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f5point6 – See Blue Audio (previews)

'The Shuttle Leaves at Midnight'
f5point6
See Blue Audio SBA 028

1. The Shuttle Leaves at Midnight
2. Flight of the Icarus II
3. Looking Back, Going Forward
4. Charting Unknown Constellations
5. Multidimensional Excursions

Release date: 26 November 2021

lnk.to/SBA028

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

After a six-month period of hiatus, f5point6 – the musical guise of multidisciplinary artist R.Cleveland Aaron – returns to See Blue Audio with a new collection of music, 'The Shuttle Leaves at Midnight', for the twenty-eighth release on the label. The last six months have been far from quiet, however, as Cleveland began working on the next stage of his musical evolution. If the previous five releases under the 'KaleidoSound' banner can be seen as a complete body of work, then 'The Shuttle Leaves at Midnight' is the first chapter in a new series that sees him explore different directions and unknown territories. The clue is in the title, while across its five tracks the music is given the scope to truly breathe.

The 'KaleidoSound' series covered a wide range of themes to form an audio chronicle of the evolution of our world. Now we have 'The Shuttle Leaves at Midnight', a point of transition in the musical journey of f5point6, and, as the title suggests, it's the beginning of a one-way trip. This is also a new beginning in terms of sound creation as the field recordings and audio manipulation of 'KaleidoSound' are replaced by a deep dive into the world of the synthesizer. The overall f5point6 sense of cinematography remains, but the predominantly beatless soundscapes are now enhanced by Cleveland's growing confidence and use of experimentation in the studio. Miles Davis, Jon Hassell, Jan Jelinek and Eleh should also be cited as influences, as well as his continuing fascination with the culture of science fiction.

The opening title track acts as the first step on a spiritual journey to the mothership, and from there onwards to destinations unknown. Drawing on the ambient style of 'elevator music' before gradually accelerating into hyperdrive, the shuttle enters the stratosphere and the awaiting Icarus II. 'Flight of the Icarus II' follows, and this fictional spaceship is tasked with succeeding where its predecessor failed: the jump into the void is made, there is no turning back.

'Looking Back, Going Forward' marks midway in the journey and serves as a time for evaluation. Taking inspiration from past jazz masters, a minimal arrangement and contrasting rhythms are set against a backdrop of endless space. In contrast, 'Charting Unknown Constellations' reveals an unexpected discovery before disembarking. Manipulating the sound of a single synth, it conjures up a vision of distant star systems and the esoteric aesthetic of 'fourth world music'.

'Multidimensional Excursions' concludes the voyage and rather like parallel universes, it's a celebration of the birth of new concepts. Juxtaposing pulses and rhythms create wide-open spaces; a new star system becomes home; and Icarus II is replaced by Cepheus, a transporter more suited to the untapped terrain. Terraforming this new world can now begin, but this must wait until the next chapter, 'A Matter of Light and Depth'. You have arrived at your destination.

Artwork and photography: R.Cleveland Aaron.

The Shuttle Leaves at Midnight

'The Shuttle Leaves at Midnight' (preview) – f5point6 (See Blue Audio SBA #028)

'A Matter of Light and Depth'
f5point6
See Blue Audio SBA 038

1. Synthesis of Internal Matter
2. A Matter of Light and Depth
3. TerraForming
4. Twelve.Three.Three.Three.
5. Chronophotography
6. Forever.Decreasing.Circles.
7. In Order to Funktion
8. In Pursuit of Efficiency
9. The Prometheus Project
10. Shifting Perspectives
11. Message from a Distant Future
12. [Outro – Memoirs from My Inner Voice]

Release date: 23 September 2022

lnk.to/SBA038

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

As the previous release from f5point6 revealed, this is a project in constant flux and evolution. 'The Shuttle Leaves at Midnight' towards the end of 2021 was the first chapter in a new musical quest exploring different directions and unknown territories. It also demonstrated enhancements in sound creation as synthesizer composition, jazz influences and experimentation were added to the artist's audio palette. Now f5point6 returns with a full-length album that picks up from where its predecessor left off, and then transports us to new destinations once again. 'A Matter of Light and Depth' is the seventh collection of cinematic music from f5point6, the thirty-eight release on See Blue Audio, and a finely sculpted, while also intensely personal, way to mark the end of summer's respite and re-examine the world around us.

