Double Thumb | ar

"The music of opiate fuelled dreams. Intricate, yet elegantly simple, the work of Double Thumb is inventive and utterly spellbinding... A taste of 'Nocturne' and I was hooked, lost in addiction"
(KK, composer and producer: worked with Brian Eno, Bjork and many others)

Double THumb (aka Val Del Prete) is a singer/songwriter/producer from London. She taught herself how to play the piano at 3 years of age, and wrote her first song at 6.
“It was in A minor, I remember, although back then I didn’t know it was in A minor. it was a ballad, and horribly sad” she laughs.
Fast forward two decades and the young lady was standing in a room packed with academic professors, discussing her dissertation for her Phd. Not a Phd in music, but a Phd in theoretical neuroscience.
“I don’t think I had the courage to take a risk and follow my real passion until I got older. I was too scared of failing and of being hurt. Of my teen years I just remember the fear, the lack of confidence, the temptation of putting myself in a bubble so that nobody could see me and judge me. I found that bubble in the world of scientific laws. I could sit down and work out equations and everything looked more rigorous and “secure”“.
It could not last for long. By 2004, and 2 years after she relocated to London from her native country, Italy, Val gradually felt there were creative and emotional parts of herself she had neglected for too long. Within a few months she gave up her science job, put up some basic recording equipment and started making music.
“Many people thought I was crazy or deluded, which is understandable. In reality it took me a long time to make such a decision. The thing is I LOVE making music. I don’t really care about fame, that’s not my goal. I just love creating music because it’s in there that I express the darkest sides of me. It’s a need.”
Double THumb just released her debut album "Nocturne" to excellent reviews by radio presenter and established producers alike. Several tracks have already been played on BBC Radio 6, XFM, OnFM and Radio Jade in Germany.

REVIEWS

"With its dreamlike harp arpeggios and wispy, discordant synth lines "Nocturne" takes no prisoners right from the get-go. Although supposedly a demo, the production is fresher and more original than 95% of the mundane nonsense churned out by "professional" studios and labels these days. The orchestration is expert yet sparse, the percussion startling yet understated, the vocal performances beautifully poised... Suffice it to say this is possibly the most assured debut recording I've heard by a UK artist since "The Wizard" by Bat For Lashes. "
(Tom Robinson, BBC Radio 6)

"..a very beautiful/chic/absorbing performance"
(SEB Collective, Soho Revue Bar) .