Lovely. Like a breath of fresh air on a summer afternoon

Feeling Flying are a duo from Wellington, New Zealand, comprised of Andrew Thomas and Bevan Smith. The two artists – whose solo projects have been released on labels such as Kompakt, !K7, Air Texture, Carpark Records and Hotham Sound – have collaborated since the turn of the millennium, often helping each other out behind the scenes. For Feeling Flying, Andrew and Bevan combine their unique approaches to composition and improvisation to produce music neither could have made alone. Using a four-track tape recorder and the classic Roland D-550, they build soundscapes that draw inspiration from modern classical, jazz, and a wide spectrum of electronic music. The first Feeling Flying album was released by UK label Handstiched* in early 2024. This latest release, ‘Spirit Level’, is a further exploration in minimalism and immersive sound design.

‘Spirit Level’ was produced instinctively by Andrew and Bevan, who used a set method and basic tools, making space for a flowing approach to collaboration. The process started with Andrew improvising piano pieces and sending them to Bevan, who slowed them down by 400% and manipulated the sounds using the Roland D-550. The results were a series of atmospheric and meditative pieces, some of which originated as 45-minute compositions, before being edited into their final forms. On writing ‘Spirit Level’, Andrew and Bevan said “when we started to build out the sound world, it became apparent this work was evoking ideas of transformative and expansive experiences. Of moving through space, without time. Our immersion and connectedness with nature. How we position ourselves in the world, both physically and spiritually.” These emotive and spiritual concepts are beautifully captured in the album’s cover image by Philip Kelly, who presents listeners with a range of moods and metaphors that allows them room to make their own interpretation.

Credits
Written and produced by Bevan Smith and Andrew Thomas
Mastered by Bevan Smith
Photography by Philip Kelly
Art and design by Andrew Heath

Spirit Level

wlr173 Feeling Flying - Spirit Level

"dark cinnamon and yellow"  unfolds as a richly textured sonic meditation. Singing bowls resonate with warm, metallic tones, grounding the piece in tranquility while soft glitchy noise threads through the soundscape like fleeting memories. The interplay of organic warmth and digital fragility evokes the earthy aroma of dark cinnamon and the vibrant glow of yellow light. This composition captures a delicate balance between stillness and movement, drawing the listener into a deeply introspective space where time feels suspended.

dark cinnamon and yellow

NAVIARHAIKU576:

Amongst the rushes,
a stillness comes over us -
Heron in winter.

haiku: roekin https://www.roekin.com/
image: Camara Negra https://unsplash.com/photos/a-body-of-water-surrounded-by-tall-grass-N8R00J6ct_A
for the Naviar Records Haiku Music Challenge www.naviarrecords.com/haiku-music-challenge/

A Stillness Comes [NaviarHaiku576]

faded

eRecords is a digital record series created by Whitelabrecs, to run alongside our physical releases. These editions aim to transform the digital format into something that can be experienced in a similar way to a listener’s interaction with a real, white label vinyl record. Each edition includes a special PDF scrapbook including polaroids and liner notes.

We do not publish details about the concepts or production methods of a release, so that the liner notes and content in each scrapbook will give you the background of each edition in the series.

catalog: eR033
artist: alexis delozanne
release title: acclimatation
runtime: 35:00
location: paris, france

credits
written and produced by alexis delozanne
mastered by james edward armstrong
art and design by harry towell

Acclimatation

eR033 Alexis Delozanne - Poudre à Couleurs

NØCT1LUCENT #05

Thinking about the differences between the “behavioral” and the “physiological” music making activites as instructed in this week's @disquiet project (see more on the 687th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Applied Science — The Assignment: Record a piece of music that includes physiological and behavioral techniques — at https://disquiet.com/0687/) I made an instinctual first take riff on the 70s modular synth in Alchemy on Logic Pro, in response to the synth's rhythm, then layered this pattern in tracks knowing it would phase and create new rhythms inbetween.

The appliance of science (disquiet0687)

started in response to Haiku by Marc Sheridan,"  a splash of colour
cherry tree petals drifting
silently falling" NaviarHaiku https://www.naviarrecords.com/haiku-music-challenge/.    Track features sample instruments using recording of  playing the  'fins' of a computer heatsink and springs from an old couch.

bandcamp single

Life Inside A Drifting Petal (NaviarHaiku 585)

A slow dissolve into safety, carried by warm pads and drifting melodies.

Fade into Elsewhere

"'Spring Waltz' is a gentle and luminous invitation to renewal. On a hushed piano, each note dances lightly, evoking the first days of spring. Between neoclassical and emotional minimalism, this piece captures the freshness of the season and the awakening of feelings. Ideal for accompanying your moments of reflection, study, or relaxation."

Spring waltz (version finale)

Two Years Since I Last Saw You

Whitelabrecs was set up by Harry Towell in late 2015 as another outlet to put out experimental electronic/acoustic music. It followed Harry’s previous labels Audio Gourmet, Tessellate and Warehouse Decay and focuses on a collectable series of highly limited edition vinyl-effect CDr packaging, with the first 50 releases influenced by white label vinyl records. The label also runs a digital only series called eRecords, with each of these releases including a special PDF booklet.

https://www.whitelabrecs.com
https://whitelabrecs.bandcamp.com/

eR033 Alexis Delozanne - Poudre à Couleurs

Whitelabrecs

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