f5point6 is the musical guise of multidisciplinary artist R.Cleveland Aaron, but it also operates as a form of storytelling; part of his internal enquiry to try to make some sense of all that surrounds him, including what came before and what will come in the future. As the earlier 'KaleidoSound' series depicted the different stages of evolution on our planet, and then 'The Shuttle Leaves at Midnight' saw us seek out new worlds and parallel universes, so onto 'A Matter of Light and Depth' and something distinct again. A deeply rooted love of science fiction is ever-present in Cleveland's work, but here it's fused with a reflection on where humanity is right now: post-pandemic, environmentally destructive, politically and socially divided, and filled with identity anxiety and fear for the future. On 'A Matter of Light and Depth' he's not afraid to get serious and ask us to think about the growing need for liberty and justice – the Black Lives Matter movement is just one example – and the crisis around mental health. How do you see the future?

As the title suggests, the music across the twelve tracks of this album moves through multiple shades, moods and tones. The twisting and turning opening track, 'Synthesis of Internal Matter' is one of several beatless soundscapes, and the title track follows with its contrasting phases of dark electronic depths and moments of rippling elation. These emotional highs and lows are a recurring motif, and it's clear that Cleveland has poured his heart and soul into this album. Open and honest, sometimes confused and at others angry, but always questioning the technology and narratives we're fed.

As we travel through 'A Matter of Light and Depth' and reach 'Message from a Distant Future', a sense of hope rises; our signals sent out into the universe have finally been detected and returned. "Come" is the only word revealed in the decryption process; the rest is in our hands. The closing track, '[Outro – Memoirs from My Inner Voice]', softens the mood as the artist tries to listen to his own inner voice away from all the clamour around him.

Welcome to the world of f5point6 and 'A Matter of Light and Depth'. Elegantly crafted this album most certainly is, but also suffused with raw emotions and smouldering energy. As with all of Cleveland's music, it travels through space and time, but on this occasion, he pauses, reflects and plants an anchor firmly in the here and now. As such, it represents his finest work to date.

Mastered by Thomas Ragsdale.

Artwork and photography: R.Cleveland Aaron.

A Matter of Light and Depth

'A Matter of Light and Depth' (preview) – f5point6 (See Blue Audio SBA #038)

'Clinical Trials'
f5point6
See Blue Audio SBA 043

1. 17 Days and 16 Nights
2. Second to the Intended
3. Face. No Face Interaction
4. Good Days, Bad Days
5. Mantra
6. The Nocebo Effect
7. The Placebo Effect
8. The Others
9. Extension Phase
10. [Outro – Thank You for Your Participation]

Release date: 9 June 2023

lnk.to/SBA043

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

After a short hiatus, See Blue Audio returns for its second release of 2023 and the eighth from f5point6. Last year's 'A Matter of Light and Depth' earned much critical praise and radio support for its exploration of sound creation, and, as we've come to expect from f5point6, the musical guise of multidisciplinary artist R.Cleveland Aaron, his latest album represents another change in direction. 'Clinical Trials', the forty-third release on See Blue Audio, is an audio chronicle of one person's struggle to survive in a dystopian world.

Beginning with his earlier 'KaleidoSound' series, the f5point6 aesthetic has always been a fusion of atmospheric moods and textures with storytelling and personal reflection, underpinned by a highly cinematic sensibility. With the honing of his production skills, the storytelling aspect of Cleveland's work has become increasing sophisticated and reaches new heights on 'Clinical Trials'. As the title hints at, this is a narrative about power versus the individual; namely, a young woman, Raluna, who volunteers to take part in a government funded clinical trial. These trials have primarily been set up to test a treatment for young adults, between the ages of 18 and 25, who suffer from low attention span and fatigue.

This ten-track collection opens with '17 Days and 16 Nights', a period in which the volunteers for these trials are tested and monitored, night and day. For Raluna, the rhythm of realisation ignites sporadically as she floats along an endless journey to a destination few will remember. On 'Second to the Intended', she starts to experience things she can't explain, a side effect perhaps, and an imaginary future as the present slips from her grasp.

