Julia and Simon's

B I G

Featuring the redoubtable Finlay MacDonald

This is a Live BBC Radio Scotland session of Ross Ainslie's New Voices piece "Remembering" this song is called Nowhere To Go. The band features Hamish Napier and Laura Beth Salter on Vocals, Laura Wilkie on fiddle, John Somerville on box, Matheu Watson on Electric Guitar, Gordy Duncan Jr on drums, James Lindsay on Bass and Ross on Cittern. The guys go into the studio on 20th April 2015 to record it, look out for the release late summer! 

Ross Ainslie - Nowhere To Go

The Sound of Sleat

Having grown up in the Scottish Highlands and performed in various folk bands, The Summer Isles and the folk tradition are deeply rooted in Mairearad Green’s composition. As a result, Mairearad has produced a beautiful new solo album, Summer Isles, a seamless and exciting progression from her previous work which is released on February 26th 2016 via Buie Records.

2014 saw Mairearad spend many weeks researching stories from the islands; as she located publications and poetry to help set the direction for Summer Isles. The album is an exquisite collection of acoustic, folk and cinematic vignettes that create an overwhelming listening experience. Each track tells a story of the islands’ history, embracing a contrasting emotion from track to track.

Mairearad (piano, accordion, bag pipes, vocals) is joined by a number of guest musicians including legendary singer/songwriter King Creosote, Hector McInnes (vocals), Ross Saunders (bass), Scott MacKay (drums), Jo Nicolson (clarinet), Pat McGarvey (banjo), Mike Vass (fiddle), and Annie Grace, Jeana Leslie and Hamish Napier (backing vocals). Combining each musicians’ stylistic background, producer Iain Hutchinson has created a refined and inventive sound that faultlessly captures Mairearad’s vision.

Living in an area steeped in culture and local traditions, Mairearad was introduced to folk music at an early age. Renowned for her deft and lyrical accordion style, as well as her dextrous piping, Mairearad is in great demand, not only as a performer, but also as a composer. She regularly performs alongside multi-instrumentalist Anna Massie and has previously toured with Eddi Reader and Karine Polwart to name a few. Mairearad has also been dominating the folk festival world; performing at Celtic Connections Festival, Cambridge Folk Festival, Hebridean Celtic Music Festival,  and Tonder Folk Festival.

Summer Isles is out on February 26th 2016 via Buie Records.

More info - http://www.abadgeoffriendship.com/artists/mairearad-green

Mairearad Green - Tanera Talisman

ANGUS GRANT TRIBUTE MIX

Òran Luaidh bho 'Till' 

A waulking song from Till, released June 2017 on Vertical Records.

Featuring: Calum Alex Macmillan, Donald Shaw, Ross Martin, James MacKenzie, James Mackintosh, James Graham and Sorren MacLean

Till

Mo Nighean Donn

Erased Tapes rounds off a jubilant year of tenth anniversary celebrations with a very special release, 1+1=X, a set of exclusive music from every artist on the label. Featuring never before heard tracks from Nils Frahm, Kiasmos and A Winged Victory For The Sullen, 1+1=X sees Erased Tapes artists come together to make an album as a collective. Sharing the same space, instruments and each others’ capabilities during a residency at Vox-Ton studio in Berlin, they recorded 20 songs to mark the label's 10-year history. The 3-LP box set, produced by label curator Robert Raths, is released on Record Store Day, April 21st 2018.

“I suppose finding words and meaning to describe this release would be next to impossible. It was a real joy to go back to our humble beginnings, to have the freedom to create art only for ourselves was truly sublime” — Adam Bryanbaum Wiltzie of A Winged Victory For The Sullen

“It was important to create something communal and reflective of our time, to capture something of value using traditional recording techniques, experimenting and reacting to each other in real time, sharing the same space,” says Raths.

Between August 2016 and 2017, each artist arrived with a new composition or an improvisation to record at Vox-Ton. Run with much love and care by Italian engineer Francesco Donadello – who has worked on many Erased Tapes recordings before including A Winged Victory For The Sullen, Michael Price and Lubomyr Melnyk – it is one of the few studios left where it’s still possible to record fully analogue, isolated from the city noise and in a room that can fit a large ensemble. Reflective of the communal spirit, 1+1=X is the result of an ambitious undertaking; to create a singular record as a collective, not just a compilation of songs, that celebrates the benefits of community over individuality and improvisation over rigorous planning.

“As much as Erased Tapes probably wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the digital age, we should also remind ourselves of what we are capable of without it,” adds Raths. “1+1=X is a testament of what can be achieved when we work together as a collective, which is more than the sum of what we can achieve as individuals.”

The majority of songs on this album feature contributions from multiple performers. It is also no coincidence that the album opens with ‘Brutal Moderna’ by Qasim Naqvi (Dawn of Midi) and A Winged Victory For The Sullen’s ‘Long May It Sustain’, which were both recorded on the day the U.S. election results came in.

“Qasim asked me to read the news headlines with a stutter over the top of his piece. It was an oddly beautiful experience which brought all of us together on a day when spirits were otherwise a bit low,” says Peter Broderick. “I thought this residency was a wonderful idea. In fact I would have loved to be there for more of it. I made some amazing new friends, some stronger bonds with old friends and some wonderful pieces of music that I’m honoured to be a part of. Robert has often described Erased Tapes as a family, and perhaps above all else this was just his earnest effort to bring the family together. I hope we’ll have some reunions in years to come!”

Designed in collaboration with Torsten Posselt at FELD, the 3-LP set is accompanied by a book of photographs documenting the recording process. It is housed in a bespoke, hand-assembled white box — with a recessed X — that slides open to one side, and is limited to 1000 copies worldwide.

The Sound of Sleat

MikeVass