'The Inner Circle'
Fragile X
See Blue Audio SBA 021

1. One Way
2. Kinning Park
3. Shields Road
4. West Street
5. Home

Release date: 25 June 2021

lnk.to/SBA021

See Blue Audio: ambient / electronic / beatless / cinematic / downtempo / eclectic / introspective… Shade rather than light...

2021 has already become a very productive year for Glaswegian electronic artist Fragile X. His Bricolage label has released a wealth of distinct and diverse music, while the Fragile X album 'Between Worlds' on the Soundtracking The Void imprint received justified praise and support. Now he returns to See Blue Audio with his third themed collection, 'The Inner Circle', and the twenty-first release on the label.

The story of 'The Inner Circle' goes back to 2016 and 'The Outer Circle' released on Bricolage. Subtitled 'A Semi-Conscious Experience', it captured the mood of a Sunday morning after a long weekend and travelling home on a busy subway train from the West End of Glasgow. Field recordings made on the journey were used as the basis for a series of tracks that reflect this special post-clubbing state of mind.

Field recordings also form the core of 'The Inner Circle', but whereas its predecessor was a little raw and rough around the edges, this long overdue follow-up is more refined and thoughtful, more mature even, in terms of both production and and ideas. This is also reflected in the setting of the field recordings: 10pm on a quiet weeknight and travelling from the south side of the city. In both cases, the destination and final stop were the same – home – but 'The Inner Circle' is more introspective in tone. Essentially, this is the story of the subway environment expressed through music.

This second collection of five tracks, predominately beatless, begins with 'One Way' and the implication is clear: this journey has an ending. As often happens, we experience a sense of exhilaration when entering a subterranean world, and the dreamlike, slow-motion synths are reminiscent of 'Departure from Nowhere' and 'Colour in Motion', the opening tracks on 'Maps of the Lost' and 'Chromatherapy' respectively, both released on See Blue Audio in 2020. This is followed by 'Kinning Park', a suburb of Glasgow, and we are now fully immersed in an underground world of metal and machines. There's a feeling of anxiety, even claustrophobia, to this track with its eerie bleeps and shadowy sounds.

As we reach 'Shields Road' and closer to home, the atmosphere is lighter, lifted by ethereal washes of electronica and trippy beats, which appear for the first time on 'The Inner Circle'. Then it's onto the post-industrial area of 'West Street' with its euphoric ambient tapestry of sound, which breaks down to an electronic pulse taken from a field recording of a train in motion, a hypnotic sound that surely resonates with us all.

Finally, 'Home' as the train pulls to a stop, and we pass through the ticket barrier and into the cool night air.  Exquisite and cinematic, it's a sublime ending to the story, but as is often the case, tinged with sadness now that the journey is over. As in life, most journeys are a bittersweet mixture of highs and lows, tension and excitement, communication and contemplation.

'The Inner Circle' is a musical dialogue between a mechanical underground world and the stories of the travellers through that world, as imagined by Fragile X, who fleetingly appear and disappear in the short stops between stations. The field recordings are far more than just background sounds, and they have been looped and integrated into the music that surrounds them. Cables buzzing, trains approaching, brakes screeching, doors closing, tannoy announcements, dripping water and the clang of metal, the buzz of commuters, the very stuff of life. In the context of 2021, it's also the sound of the slow and hopeful return to normality from the coronavirus pandemic.

Mastered by Richard Jones at Dark Fidelity Hi Fi Studios.

Photography: J.Gorecki.

The Inner Circle

'The Inner Circle' (preview) – Fragile X (See Blue Audio SBA #021)

https://fragilex.bandcamp.com/album/the-inner-circle

Taken from the See Blue Audio release page.

The story of ‘The Inner Circle’ goes back to 2016 and ‘The Outer Circle’ released on Bricolage. Subtitled ‘A Semi-Conscious Experience’, it captured the mood of a Sunday morning after a long weekend and travelling home on a busy subway train from the West End of Glasgow. Field recordings made on the journey were used as the basis for a series of tracks that reflect this special post-clubbing state of mind.

Field recordings also form the core of ‘The Inner Circle’, but whereas its predecessor was a little raw and rough around the edges, this long overdue follow-up is more refined and thoughtful, more mature even, in terms of both production and ideas. This is also reflected in the setting of the field recordings: 10pm on a quiet weeknight and travelling from the south side of the city. In both cases, the destination and final stop were the same – home – but ‘The Inner Circle’ is more introspective in tone. Essentially, this is the story of the subway environment expressed through music.

This second collection of five tracks, predominately beatless, begins with ‘One Way’ and the implication is clear: this journey has an ending. As often happens, we experience a sense of exhilaration when entering a subterranean world, and the dreamlike, slow-motion synths are reminiscent of ‘Departure from Nowhere’ and ‘Colour in Motion’, the opening tracks on ‘Maps of the Lost’ and ‘Chromatherapy’ respectively, both released on See Blue Audio in 2020. This is followed by ‘Kinning Park’, a suburb of Glasgow, and we are now fully immersed in an underground world of metal and machines. There’s a feeling of anxiety, even claustrophobia, to this track with its eerie bleeps and shadowy sounds.