Subsequent tracks depict a growing conflict between humanity as social animals and providers of data through our electronic devices. This reaches a crescendo on 'Mantra', a trance-like soundscape inspired by John Carpenter's 1988 movie, 'They Live', in which subliminal messages are embedded into everyday life to keep us subservient. Raluna is the only participant in the trials who can see these messages, and she starts to piece together the ultimate plan.

With increasing clarity, she recalls 'the before', a time of face-to-face interactions in human history that was erased in the quest for profit and efficiency. This could just be a placebo, of course, and part of the trials, where secrets and distrust reign. As we reach the beatless serenity of 'The Extension Phase', the conclusion of 'Clinical Trials', the tests are over and Raluna will soon be travelling home with only a hazy memory of her experiences. As her mind wanders, she is filled with a feeling of inner peace.

In customary f5point6 style, things never finish quite as you would expect, and '[Outro – Thank You for Your Participation]' provides an epilogue to the story. As Raluna joins her fellow volunteers to watch a short film before being discharged, she sees a screen that is only displaying static, but the others are all smiling. Losing consciousness and subsequently reawakening, she is consumed by the feeling that things might not work out well. The story has ended where it began; Raluna is living the same experience in a constant loop without any memory of actually being tested.

With its extended soundscapes, 'Clinical Trials' is both a meditation on authority and obedience, and the soundtrack to an imaginary science fiction film.

Artwork and photography: R.Cleveland Aaron.

Clinical Trials

'Clinical Trails' (preview) – f5point6 (See Blue Audio SBA #043)

'A World Within Our World'
f5point6
See Blue Audio SBA 052

1. Konis_
2. Clarity in the Dark
3. A World Within Our World
4. Fertile Ground
5. L'Artico Blu

Release date: 14 June 2024

lnk.to/SBA052

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

A year down the line from the last f5point6 release on See Blue Audio, multidisciplinary artist R.Cleveland Aaron returns with the first in a series of three releases which include a collaboration with another mainstay of the label’s roster, Rhombus Index. During this relatively quiet period, the artist has been working to push his sound forward and outwards, and 'A World Within Our World' reveals a deepening technical maturity as well as a growing confidence in his ability to truly express his ideas and emotions through music. As the fifty-second release on See Blue Audio, this is both a departure from what has gone before and a journey into other worlds.

If the previous release on See Blue Audio, NRV's 'Seasons Beyond the Ashes', took its inspiration from the four seasons and the healing properties of nature, 'A World Within Our World' is concerned with the resilience of nature against human intervention and the wanderings of the imagination. This sense of departure also applies to the existing body of work from f5point6 which has had storytelling at its heart. This reached a peak on 'Clinical Trials', an audio chronicle of one person's struggle to survive in a dystopian world, but with this new collection the emphasis has shifted to individual compositions that stand in their own space and time.

'A World Within Our World' comprises five sonic landscapes with their own unique concepts, but still held together through common musical threads of precise attention to detail, shifting subtleties of sound, and a pervasive sense of unease. It’s almost as if the contrast has been turned up to the maximum, but within this sensory overload emerging new forms can be glimpsed. There are times when the effect can border on the claustrophobic but listen closely and shafts of pale light emerge just as the first rays of dawn pierce the darkness of night.

The opening track, 'Konis_', is based around a continuous process of layers of sound that build up, clear and then start again. Over 16 minutes in length, it sets the scene for what's to come as musical particles float and then disappear from view. Taken from the ancient Greek word 'xóviç' meaning dust, it creeps into our consciousness in a way that's reminiscent of 'Loop-Finding-Jazz-Records', the seminal Jan Jelinek album.

'Clarity in the Dark' follows where fear of the unknown is heightened by exaggerated sounds that have been stretched and amplified by space and the absence of light. The title track, meanwhile, is based around a collection of imagined sounds crafted from their proximity to everyday objects. Throughout these musical landscapes, whether beatless or underpinned by clicks, glitches and pulses, other sounds drift in and out. Seemingly random but also placed with precise attention, they provide points of sharp focus as they glide past.

