mixed by The Big Pink. # "These Arms of Mine" #* Written by Otis Redding. #* Produced, recorded, and mixed by The Big Pink. * Art direction and design by Edward Quarmby. * Photography by Marc Atkins at panoptika.net.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Velvet (The Big Pink Song) The Big Pink songs 2009 singles 2010 singles 4AD singles 2009 songs