Based: Cape Town
Valve State is the brainchild of Lee Thomson and Richard Marshall, two of Cape Town’s most respected and dynamic musical minds. The combination of the DJ and jazz musician is refined in what is at once an engaging, sophisticated and extremely pleasant to listen to. Through a combination of effects, samplers, CDJ’s, laptop computers, keyboards and trumpet the two have refined the art of blending live, improvised jazz with modern electronic music.
As Valve State, the duo has performed countrywide and in a short space of time has garnered and impressive list of clients including Johnny Walker, SAB, Top Billing and Synergy.
Richard Marshall started off as one of three residents at the original Fez in 2001, helping turn the Friday night event ‘Strutt”, and the club, into one of the most successful in SA clubbing history. After two successful years he moved on to explore his more eclectic side. He became renowned for his genre busting sets and was soon flying all over his native South Africa, playing sets in locations as diverse as Soweto, Sandton, PE, Bloemfontein, Durban, Khayaleitsha, Gugulethu and Cape Town. Stand out events in his well-rounded roster include Vortex, Earthdance, Alien Safari,
sShadoworkSs events, the Durban July, Cape Town Fashion Week, Global Breakthrough, the Dirty Skirts album launch, the Goldfish album launches, the Adidas Concept Store opening, the Velocity Pool Party and Metropolitan Republic after-party at the Loerie Awards, Design Indaba and the Long Street and Obs festivals. In a career spanning over a decade Marshall has played with some of the biggest names in music including Richard Dorfmeister, Kaskade, Henrik Schwarz, Diplo, Ame, Lemon Jelly, Dixon, Nick Fanculli and Rainer Truby of Truby Trio. Locally he has supported the best in the industry including Goldfish, Sibot, Playdoe, Sweat X and Killer Robot.
Currently he is resident at the new Fez Club in Cape Town and entertains a multitude of high profile guests at Sol Kerzner’s One & Only Hotel.
Lee Thomson is one of Cape Towns most in demand musicians and has been associated with many of South Africa’s top acts. He is one half of the legendary horn section in SA’s longest standing punk rock band Hog Hoggidy Hog. He played with The Springbok Nude Girls for 3 years and has been a guest artist with Freshly Ground, Violent Femmes and The Rudimentals. He has also recorded with Goldfish and Mix n Blend. Lee and his various projects have appeared at many major music festivals in SA and abroad including Oppikoppi, Rocking the Daisies, Up The Creek and The Cape Town Jazz Festival. In 2009 Lee was personally invited to play at the birthday party of local jazz stalwart Hugh Masekela, suitable homage to a committed career in the art of jazz. He is currently working on various projects that include Valve State, Hog Hoggidy Hog, Closet Snare, Restless Natives, Dave Ledbetter and The Collective Imagination.
