We started 2021 with a round of four improvisations recorded in the small hours between the 2nd and 28th of January. A few months back, we connected with Dominik Grenzler, who records as @anmoku and runs the wonderfully eclectic micro-label, EndTitles, in Zurich. We agreed to collaborate on some material, and he kindly sent us over an hour's worth of gorgeous treated piano soundscapes strange textures and hypnotic rhythms. 

One of our previous collaborators from last year's round of Lockdown collaborations, Heidi Hart, also asked if we'd collaborate again. She had been commissioned to record a new piano and vocal piece by the renowned American musicologist and composer, Lawrence Kramer. “The Convergence: Notes on the Plague Year 2020”, is set to Thomas Hardy’s poem “The Convergence of the Twain” about the sinking of the Titanic, which Kramer uses as a metaphor for the devastating impact of Covid-19. Heidi sent us the recording, which Kramer gave his blessing to use as we saw fit. It is Heidi's heavenly vocals that graces the first three improvisations at various points, with piano playing by Joshua Groffman. 

For this round of improvisations, we decided to keep other contributors to a minimum, instead relying on our own field recordings and sounds as much as possible. Lurking within the sonic textures, you'll hear the sound of heavily treated piano scrapes, rolling marbles, bubbling fat, a dishwasher and even a vibrator on a sheet of perspex, along with a whole host more...though you probably won't recognise any of them by the time we've messed with them!

We recorded about three and half hours worth of new material over the course of the four jams. We'll be posting up edits as we produce them, so please keep checking back! 

Si & Gillie 19/02/21

2021 Lockdown Collaborations

Here's another deep and dark cut from the first session of the year, recorded on 2nd January 2021, and using some wonderful piano soundscapes kindly provided by @anmoku. We also added some great industrial/glitchy drum loops from @fl-souto, while Gillie flew in some horrible guitars Si had recorded earlier to complete the unpleasantness.

Electric Whirlwind

This track was edited from take 2 of our current Lockdown Collaboration 2021 series of improvisations, and features a some lush atmospheres and tribal rhythms provided by @anmoku... not so dark this time, but a bit strange nonetheless!

Excitations

Here's a track that starts quite strange and mysterious before turning dark and ominous. It's taken from session 3 of our recent 2021 Lockdown Collaboration series, with some great soundscapes provided by @anmoku

The Dark Room

Here's a track edited from our fourth Lockdown '21 collaboration series, recorded live at home 28/01/21.

Most of the sounds here are highly modified field recordings of things like a washing machine, old piano strings and other things that go bump and clang! 

It starts quite dark and moody, before Gillie brings in a brighter dreamy sound half way through and things become quite serene... for a bit ;-)

One Drop

Long overdue, we've finally got back to the task of editing up more tracks pulled from our four improvisations using sounds kindly provided by @anmoku, recorded early this year. This one was taken from the fourth jam in the series, recorded 28/01/21 and unusually for us, is relatively calm and peaceful.

Castle In the Air

This track comes from the opening 10 minutes of our first 2021 Lockdown Collaboration improvisation, recorded on the 2nd January. Unusually for us, it features Si's guitar playing, albeit heavily treated, looped and triggered by Gillie! 

It also features some wonderful soundscapes kindly provided by  @anmoku and some ethereal vocals from our dear friend and previous collaborator, Heidi Hart.

Void Threshold

This ambient piece is something of a departure for us, being somewhat calming as opposed to our more usual dark ambient/experimental output. It comes from the opening section of our second 2021 Lockdown Collaboration jam, recorded 06/01/21. 

The main piano soundscape was kindly provided by @anmoku. We also created a film for the piece and successfully submitted it for inclusion in "Dawn" online experimental music festival, curated by Glasgow-based Sound Thought, held over the last weekend of February.

Awakening

This piece comes from the third jam of our 2021 lockdown collaboration series, recorded 12/01/21, and features extensive use of our field recordings to create a dark ominous feel to the piece.

Neptune's Lair

Sonic soup for the mind. Please listen on headphones

Head to Bandcamp for full versions of Samsaminia & Nuit albums, etc. and consider purchasing them if you regularly enjoy our music

All tracks are edited from improvisations recorded in the wee hours at our studio.....

We also make experimental films to project at our performances, some of which you can see on Vimeo and our instagram profile (see links below)

Extended edits of the improvisations are also available on Mixcloud

2021 Lockdown Collaborations

silo portem