As we reach ‘Shields Road’ and closer to home, the atmosphere is lighter, lifted by ethereal washes of electronica and trippy beats, which appear for the first time on ‘The Inner Circle’. Then it’s onto the post-industrial area of ‘West Street’ with its euphoric ambient tapestry of sound, which breaks down to an electronic pulse taken from a field recording of a train in motion, a hypnotic sound that surely resonates with us all.

Finally, ‘Home’ as the train pulls to a stop, and we pass through the ticket barrier and into the cool night air. Exquisite and cinematic, it’s a sublime ending to the story, but as is often the case, tinged with sadness now that the journey is over. As in life, most journeys are a bittersweet mixture of highs and lows, tension and excitement, communication and contemplation.

‘The Inner Circle’ is a musical dialogue between a mechanical underground world and the stories of the travellers through that world, as imagined by Fragile X, who fleetingly appear and disappear in the short stops between stations. The field recordings are far more than just background sounds, and they have been looped and integrated into the music that surrounds them. Trains approaching, brakes screeching, doors closing, tannoy announcements, cables buzzing, dripping water and the clang of metal, the buzz of commuters, the very stuff of life. In the context of 2021, it’s also the sound of the slow and hopeful return to normality from the coronavirus pandemic.

Mastered by Richard Jones at Dark Fidelity Hi Fi Studios.

The Inner Circle EP

KANT SZTAND THESE HOES! #Neohouse

After brushwork, J-CARDS returns on The Hague’s Fish Tapes label with two new layers of his steadily unfolding sound world: “wyrm” and “cloud flipping".

wyrm breathes fire. It’s a track that is both heavy and deep, yet comforting. cloud flipping is its lighter counterpart: a playful, touchy groove, repetitive and hopefull. Nor an a nor a b-side, its sunny energy easily earns all attention.

https://fishtapes.bandcamp.com/music

https://soundcloud.com/fishtapes
https://soundcloud.com/houseofjcards

PREMIERE: J-CARDS - wyrm [Fish Tapes]

M14 ~ Iwamaki DJset by 901 Editions
http://901editions.com/mix/M14-Iwamaki.pdf

Iwamaki by 901 Editions 2018-07【experimental DJset】

Another new track taken from the upcoming "The Butterfly Effect" EP on https://soundcloud.com/bricolage-g5

Released on cassette and digital at the end of next month.

Pre-order coming soon.

The Butterfly Effect (bc043)

The Butterfly Effect

Cassette + Digital

"The Alchemy Of Consciousness" is part of a new two track EP titled "Hylozoic".

"Hylozoic" will be released 31st January on the 'Light At The End' label

https://soundcloud.com/latelabel

Hylozoic

The Alchemy Of Consciousness

"Departure from Nowhere" is the opening track from my upcoming "Maps for the Lost" EP on See Blue Audio.

@seditiondjs

https://fragilex.bandcamp.com/album/maps-for-the-lost

Maps for the Lost

Departure from Nowhere

"Anarchist Pacifism and Friends" is the first official release under the Doxil moniker for the man formerly known as Justin Case. 

https://soundcloud.com/ahchooo

It's been a joy to provide a platform to the evolution of the Glasgow artist as he's transformed his music from his springy and elastic electronica early productions to a fully nurtured vortex of chaos under the Doxil alias. This unique sound palette has always been hard to describe as it sucks so many styles into one massive electronic whirlwind.

AP&F is no different. It's a maelstrom of hyper rhythmic breaks and techno with flashes of IDM and rave. Throw in a slew of smart breakdowns, build ups and freak outs to the mix and the result is an EP with it's dancing feet planted firmly in the 90's and it's eyes on the future.

The whole "genre hopping" term can be used all too frequently today but this release truly ticks that box.

Strap yourself in and enjoy the ride.

https://bricolageglasgow.bandcamp.com/album/anarchist-pacifism-and-friends-bc059

Anarchist Pacifism and Friends (bc059)

Anarchist Pacifism & Friends

AP&F

Doxil - Kendo Rush (from the "Anarchist Pacifism and Friends" EP)

“The soul can always use a new tradition. Sometimes we require them.”

Introspective sound sketches and digital laments from the Saangoma laboratory. Comes supplemented with a Figurate remix.

DOSAGE
* This medicine is for aural administration only
* Administer with a high quality sound system
* Intake with water and light

This prescription was concocted lovingly at "The Light At The End Of The Tunnel" pharmaceutical studios.

soundcloud.com/saangoma

https://latelabel.bandcamp.com/album/late-12-cryptic-rituals

LATE 12 : Cryptic Rituals

Saangoma - Botanical Orb

Saangoma - Troubled Broadcast

Drifting in the audio void.  Somewhere between the chaos and the calm.
--------------------------------------
Production (Fragile X) 
Label Owner (soundcloud.com/bricolage-g5)
Sleep Research as (soundcloud.com/leit-motif-sleeper)
The visible half of (soundcloud.com/futurendeavours)

Music released on Bricolage, Intellitronic Bubble, Waxing Crescent, Móatún 7, noci miste, Cue Dot, Neo Ouija, Soundtracking The Void, Disintegration State, See Blue Audio, Subplant, Triplicate Records, Tribal Pulse, Light At The End, Unstrung, Gorecki Productions, Neotantra, Soundscape Versions, BFW Recordings and Bath Dub.
------------------------------------