Glaswegian prodigious multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer corto.alto took us by storm last year with his debut album Bad With Names, which was one of our Album Picks of the Year. Liam Shortall, the trombone wizard at the helm of the project, has today unveiled an ambitious project. Entitled 30/108, it will see him release 30 tracks in 30 days through Bridge The Gap x New Soil. Liam explains how the project came about:

“After an intense 2 years of creating ’Bad With Names’ I was slightly burned out but excited to get back to writing new music. Once that album was finally finished, I knew I had 6 months of promotion before the album was released. During this time I produced 108 new demo ideas. Fast forward to the beginning of 2024, I had 108 ideas in a folder on my laptop that I knew if I didn’t finish they would never be heard by anyone – I then decided to dedicate the following 4 months to finishing 30 of these tracks; recording with some of my favourite musicians.”

Some of the musicians who collaborated with Liam on the project include Graham Costello (drums), Fergus McCreadie (piano) and Mateusz Sobieski (tenor saxophone).

The treasure chest that is 30/108 is unlocked today with lead single ‘Chubbby (48)’. Check it out below and be sure to stay tuned over the next 30 days for a fresh tune dropping every day!

Photo: Sophie Jouvenaar

corto.alto’s much anticipated debut album Bad With Names is coming October 6th through New Soil x Bridge The Gap, and yesterday he has released ‘EJS’, the fourth and final single from it. Speaking about the track, Liam Shortall, the prodigious multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer behind corto.alto, had this to say:

“I made this track originally as a beat when my girlfriend Esme moved into my house last year. I was in full album mode at the time and probably not being the most attentive partner to her. I originally had this track titled as ‘interlude’, but decided to retitled it to my partner’s initials after she left for south east asia for 2 months, whilst I sat in my freezing cold flat in Glasgow feeling sorry for myself, missing her. Exposing my feelings of loneliness, guilt from not being very attentive when she was around, codependency etc.”

‘EJS’ is offered with a video created by Esme Stewart. Watch it below.

As if we weren’t excited enough for the upcoming corto.alto‘s debut album Bad With Names, the Glaswegian prodigious multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer shared today a third single from it called ‘Latency’. Featuring James Copus, ‘Latency’ follows previously released tracks ‘Bye’ and ‘Slope’ and the single is offered with a video recorded live at Strange Field in Glasgow. Watch it below and watch out for the release of Bad With Names on October 6th through New Soil x Bridge The Gap.

Photo: Sophie Jouvenaar

Influenced as much by jazz as by hip-hop, broken beat, electronica, dub and punk, Bad With Names is the brand new album from Glaswegian prodigious multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer corto.alto. A trombone wizard and fast-rising star in the jazz industry, Liam Shortall, the man at the helm of the project, enlisted the help of outstanding musicians from the Scottish and UK Jazz scene to bring his record to life, including award-winning pianist Fergus McCreadie, drummer Graham Costello, trumpet player Johnny Woodham, and trombonist  Anoushka Nanguy, amongst others.

Following the first single ‘Bye’, corto.alto shared last week ‘Slope’, the second superb taste from his upcoming album. Speaking about the track, Shorthall had this to say:

“Slope” comes from me sitting in Queen’s Park, Glasgow watching some skateboarders skate up a hill, and how counter-intuitive it looked, but then noticing how satisfying it looked when they hit the top and went down the other side. I suppose another metaphor for endurance, resilience etc.”

Both singles confirm corto.alto’s incredible artistry and his willingness to experiment across multi-genres and styles. Check out the accompanying visuals for ‘Slopes’ below and listen to ‘Bye’ straight after.

Bad With Names is out on October 6th through New Soil x Bridge The Gap