Human World

Henrik Meierkord is a cellist, artist and composer from Helsingborg, Sweden who currently lives in Stockholm. He returns to Whitelabrecs following his ‘Cello Improvisations’ EP (2023) and the collaborative album ‘Inseln’ with Logic Moon (2022). He has also previously released music on labels such as Ambientologist, Audiobulb, Projekt records, Ella ruth Institutet and Subcontinental Records. Henrik began playing cello aged of 12, progressing to play in classical orchestras, onto performing in bands and then creating his own music. He has also collaborated and performed for artists such as Ossler, Pawel Kobak, Marco Lucchi, Meipr, Sole and Strulgattu.

Typically Henrik’s approach to composition tends to begin with the cello, before further layers of strings are added, such as double bass or violin. But often, he will create music intuitively and free from set rules; sometimes a piece of music can be started with a synthesiser or piano, or written purely as an experiment. In this album entitled ‘Proscenium’, Henrik gathered a collection of instinctive compositions, inspired by nostalgia and a longing for a different world. Fragile piano, emotive strings and earthy cello weave out dream-like sequences, expressing hard-to-recall bitter-sweet experiences.

The album was recorded in Henrik’s Soundbread  studio in Stockholm, including a West German cello from the seventies, a double bass and a violin belonging to his son. Whilst over a long period of time he’d gathered together numerous pieces of music, there is a thematic vibe present within these chosen tracks. ‘Proscenium’ is the view the audience have when watching an Ancient Greek theatre performance, or indeed the location from which the actors carry out their performance. Henrik felt drawn to a loose theme of Ancient Greek theatrical culture for the concept, and the artwork and track titles give listeners something in which to meditate, or a scene in which to place themselves if they wish. There is however no specific play or plot in mind. It could in fact be numerous stories collected together as many overlapping emotions, played back all at once, as if recalling centuries of moments emitted from a theatre stage.

Credits:
Written and Produced by Henrik Meierkord
Mastered by James Edward Armstrong
Imagery by Harry Towell
Art and Design by Andrew Heath

Proscenium

wlr154 Henrik Meierkord - Proscenium

Cast of Characters:

mistermark-- @user-432503709 -- Mark--sax (VST), organ, tremolo guitar chords (synth), harmonica, composition, production, arrangement, mix

Mysterious Decibel--@themysteriousdecibel --MD—lyrics and primary vocals

TexMex Shaman–@texmex-shaman –Stephen– second electric guitar solo, mastering

J.J. Terrell–@j-j-terrell –piano and electric piano

K2 and the Three [and the Four]--@k2andthe3, @k2-kara -–Ken–drums and percussion

Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)–@josh-clary-1 –-four string fretless bass, first electric guitar solo, rhythm guitar comping 

      This is a song started when Mark came up with its architecture, recorded in a  slower, more laid back version on his own. However, he wanted a more souped up version with solos in turns. So, he turned to The Eclectic Collective to fill in the pieces. He originally had solos in all the parts which he laid down on the keys, and he had some lyrics, too. However, once he heard The Mysterious Decibel's excellent lyrics and vocals, the song totally changed the direction and the vibe, for the stellar. 

       But MD didn't start the whole thing. As happens sometimes, even without Tez on this one, we still needed to clear out some space to let everyone have their say. So, Mark went in and lengthened the song mechanically. Once we had a final form, Ken, as always, came up with the foundation for the song, allowing Josh to add his version of Mark's bass line. Then, after MD gave us the vocals to form the song, we got down to adding the solos. JJ first added his thrilling opening piano solo, as well as the electric piano solo right after the first verse, which Mark is also playing a VST sax solo in, as well. Then Josh added his guitar solo, which is the first of the two, with a very clean tone. Right after that, Stephen added his fiery solo, which follows right after with a more overdriven tone. Finally, Mark stepped back in and added his killer harp solo at the end. Of course, it needed to be mixed well, too, so we turned to Stephen for that important role, once again, which he fulfilled expertly.  

       This past Tuesday, we released a fun little series of interviews over a compilation of some of our favorite musical moments. If you want to hear our voices and some of our thoughts about music, check it out. I realize it's a big ask at twenty minutes, but you might really enjoy it, especially if you follow us, and have been for a while. It's a celebration of all of our work over the past almost year together in various forms. This song was supposed to be a showcase of all of our skills, except Tez isn't in on this one. He'll be on the next one, though, for sure.

