Sunday 30 December 2007

"Reflecting (Ambient & Loop Tracks Autumn 2006" - EL Heath (E/O -001)


First release to launch Either/Or and we are issuing it in conjunction with the eclectic My Formica Table imprint. "Reflecting" is the ghostly ondes martenot sounds of Shropshire's EL Heath, sometime member of Strap The Button and author of several projects, that would take up too much time attempting to explain.

"Reflecting's" charm is based around the unique martenot's sound (it is one of the scarcest instruments on the planet) and EL Heath's choice of recording equipment -- namely a 20-year old tape recorder. As one review noted, such vintage equipment makes "each track sound as if it is slowly decomposing before your very ears".

Once compared to Basinski doing "Bladerunner", EL Heath's cavernous compositions when he layers cascading drones, obscured voices , piano , muffled guitar and violin create a warped, other-worldly version of Eluvium and Stars of the Lid.

We are proud to have the "Reflecting (Ambient & Loop Tracks Autumn 2006)" as our first release and urge those needing an antidote to over-bearing digital manipulation to download EL Heath's nostalgia-tinged sounds immediately. Happy New Year to all!


Tracklist

1. Shadows On The Carpet
2. Ambiance D'Oragan de Corde
3. Macau
4. Dragons Chasing Their Tails
5. Epick

RIYL - William Basinski, Eluvium, Stars of the Lid

Download


Update: Some kind words from Michael Walton aka mwvm on our first release:

"Unbelievably beautiful. I haven't felt like this since hearing Rameses iii's Honey Rose. it's a really exciting listen to me because I can relate to so much that's going on. Track 3 ("Macau") and 5 ("Epick") especially."


Update (2) : More kind words -- this time from the wonderful Opuszine.....

"...Their first release is the aptly-titled "Reflecting (Ambient & Loop Tracks Autumn 2006)" by EL Heath. Recorded using a martenot and 20-year old tape recorder, the five short tracks (all are about four minutes or less) are steeped in nostalgia and decay.

Like so much music of this type, the emphasis is on creating music that sounds as if it’s in the process of disintegration. The various loops, samples, and drones—all of which sound like they were recorded about fifty years ago and have only now been unearthed and dusted off—stutter, fizzle, and crackle away, and each listen of a track like “Shadows On The Carpet” or “Dragons Chasing Their Tails” seemingly sloughs off yet another threadbare layer from the piece".

Update (3) : Sandwiched in between news of a Timbland/Nelly Furtado collaboration and a Thom Yorke rant -- Angry Ape has posted a little news of EL Heath's release. Brilliant!

Update (4) : Some more praise for Mr. Heath this time coming from Danish composer Mikkel Lentz who told us he thought "Reflecting...." contained

" Stunning pieces. Very special.. Sound like forgotten memories". Lovely words Mr Lentz

6 comments:

murmurists said...

downloaded Ondes pieces & love them. great work. best wishes, murmurists

Michael Henaghan said...

Thanks for taking the time out to listen!

Anonymous said...

i like it very much !
but should you upload these tracks in a better bitrate (192 or 256 kbps) ?

Michael Henaghan said...

well that would defeat the purpose of this release. It is supposed to sound degraded, devoid of digital manipulation and as if it was recorded in another era.

Anonymous said...

;-)
i thought about it ....

Anonymous said...

well I can sympathise, 128 quality, if it is that, actually adds to the digital manipulation, I had no idea they were of such low quality however. They do sound better in a higher bitrate I agree, mainly because higher bitrate allow speakers to fully utilise what is there rather than what the lost "lossy" parts. I shall see.

Eric