eternal, empty

Glåsbird is the work of British artist and composer Harry Towell, who is also owner of the Ambient record label Whitelabrecs. The project began in 2018 as Harry worked anonymously on a series of 8 albums, which was called ‘A Sonic Expedition’. This body of work saw him focus on a different remote geographic location for each location and he researched and explored places such as Greenland, Siberia and the Pacific Ocean, albeit from his home.

After the conclusion of this series, at the beginning of 2024 in a video interview with Kevin Press for his The Moderns blog, Harry announced that he was responsible for the music of Glåsbird. Having released a compilation album and booklet, curating music from A Sonic Expedition, Harry was quietly working on this next album; ‘Fenscapes’. He had virtually explored the world and immersed himself in epic landscapes and harsh conditions. By contrast, the landscapes around his sleeply Lincolnshire village were flat, minimal, and some might say quite unremarkable. He felt drawn to the South Lincolnshire fens around him and this became the theme for this album.

The Fens, or Fenlands, in eastern England are a low-lying, naturally marshy region historically rich in biodiversity. Over centuries, most of the area was drained to create flat, arable land supported by a complex system of drainage channels, man-made rivers, and pumping stations. This reclamation has led to the land sinking, necessitating higher dykes to prevent flooding. Covering nearly 1,500 square miles across parts of Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk, the Fens now serve as a highly fertile agricultural zone, producing significant quantities of grains and vegetables. Despite these changes, the area retains its unique ecological character, with a landscape shaped by its historical marshland origins.

Harry set out to visit and explore the sights and sounds of the six nearest fen roads to his home, including Rippingale, Dunsby, Haconby, Morton, Dyke and Bourne. Many of these consisted of long, straight, narrow roads, often worn and dusty. Some were dead ends. Either side of the roads were flat landscape views, stretching many miles out into expanses of open nothingness. Yet just as had been reported in history, they were full of wildlife with crickets, skylarks and owls were quietly thriving alongside a path less travelled. This album shares the results of Harry’s time spent walking in and appreciating these unsung local spaces, aiming to produce a work of art that might raise their cultural profile if only by a small amount.

For the artwork, Harry bought an 8 x 8 inch canvas, initially intending to paint a typical fenland landscape from one of the photos he’d taken during the visits. However, he had an idea to use leaves and flowers to rub onto the canvas – leaves, daisies and buttercups were used to depict the land whereas white and lilac flowers were used to paint the sky. The album marks the very first Whitelabrecs vinyl release, in a limited run of 100 copies.

Written and produced by Harry Towell
Mastered by James Edward Armstrong
Artwork by Harry Towell
Art and design by Andrew Heath

Fenscapes

wlr172 Glåsbird - Fenscapes

Calm Pieces is a València-based musician named Rafa Ramos Sania, who has a background in Jazz, Experimental, and Ambient music. He has collaborated with different artists and has previously released music on labels like Cuneiform Records and Archives. Some may recall Rafa’s collaboration with Edu Comelles for the 2022 Whitelabrecs album ‘de camp’ as well as double bass contributions on Edu’s 2020 album Línia Pedra Paisatge Solc. Rafa was a double bass player for the jazz trio Naima and his journey as a musician began in his teens with electric bass, followed by explorations in guitar, piano, and music production. As Calm Pieces, Rafa distils his work into softer, more ambient compositions, creating a sound that is both intimate and enigmatic.

Singles' is Calm Pieces' debut album, characterised by a serene and introspective sound, crafted through a blend of modern and traditional techniques. Rafa recorded acoustic instruments such as double bass, cello, classical guitar, and acoustic slide guitar, blending them with a digital sound palette into dynamic and textural cinematic soundscapes. Each track conveys a sense of calm and expressiveness, with melodies emerging naturally from improvisation. The album marks Rafa’s first solo physical release on a label, and Whitelabrecs is honored to share this evocative, minimalist journey with the world.

Credits:
Written and produced by Calm Pieces
Mastered by James Edward Armstrong
Cover artwork by David Linuesa
Art and design by Andrew Heath
Calm Pieces is a project by Rafa Ramos Sania.
Some of the sounds were created together with Edu Comelles

Singles

wlr176 Calm Pieces - Singles

Darkness In Plymouth

Forgotten Realms

Broken Vocalise

UTR - 126 

Lee Chapman - untitled 


These lost tape loops were sent to us by Lee over 3 years ago and somehow were shelved and forgotten. Upon rediscovery, we fell in love with these tender recordings and offered the 3 short tape movements up for remix. Multiple artists both national and international replied and submitted their beautiful renditions. Please enjoy these reworks that total over a 50 minute journey through the music of Lee Chapman. 

_____________________________________________________________ 

Remix Artist Include: 

Olan Mill (olanmill.bandcamp.com) 
HEDIA (hedia.bandcamp.com) 
Maps and Diagrams (handstitched.bandcamp.com) 
Samuel Regan (samuelregan.bandcamp.com) 
Pepo Galan (pepogalan.bandcamp.com) 
Max Wurden (wuerden.bandcamp.com) 
The New Honey Shade (thenewhoneyshade.bandcamp.com) 
Mathieu Lamontagne (arbee.bandcamp.com) 

Special thanks to all participating artists!
credits
releases April 27, 2019 

All Sound "untitled (i-iii) by Lee Chapman" 
Artwork by Mark Kuykendall

untitled

Lee Chapman - untitled i

Invisible Cities OST

The Celestial City

happy to announce the start for pre-order GRFTPS002
@gallery-six - The Waves Wiped Memories Away

http://giraffetapes.bandcamp.com/album/the-waves-wiped-memories-away

limited edition cassette / digital now on bandcamp

video for "Sentiment" here - https://youtu.be/6mf4iBzcFIc

--
七月の波はすべてを拭い去った
あの日の喜びも悲しみも
僕はただそれを見ていた
二度と戻らないその思い出を
夜が明けるまで
あの波打ち際で

The waves of July wiped away everything
The joy and sorrow of that day too
I merely watched memories that will never get back
At the edge of water until dawn
~~~~~

-- Hidekazu Imashige

The Waves Wiped Memories Away

A1. Gallery Six - Sentiment (GRFTPS002)

Edited sample of a track from the forthcoming album 'Coast' on the Cousin Silas Emporium Netlabel.

https://cousinsilas1.bandcamp.com/

Cousin Silas - Breakwater (Edit)

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/

wlr176 Calm Pieces - Singles

Whitelabrecs

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