       We hope you enjoy this jazzier side of the EC as much as we enjoyed making it. MD's lyrics are about a psycho killer artist who hides clues about his murders in his paintings. 

Original Lyrics by The Mysterious Decibel:

Some might say he's crafty and planned.
With a shade of black and a brush in his hand
Some might say the world is his oyster
But no Pearl lays inside just a conjuring blur

He'll paint you a murderous scene
With the blending of  sin all between pigments of green
He's a shady fella Who hides behind the canvas!
I spy something with my little eye
This art might show just where he died

Will you find it?
The secret
Some freak shit
are you so sure you'll really wanna Keep it ?
The secret
Are you so sure you'll really wanna keep it?
Ahhh a little secret
Are you so sure you'll really wanna keep it?
It'll haunt your mind like it does him too
He's a swifty one he'll come for you!
The secret
The secret
The secret
Are you so sure you'll really wanna keep it?

I spy something with my little eye
This art might show just where he died

His art might show
might show
might show
just where he died

Artwork: Josh Clary

A Brush With Death-Eclectic Collective

Enchanted Realms

The Wind

Abyssal Thing Probes

The Assignment: Take one held tone and make it dance slowly.

This one turned out rather odd, uneven, unfinished, ugly. One of those tracks that I might listen to in a couple of months time and really love, or really detest. 
All of the sounds are originate in recordings of me playing duduk. Starting off with a long note that is looped, and then sent through effects chains (one with some granular stuff and feedback, one with rhythmically opening and closing gates, one with a large reverb. 
Recordings of sustained notes and me tapping the body of the flute are chopped and used as percussion/beat with a rhythm in 7/8.
I made a bunch of improvised recordings and then pasted them together to form the final piece.

More on this 631st weekly Disquiet Junto project, In a Silent Waveform — The Assignment: Take one held tone and make it dance slowly — at: https://disquiet.com/0631/

Silent Blow (disquiet0631)

noxpox - Snapper

This piece is built on Ableton Live out of the recordings I recrently made of @kate-gallaher and @stellato-strings playing flute, recorder and violin, sometimes using melodies from John Walsh's The Bird Fancyer's Delight, then also with me on the piano.

The image is from me asking Adobe AI for a picture of 'baroque dreamcatchers on a Sunday afternoon in South London'.

The piece is a response to this week's @naviar-records challenge based on a haiku poem by Jerome Berglund and here's the information about that:

'ore train
bright colors
passing quickly'
Submission deadline: 14th February 2024

 

 
TO PARTICIPATE
 
- Make a song in response to the weekly assigned poem (a new poem is published every Wednesday)
- When choosing a title for your piece also include the assignment number, for example “Title of your track (naviarhaiku527)”
To submit your track:
- If you’re a Soundcloud user, upload it on Soundcloud and send me the URL via private message, or tag me in the track.
- If you upload your music on Youtube, Bandcamp or anywhere else, upload your submission and then send me the link by email at marco@naviarrecords.com or contact me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
- If you don’t use any music platform, upload it to this Dropbox folder and I’ll include it in the weekly playlist. If you choose this option, make sure you include your name in the track’s title.

Your track may be included in Naviar's weekly podcasts and free (pay-what-you-want) compilations. If you can, please set the track as downloadable on Soundcloud and allow others to remix/reuse it by using a Creative Commons License.
 
For more information visit http://www.naviarrecords.com/about/naviar-haiku
Jerome Berglund has worked as everything from dishwasher to paralegal, night watchman to assembler of heart valves.

Many haiku, haiga and haibun he’s written have been exhibited or are forthcoming online and in print, most recently in bottle rockets, Frogpond, and Modern Haiku. His first full-length collections of poetry Bathtub Poems and Funny Pages were just released by Setu and Meat For Tea press, and a mixed media chapbook showcasing his fine art photography is available now from Yavanika.

passing (naviarhaiku527)

Extraying the mystellar harvestic

Das ist mein erster Song den ich gemacht habe.

passing (naviarhaiku527)

Leon Clowes