UTR - 158

The New Honey Shade – Geosyncline

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Subsurface listening. Sonic stratigraphy. A geology of tone.

On Geosyncline, Tulsa-based experimental ambient artist The New Honey Shade (aka Mark Kuykendall) delves deep into the earth both literally and sonically. Using a Geofon microphone by LOM, Kuykendall captured subsonic vibrations from bridges, overpasses, soil, water pipes, and electrical boxes. These ultra-sensitive contact mics—designed to detect seismic activity were paired with minimal processing and a restrained touch, allowing the natural textures of the captured environments to speak for themselves.

The result is a work grounded in field recording and sound design, rooted in deep bass and rich with tactile resonance. The only post-production flourish comes from the use of reverb, adding space without obscuring the raw, physical quality of the source recordings.

This album is not just an exploration of the planet’s hidden rhythms it is also a deeply personal excavation. As Kuykendall reflects:

“I grew up with frequent ear infections. Moments of pain and isolation where all I could hear were the deepest internal rumbles and distant, muffled echoes. Geosyncline is an homage to those formative sonic memories, recreated through vibration and tone rather than melody.”

With Geosyncline, The New Honey Shade invites the listener underground into a meditative, immersive space where hums, drones, and mechanical whispers create a geology of sound. It is ambient music for deep listening headphones on, volume up, feet on the ground.

For fans of geophonic sound design, lowercase music, and process-based audio art. 
credits
released July 19, 2025

All Sounds + Production by Mark Kuykendall
Mastering by Mark Kuykendall at Wild Mountain Studios 2025

The New Honey Shade - geosyncline -  lockeia

You can purchase at
https://eileanrec.bandcamp.com/album/dialog-tapes
https://dauw.bandcamp.com/album/dialog-tapes

"Dialog Tapes is a blend between Eilean Rec. & Dauw in which we linked artists of both labels. It’s the result of true love for each other works. We hope you enjoy this little treasure." 

Of Rainforests And Glaciers

UTR -150 


Ruhe + Lee Chapman - Studies: Rothko (PRE ORDER NOW)

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CFA tapes + Unknown Tone Records | Joint label release 2016 


details: 
format: c30 cassette 
edition: 100 
runtime: 29min 20sec 
label: cfatapes 

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statement by the artist: 

"an intercontinental collaboration between myself and my dear friend lee chapman, who currently resides in latvia. 

i had the privilege of seeing mark rothko's paintings at the portland art museum a couple years ago. i was so affected by the experience that i went home and created some music in response to residual thoughts and feelings. 'untitled, 1969' was born. 

strangely enough, latvia opened the mark rothko art center in april 2013. lee, by this time already a good friend of mine, acquired a print of one of rothko's paintings and hung it above his piano. 

unbeknownst to me, lee also created a piece of music in response to his experience with one of rothko's paintings, 'light red over black.' 

imagine our surprise when we discovered that we both had created "music for rothko" - a wonderful coincidence!; it only seemed right to collaborate and create one additional "response," and to release the three songs as a set." 

- Bryan Ruhe (worksbyruhe.net/rothko.html)
credits
releases December 1, 2016 

All Sounds by Bryan Ruhe + Lee Chapman 

Artwork by Bryan Ruhe (worksbyruhe.net) 

Mastering by Mark Kuykendall at Unknown Tone Studios (www.UnknownToneStudio.com)

Pre order tape here: https://unknowntonerecords.bandcamp.com/album/studies-rothko

Studies: Rothko

Ruhe + Lee Chapman // Studies: Rothko - B2. segram mural sketch, 1959

UTR - 151 

Samuel Regan - Stil de Grain 

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Samuel Regan's music is a communion of calligraphic abstraction, feelings (foremost, dread and love), and an almost confrontational emotional frankness and vulnerability. Formally, his music shows influence from modern classical, baroque, musique concréte, and contemporary experimental sound. Aesthetically, his work is laced with glimpses of romanticism, the sacred, the Arcadian, and the imagined. 

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*Revenue made from the digital sales of this album will go towards the production of a physical format in late 2017. 

Release date: 

12/11/2016 

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To support the artist directly and listen to more music go here: 
samuelregan.bandcamp.com
credits
releases December 11, 2016 

mixed and masted by Ben Hill (Askanse) 
violin on "abroad" by Amy Erickson 
viola on "nocturne" by Iya Prytkova 
artwork by Amy Erickson 
remastered by Mark Kuykendall

Samuel Regan - sweetness and light

piece for 5 Make Noise VCOs & lowpass gates. #4 in a series, recorded live.

study #4 11.18.16

UTR - 152 


Benjamin Hill and Samuel Regan - Untitled 

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"Who, if I cried out, would hear me among the Angelic 
Orders? And even if one were to suddenly 
take me to its heart, I would vanish into its 
stronger existence. For beauty is nothing but 
the beginning of terror, that we are still able to bear, 
and we revere it so, because it calmly disdains 
to destroy us." 
-Ranier Maria Rilke 

A meditation in four parts on the sublime, Untitled explores the ecstasy, fear, hope and despair involved in confronting the world and its manifold mysteries. 
This work was composed and produced with reverence to Renaissance and Baroque masses, modern classical, contemporary minimalism and experimental electronic music. Listeners may hear commonality in the work of Hildegard Von Bingen, Palestrina, La Monte Young, Steve Reich, Arvo Pärt, Swans, Tim Hecker et alia. The worlds built by Milton, Borges, El Greco, Bernini and Cy Twombly are, too, nearby. Untitled is an offering of ambition and love. Conceding the possibility of their completeness, these songs constitute a grasp into our surrounding darkness as an ode to its inconceivable expanse." 

