LAWRENCE ENGLISH, Observation of Breath, LP

Release date - Sept 10th 2021
Catalogue nr. - HG2103
Format - Vinyl / digital
Hallow Ground

hallowground.bandcamp.com

Tracklist:
1) A Torso (10:01)
2) A Binding (06:05)
3) And A Twist (02:42)
4) Observation Of Breath (20:44)

Credits:
All organ recorded at The Old Museum, Brisbane July-November 2020,
except A Torso’s centre section which was recorded in 2016 on the same organ.
Performed and Produced by Lawrence English
Picture by Juan Valverde de Amusco, 1560
Design by Ruth Stofer and Greenpointless

///
Do you remember the last time you were breathing consciously? Either way, you are likely doing it now. On his new album »Observation of Breath« for the Swiss-based Hallow Ground label, Lawrence English worked exclusively with an organ for four compositions that are exercises in »maximal minimalism,« as their creator himself notes in a nod to Charlemagne Palestine, who coined this term. While it seems somewhat fitting that those four pieces based on a steady flow of air were conceived and recorded in a situation of accelerated standstill caused by a respiratory disease, the Room40 founder is not so much concerned with capturing the zeitgeist than rather incorporating the spirit of time itself. »It is a record about presence and patience,« he explains. Exploring the unique sonic affordances of a singular instrument, »Observation of Breath« is not only devoted to the durability of sound but also to its density. That it marks his debut on Hallow Ground after having shaped its sound by mastering most of the label’s releases in recent years is just as fitting then as its release following albums by Kali Malone and FUJI|||||||||||TA, whose innovative work with organ instruments have facilitated a rediscovery of their possibilities. 

English’s compositions however are neither directly indebted nor responding to these musicians. His exploration of the organ’s many facets started a decade ago when the composer was given access to an instrument built in 1889 that is presently housed at The Old Museum in Brisbane. After it had already played a crucial role on his seminal albums »Wilderness Of Mirrors« and »Cruel Optimism,« last year’s self-released »Lassitude« was the first record that English entirely composed and recorded with that instrument. »During the soft lockdowns, I spent many days playing to an empty concert hall, recording the pieces that became ›Lassitude‹ and then, this album,« says English in regards to an unfortunate situation that fortunately provided him with time and space—two major themes but also key qualities of the four new compositions. In this sense, he goes on, »Observation of Breath« resolves a number of the questions originally raised by »Lassitude.«

»The organ is an exercise in the observation of breath,« English explains the album’s title. »It is a physical breath, one that manifests both audible and inaudible waves of vibrations. The sheer scale of the instrument, its weight and the physical length of the pipes involved in producing the sounds we experience is nothing short of mind-boggling.« More importantly, the sound artist is fascinated by the organ’s ability to produce frequencies that exist at the sensory limits of human awareness—it’s at the edges of these limits that fascination can be found, he argues. »The particular organ that I work with comprises four manuals and 45 speaking stops and it has a tubular-pneumatic action,« he explains. »It’s the stops that are the focus of my interest. They are very specific and when manipulated in certain ways and in certain combinations, create a unique set of unsteady timbres that make it a remarkably intoxicating instrument to collaborate with.«

LAWRENCE ENGLISH - A Binding (HG2103)

Couperin - Les Barricades Mysterieuses

The Light That Flickers in the Mirror

The Light That Flickers In The Mirror

Artist: Lostsoundbytes
Track: Fou De Croire
Release: A Given Moment
Cat: PHASE004.5
Label: Phase Group
Release date: 15th December
Format: Cassette
Pre-order: https://phasegroup.bandcamp.com/album/a-given-moment

DT PREMIERE: Lostsoundbytes - Fou De Croire [Phase Group] (2022)

Leap, slink, appeal
Unravel royal road
Solid ground to yonder
We drift of one's own
Invented and invited
Leaven to the unlined
Visions of unconscious, endow with a mind:
Fantasies of glacier pervades a glimpse
Deviant swells are never seen sealed.

Introspective pilgrimage through the enigmatical realms. Amulet of Tears presents a compilation that serves as an intimate and nuanced odyssey, ignited by ambiguous envision of Sigmund Freud's - 'The Interpretation of Dreams'.

