četvrtak, 16. svibnja 2013.

Spheruleus [Harry Towell] - Clearings (2013)



Zvukovni dizajn luksuznog vremena: stvaranje novih zvukovnih predmeta od vremenskih krhotina plastičnih, metalnih, organskih i zračnih pojava u prirodi i društvu. S gitarom kao škrtim orijentirom.

streaming

Released exclusively through the Spheruleus Bandcamp page, I present ‘Clearings’ – a collection of 12 previously unreleased works. Each piece was constructed using unused sounds on my hard-drive from the six years I have spent working with experimental music. I have seen similar things done before by other artists and I always wondered whether they found it difficult to give an album of otherwise unwanted material a coherent voice. However, once I had decided to look into doing something similar I suddenly felt liberated when gathering these misfits. Each piece reminded me of a particular time in my life; the thoughts, ideas and concepts I’d had when creating them all came flooding back. 

I spent a few months editing this material and assigning it an identity based on the ‘sparks’ that had originally inspired me to make it. Most of the titles are cryptic but themes that flit in and out of ‘Clearings’ include: the sea and enormity of the ocean, a longing for a simple rural lifestyle, rainy days indoors, vast woodland areas, crumbling buildings, commuting, striving for and finding stability and even my half-baked idea of making an album about Christmas trees stood in fields, waiting for the big day!

You can expect to hear everything from lo-fi drones, passages of acoustic instruments, field recordings, vinyl and radio static drenched texture, jittery looping harmonics, percussion made from household noises, tape hiss experiments and subtle use of newer beat-driven techniques.
The finished article draws together all of these different techniques I have experimented with over the last six years and it is hoped that somehow in this variation, there lies a strength and togetherness.

I would like to dedicated the opening track ‘For Diego’ to Juan Diego B (1974-2012)

credits

Written and produced by Harry Towell 




The Late Surge Of Gold (2012) streaming


“As the title suggests, The Late Surge of Gold refers to the seasonal phenomena known as Indian Summer, when the sun shines deep into autumn. The Indian Summer in question that sparked this set of recordings occurred in the UK in late 2010. I recorded the album specifically for Japanese label Analogpath, who’d invited me to join their catalogue. The recording process began right at the end of the UK summer and finished in November, just at the point when the sun had faded and winter had just begun. So I wanted to try and give this work a ‘golden cloak’ to echo the glorious colours and spectacular skies that were present at that time and then towards the end of the album, fade slowly into winter.”

credits

Written and produced by Harry Towell 
The Late Surge of Gold is the work of British sound designer Harry Towell, under his Spheruleus moniker. Previous releases have graced labels such as Hibernate, Home Normal and Time Released Sound and collaborations that have seen him work with the likes of Pleq and Ekca Liena. Harry also runs the Audio Gourmet netlabel and its new sister label Tessellate Recordings, which specialises in limited edition CDr releases.The Late Surge of Gold was composed specifically for Analogpath, recorded during last year’s Indian Summer in the UK, a phenomenon in which the sun shines deep into autumn. This is an album which documents warm and hazy summer, the bright sunshine that extends through autumn before eventually descending into the cold of winter.
The sounds are a typical example of Spheruleus’ work, pooling together fragile acoustic recordings from the artist’s instrument collection. They are joined by field recordings, static and subtle drones which amount to a lo-fi pastoral tale, unfolding the full spectrum of seasonal colours from the warmth of yellow and orange, fading slowly to grey and darkness.
Artwork by Johan Söderberg, except from the image which features a building. This was taken by Harry Towell on holiday in the Peak District at the height of the Indian Summer.
The press release for Spheruleus’s ” The Late Surge of Gold” states that the album was “… recorded during last year’s Indian Summer in the UK, a phenomenon in which the sun shines deep into autumn. This is an album which documents warm and hazy summer, the bright sunshine that extends through autumn before eventually descending into the cold of winter”. On the one hand it is an album about seasons, on the other hand – and more importantly – it’s an album about transitions rather than merely beginnings or endings. The challenge here is to cover three seasons (summer, fall, winter) in just six songs. It’s a challenge Harry Towell is more than up to as he creates one of his most concise and rewarding albums to date.
Album opener “Flaxen Fields” provides some of that subdued guitar work Towell has become known for. In many ways, that gentle guitar work forms the foundation of many of Spheruleus’s compositions. Here, the guitar work is as sparse as ever but serves as a beacon of light, centering us, guiding us. However, it’s a beacon of light that will eventually grow faint as the album progresses – as it should to be true to its story. The song titles seem to tell the story too: “Golden Cloak” is all summer gold, but by album’s end we’re facing “Blackening Folds” in the wet of winter. Thus, the narrative moves gently from lustrous and light to listless and dark.
Second song “Golden Cloak” indeed offers the album’s brightest, most summer-esque moment. The piece feels blistering: crackling, intense heat combines with wavering melodies that vibrate like the sun’s rays. It’s a welcoming and warm piece. Slowly, toward the end we feel some new thing on the horizon, a wrinkle in the fabric.
Where”…Cloak” is the heat, following song “Old St. Martin’s” feels like an accompanying mirage. As warm and inviting as it is, it also feels like an end. And it is. The warmth can’t last forever. The sounds are more faint, less resilient here. Its optimism seems eternal, but the light is dimming.
“Rusting Leaves” has the distinct feeling of being autumnal. The sound of something resembling fire is in play again, only this time it sits in the background rather than emanating from the centre. Birds chirp but there song is becoming muted. It may be the album’s strongest song, and how fitting, since autumn, like spring, is a season of transition. And that’s what TLSOG is about transitions – every song has its root in the past, present, and future. Towell’s strong guitar work is on display again in a prominent way, but more muted – and the strings feel metallic and coarse rather than organic and inviting.
Closers “Frore” (which means extreme cold or frosty) and “Blackening Folds” are the most droning moments of the album. They bleed into each other in many ways and, as such, create a distinct chapter in the overall narrative. It’s a story of being submerged. The source sounds are more buried, more processed here: the later songs feature sparse guitar work, and, where present, it is much more augmented – as if lost in a fog. It’s as lovely as ever, but feels less inviting then the previous chapters of lingering summer or plaintive autumn. It feels almost… alien. As the album comes to a close it reads like a story told in three chapters. But for all its meditative qualities, there is always movement by way of the traces of that which came before and what will come next.
Can a record be called both experimental and deliberate? It sure seems that way when listening to a record like this. Rather than build songs out of some deliberate, pre-decided notion of how songs should be built, Spheruleus’s music seems to spin out of itself – like witnessing a potter’s wheel create form from a lifeless mound. “The Late Surge of Gold” works much the same way, but what’s noteworthy is that it tells a clear tale despite the incidental nature of the way the music is constructed. And the good news for the listener is that the tale is well worth exploring. - Brendan Moore for Fluid Radio
Spheruleus, the musical moniker of Harry Towell, is built on natural instruments steeped in processes that smear and blur them in a variety of ways. It’s a common technique given the ease and availability of software and effect pedals, but “The Late Surge of Gold” is better than much in the modern electro-acoustic genre. Much like Chihei Hatakeyama or Seaworthy, Spheruleus is most effective when there’s a balance struck between the hiss and crackle of experimental sound and the melody of guitars and bells. The best track on the album, “Rusting Leaves,” winds tactile crackles and distant birdsong around contemplative electric guitar lines, allowing the carefully selected components to combine and disappear to pleasing effect. Curiously, the last two tracks contain the most ambient moments on “The Late Surge of Gold,” ending the album in a calm, reflective manner. – Ryan Potts, Experimedia