-Samuel Regan 
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MORE NEWS: 

The album will release digitally 24hrs after Christmas Day on 12/26/2016. Digital sales will go towards funding a vinyl pressing in late 2017. For more info and updates: www.unknowntonerecords.com
credits
releases December 26, 2016 

Composed and produced by Benjamin Hill and Samuel Regan 

Instrumentalists: 
Avery Felton (vocals) 
Benjamin Hill (electronics, percussion) 
Sydne Rain (cello) 
Patrick Richardson (double bass) 
Samuel Regan (percussion, pipe organ, vocals) 

Paintings by Amy Erickson 
Mixed by Benjamin Hill 
Mastered by Mark Kuykendall (www.unknowntonestudio.com)

Untitled

Benjamin Hill And Samuel Regan - Untitled II

Working from the 1950s onwards and best known as the creator of Deep Listening, Oliveros primarily utilised electronic, vocal and improvisational media. A composer and musical theorist of considerable scope, intelligence and sensitivity, her life-long aim was to develop new and more profound ways of hearing music. 

This project was inspired by Phelan and Cherer’s attendance at one of Pauline’s last public appearances, at St. John Smiths Square in summer 2016, during which she led the audience in a performance of her composition ‘Tuning Meditation’, both feeling it to be a singularly memorable and moving experience. 

By drawing upon Oliveros’ principles the thirteen musicians featured on this compilation have fashioned dedicated pieces, using a variety of musical palettes and compositional styles, to reflect both Oliveros’ own wide ranging talent and the influence that her work has had upon their own practice.

With Alison Cotton, Brona McVittie, Oliver Cherer and Keiron Phelan, David Colohan, Isnaj Dui, Thollem Electric, The New Honey Shade, James Stringer, Neotropic, Anne Garner, The Hardy Tree and Michael Tanner.

Produced by Keiron Phelan and Oliver Cherer 
Mastered by Mark Kuyenkall 
Artwork by Katie English 

This is Rural Colours 080
Released May 30th 2017

Album launch, Cafe Oto, London, May 30th 2017.
https://www.cafeoto.co.uk/events/rural-colours-presents-pauline-oliveros-tribute/

The Last Sense To Leave Us, A Tribute To Pauline Oliveros (Snippets)

Handstitched* is happy to announce the release of a new album by The New Honey Shade, after hearing 'Ozark Dream' back in 2011 I was hooked on Mark's approach to music, sound design and luxurious beard, it's a great moment to release an album from him. 

The album was made using the classic Arp2600, features 15 deep and mysterious tracks and comes bundled with two limited edition collage prints by the artist Michael Tunk. 'Ceyx Quest' appears in stitched manila card stock sleeves which slide nicely into glassine bags. Limited to 60 [sixty] copies.

Pre-orders for the new album "Ceyx Quest" by The New Honey Shade are now available over at handstitched* 

https://handstitched.bandcamp.com/album/ceyx-quest

The New Honey Shade - Ceyx Quest

1. passage (magnetic north)
2. where fountains are with voiceless waterfalls
3. carved in obsidian, the lions wait
4. at the summit | temple bells
5. cassiopea
6. beneath a polar midnight
7. amaranths with fadeless colors glow
8. from shoreless cliffs of space, to canyons below
9. vadose room
10. lost near feldspar flats/gypsum mines
11. exit blind valley
12. a hidden river reveals
13. the crystal trident
14. surrounded by stately spires and palaces and domes
15. precipice

The New Honey Shade - Ceyx Quest [sampl3r]

A Certain Grief IV

A New Leaf is Elm Records fourth compilation album. Available to purchase from our Bandcamp page as a limited edition handcrafted CDR. 

https://elmrecords.bandcamp.com/album/a-new-leaf-compilation-2

Featuring Ian Hawgood, darren Harper, Slow Clinic, James Osland, The New Honey Shade, Jeff Stonehouse, Darren McClure, Samuel Regan, Oblivia and Gallery Six and Inemuri.

08. 8 Faro Island - Samuel Regan

Mark Daniel Kuykendall (July 7, 1981) is an Oklahoman artist, and producer. His work is generally characterized by his production style of melding electronically manipulated field recordings with dusty attic 8mm films.

The New Honey Shade - geosyncline - lockeia

The New Honey Shade

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