'Surveying' the subconscious to unravel transcendental thresholds, hidden dimensions, alternatives & impossibilities within core or peripheral perceptions, soared through phantasmal viewpoints.

The Interpretation of Dreams

Evitceles - Spatial Embodiment

The intricate sonic activity behind 'Live at default' testifies to Francesco Corvi's recent post-acousmatic practice. Intense multi-layered textures and rich synthetic soundscapes are fused with micro-sounds. Highly detailed digital noise is made warm and enchanting by the live performance and ambience recordings, and reaches its best character on magnetic tape.

"In my practice software is not conceived as an instrument, neither as a virtual agent, but rather as a dynamic network of interconnected components that exhibit emergent properties by monitoring their own behavior, adapt to changes and alter their own structure. Immersed in this ecosystem of sonic processes, I shape the unfolding of the performance by modifying the software on stage and responding to its behavior. This peculiar form of improvisation possesses a unique performative idiom that cannot be reduced to bodily gestures or human intentions, as the sonic activity itself becomes the medium for conveying the liveness of the performance. This release focuses on how such a feeling of liveness might be translated into a record, placing particular attention on the capturing of the acoustic space of the concert hall and the additional layer of meaning it creates."

Francesco Corvi (aka nesso) is a performer, composer, and multimedia artist. He works with custom digital technologies including live coding environments, adaptive systems, and spatial audio engines,
creating shows at the intersection of computer music, new media art, and deconstructed club. He released music on Superpang, Kaer'Uiks, Genot Centre, HEEL.ZONE, Mossa records, Riforma.

released December 15, 2023

Music composed and performed by Francesco Corvi, live recorded 16.03.2023 at default #3 in Den Haag
Mastered by Francesco Corvi
Artwork by Ran
Cover silkprinted at Papier Gâchette, Strasbourg

Live at default

Live at default (excerpt)

Invited Dirt Brooks on for Ice Exposure show on Noods Radio

Music selected in response to this image

Part I: Luis Martin Gonzalez
Part II: Dirt Brooks

Ice Exposure w/ Luis Martin Gonzalez & Dirt Brooks

This ambient album immerses the listener in a calm, expansive soundscape shaped by deep drones and soft, emotionally resonant pads. Slowly evolving layers drift through a quiet atmosphere where time feels suspended, allowing space for reflection, stillness and inner presence. The absence of rhythm and percussion gives each composition room to breathe, unfolding with a fragile sense of intimacy and depth.

Between gentle shadows and faint light, the sound shifts from darker, enveloping tones to brighter, almost weightless passages. Beneath the surface, a subdued sense of contemplation emerges — echoing moments where thoughts linger a little longer than intended, yet remain quiet, softened by warmth and subtle harmony.

A tranquil journey through atmosphere and emotion, designed for late-night listening, creative focus or moments of peaceful solitude.

Listen on Spotify

Drowned in Memories (Ambient Version)

Drowned in Memories (Looped)

The Shimmering Forth

Digital / vinyl available here:

alteredtapedstates.bandcamp.com/album/fro…the-wazir

Taken from AST100: 'From The Bottom Of The Earth To The Top Of The Wazir' 12" compilation.

I released Tarquin’s first solo tape (as Static Cleaner Lost Reward) years ago before he went on to international stardom on the highly coveted Blackest Ever Black roster. In all seriousness, Tarquin is a phenomenal multi-instrumentalist and a rare genuine voice who often goes under-appreciated in Australia. His work with partner, Ying-Li Hooi evokes the dream-like quality of HTRK (a lazy comparison), but maintains their own subtle edges. Ying’s own solo work is similarly difficult to contain and I look forward to seeing where both their paths lead, together and individually.

Tarquin Manek & Ying-Li Hooi - The Smoke In Your Eyes

HALLOW GROUND 
is a platform for Music and Art that leads to Visions.

It was established in Lucerne/Switzerland by a group of individualists, idealists and first of all artists. We act as publishers, hosts and performers.

www.hallowground.com