"At the turning of the day..." celebrates a turning point in my musical career, and the Expert Sleepers disting mk4 and disting EX were a big part of that. Until a year or so before the pandemic I was exclusively a blues, rock and jazz guitarist and played in bands. I gradually switched to modular synthesizer music after being introduced to the ARP Odyssey, Moog Mother 32 and other semi-modular synthesizers as well as getting into the generative ambient music of Brian Eno. I gradually built up a system as I went along, and the disting mk4 was the beginning of that system. The central idea of my setup is that it should be able to do just about anything, or rather, it should be able tackle as many musical ideas that I can throw at it as possible but at the same time fulfill some of the purpose of a band member, hence the large collection of multifunctional and generative modules that reside within it.

The music is non-traditional in its approach to songwriting in the sense that it is not composed with intros, choruses and solos in mind and fans of genres such as Drone and Ambient will feel right at home. Some tracks are loop-based while others make use of evolving melodies to keep you hooked as well as containing prominent guitar parts to contrast the sounds of...  more
credits
released January 6, 2023

Composed and recorded by John Reidar Holmes
Artwork by Philip Holmes
Mastered by James Edward Armstrong
license
all rights reserved

01 The Strings of Hope, the Puppets of Belief

02 I am the Stars and the Moon

03 The Book of Watchers

04 At the Turning of the Day

05 Time's Galliard

06 Beyond the Bay Tree

07 The Moon slips through her Mansions

08 The Modern World's Cacophony

09 Moments of Bliss, Seconds of Perfection

Originally released on Kalamine Records and now made available on my artist page. kalaminerecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-lord-of-shades-decides

'The Lord of Shades Decides' is a collection of eight soundscapes recorded and composed on modular synthesizer and tongue drum.
Not intended as strictly ignorable ambient in the Eno tradition 'The Lord of Shades Decides' is rather a series of journeys in sound for your inner eye to venture on.
credits
released September 1, 2023

John Reidar Holmes is musician based in southern Sweden.
Formerly a blues and rock guitarist, John dove into the world of electronic ambient music about a year before the pandemic and is on a journey of exploring this very cerebral kind of music.

John has released music on Expert Sleepers, Sound+Matter, Whitelabrecs and Kaiseki Digital. You can listen to more of John's music below:

www.youtube.com/channel/UCv8Vi1OqAXf3uTz-JYkE2Lg

johnwork113.wixsite.com/johnreidarholmes

This release also includes a printable PDF Cassette J-Card cover.
credits
released October 6, 2023

Music, mixing and mastering John Reidar Holmes
license
all rights reserved

01 A Small Collection of Oracle Bones

02 I Heard the Song of the Nail Maker

03 Following the Light of The Sun

04 Her Name Adrift on a Flying Wind

05 In the Spring Came The New Rain

06 Losing Eden Yet Again

07 She Opened a Window And The World Rushed In

08 The Lord of Shades Decides

Originally released on Shimmering Moods Records on Compact Disc in November 2023, Under A Chilly Sun is now available here on Bandcamp and on streaming services. There's even a really nice Youtube video to check out too. Click the Hyperfollow link below to access the full suite of releases.

(AT THE TIME OF WRITING THERE ARE CDs LEFT. GO TO SHIMMERING MOODS IF YOU WANT A CD. LINKS BELOW)

Links:
Available on CD from Shimmering Moods Records:
shimmeringmoodsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/under-a-chilly-sun

HYPERFOLLOW:
distrokid.com/hyperfollow/johnreidarholmes/under-a-chilly-sun

Shimmering Moods Records 2023
SHM 272

Original album description:
Pause the world for a moment and let yourself sink into some sound.

The nine tracks on 'Under a Chilly Sun' are ambient soundscapes created with an ever-growing Eurorack synthesizer system, tongue drum and electric guitar fed through a looper, delay and reverb. Released on Shimmering Moods Records in Amsterdam November 10th, 2023.

The album artwork is an oil painting by Philip Holmes, my brother, called 'View over Öresund'. 'Under a Chilly Sun' takes its inspiration from this seascape painting which evokes the grey and sun-starved landscape of autumn in Scandinavia. In the distance through the haze and mist you can see the iconic building 'Turning Torso', the city of Malmö's tallest building twisting towards the sky.

I'm a musician based in southern Sweden. Formerly exclusively a blues and rock guitarist, I dove into the world of ambient music and synthesizers about a year before the pandemic and never looked back. I now record and release my music through labels on Bandcamp and perform live locally in Malmö.

Thank you for listening,
JRH

Music, mix and mastering: John Reidar Holmes
Artwork: Philip Elvin Holmes
philipholmes2.myportfolio.com

Links:
Available on CD from Shimmering Moods Records:
shimmeringmoodsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/under-a-chilly-sun

Shimmering Moods Records 2023
SHM 272 
credits
released December 18, 2023
license
all rights reserved

01 She Plucked A Harp As The Moon Rose High

02 Becoming Aware, Becoming Astute

03 A Landscape Holds Its Breath

04 Amor Fati

05 Beautific Visions

06 Sounds Coated In Arsenic

07 Sounds Redolent with Code

08 Under A Chilly Sun

09 ...The Colour And Glow Had Gone From the Day

Guitarist and composer John Reidar Holmes creates moody and dream-like ambient music. His particular sound is shaped using modular synthesizers and treated electric and acoustic guitars.

John Reidar Holmes

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