The unceasing will of nature to survive is imagined on 'Fertile Ground', starting with the soil that supports the growth of flora, onto the first signs of shoots, and ending with a reminder of its power. To conclude, 'L'Artico Blu' is another extended composition of over 12 minutes with an accompanying short film, and a ghostly soundtrack to the melting of the Arctic icecaps expressed through the duality of beauty and danger.

f5point6 has returned but the script has been flipped. Common themes remain – cinematic ambience with enigmatic melodies, a nod towards the more experimental side of jazz, and a passion for sci-fi culture – but everything has moved forward with a sense of urgency reflecting the artist's misgivings about the future of our planet.

Artwork and photography: R.Cleveland Aaron.

A World Within Our World

'A World Within Our World' (preview) – f5point6 (See Blue Audio SBA #052)

'A Random Sequence of Events'
f5point6
See Blue Audio SBA 054

1. Flowing with the Phagocytes
2. Endogenesis
3. I Never Got to Say
4. Grey Clouds over Ramsgate
5. Phase Eleven
6. Prelude to the Inevitable
7. And In Came Eddy
8. Un momento pensieroso
9. To Illustrate Her with Sound
10. Midnight Carousel
11. A Random Sequence of Events

Release date: 20 September 2024

lnk.to/SBA054

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

For the third and final instalment in a series of f5point6 releases, multidisciplinary artist R.Cleveland Aaron presents a new full-length album, 'A Random Sequence of Events'. It also represents another side of his musical personality and while radically different in many aspects from the other two releases in this trilogy – 'A World Within Our World' and 'Mutual Expression' in collaboration with Rhombus Index – a line of continuity remains. As the fifty-fourth release on See Blue Audio and the eleventh from f5point6, it's also a timely reminder that, at his core, R.Cleveland Aaron is a visual artist, so as a producer of music, his aim is to create visual sounds. Reflecting their symbiotic relationship, a new solo album from Rhombus Index, ‘hycean’, will also be released on the same day.

There's a clear statement of intent behind this new album: at this stage in his career, Cleveland felt compelled to reveal more of his musical palate. As the title of the second track, 'Endogenesis' – meaning biological growth from within – suggests, the music comes from his imagination, originating from within his conscious and unconscious mind. On previous releases, the approach has always been to express opposing forces, almost like symbiosis, and apply this to a single genre throughout the project. With 'A Random Sequence of Events', however, Cleveland chose to challenge himself and delve into these forces across a mixture of genres. Followers of f5point6 will already know that his sound is all about light and shadow, colour and contrast, and the juxtaposition of ideas – another reflection of his work as a photographer and video artist.

This process is taken to another level on 'A Random Sequence of Events', and it can be considered as the first true f5point6 artist album. Work began in February 2023 with 'Phase Eleven'. Experimenting with looser arrangements but also intricate patterns, it became a welcome opportunity for Cleveland to tap into his jazz roots. Serendipitously, the more experimental title track is also the eleventh track on the eleventh f5point6 release on See Blue Audio.

The last track made for the album was 'Un momento pensieroso' – translated from the Italian as "a moment of reflection or a pensive moment" – in May 2024. This follows on from 'And in Came Eddy' featuring trumpet playing from Eddy Gray-Aragoneses, which is significant in another respect as it was Cleveland's first experience of recording a live instrument. The results are as elegant as they are almost celestial in quality.

Another departure from previous releases is the absence of field recordings; instead, Cleveland opted to explore and utilise a wide variety of plugins. The beatless aesthetic of See Blue Audio is also heard on tracks like 'Flowing with the Phagocytes' and 'Grey Clouds Over Ramsgate'.

Is this album really a random sequence of events or a reflection of the underlying patterns of the universe? The artist makes no claim to have the answer, but he poses the question through an exploration and personal interpretation of jazz, Detroit techno and ambient electronica set against the backdrop of a cinematic musical landscape. As a listening experience, ‘A Random Sequence of Events’ is as dynamic as it is immersive. Like the drifting sands of an endless desert, or calm water lapping against the shores of the deepest lake, this is music to lose yourself in, suspend time and pause for thought.

Artwork and photography: R.Cleveland Aaron.

A Random Sequence of Events

'A Random Sequence of Events' (preview) – f5point6 (See Blue Audio SBA #054)