Dissolve (2012) streaming
In his first solo release since last year's 'Voyage' album on Hibernate, Spheruleus gets the year up and running with this pair of longform pieces called 'Dissolve'. 
Dissolve is currently a digital only release, presented as a vinyl or tape set with two 'sides'.
Both pieces are continuous longform tracks, culled from a wide pool of instruments including guitar, violin, cello, harmonica, vibraphone, french horn, piano and voice. The instrument sounds are blurred into a swirling collage, accompanied by light shards of noise, radio static and field recordings.
The cover artwork was provided by photographer Richard Outram, (who also did the artwork for Voyage) and then treated with a canvas effect to make it look like a painting of what would (at first) be the artist's ideal home. 
Harry Towell, the man behind the Spheruleus moniker has recently been residing in a living space for a short time, which has for some unknown reason been less than inspiring. He is due to move soon, which got him thinking about the time he has spent living in his current home and how his musical creativity has been hindered by it. He pondered upon what would be the most ideal place to live in terms of inspiring creativity and immediately recalled Richard Outram's beautiful photograph of an isolated house against a backdrop of mountains on the Llyn Peninsula in Wales. 
The area is very much untouched and the houses are scattered sparsely.
Soon, thoughts turned to how such a place of isolation may eventually induce a despairing loneliness despite its obvious beauty. In turn, this gave Harry the inspiration to make the most of his current living space and overcome his hindered productivity with one last creative surge before he moves to pastures new. 
Aside from this, the rest is left wide open for individual interpretation and it is hoped that the imagery and titles evoke thoughts that each listener can relate to themselves.

credits

Written and produced by Harry Towell

15 Questions to Harry Towell/ Spheruleus
article image
Hi! How are you? Where are you?
I'm good thanks! I'm currently in a small town in Lincolnshire UK called Bourne, where I have lived for pretty much my whole life so far.


What’s on your schedule right now?

I've just finished releasing the Hidden Landscapes compilation album, which features some top artists - it's out now on the 'full-albums' tab at the Audio Gourmet website. In terms of my own music production as Spheruleus, I am putting the finishing touches to an album I have coming out on Hibernate later this year. It's basically a soundtrack to sinking ship disasters and failed sea voyages. The spine of the album was recorded about a year and a half ago and over the last few months I've really enjoyed studying and putting together the concept. Otherwise, I've a short album out on a much-loved  netlabel, as well as the Paper Relics album in which I have collaborated with my brother Stuart, a guitarist.

How would you describe and rate the music scene of the country you are currently living in?
The modern ambient music scene in the UK does seem to be getting healthier all the time, with great labels like Hibernate and Under The Spire having emerged over the last year or so. Hibernate in particular have been putting on gigs in Hebden Bridge where the label is based and they've had some superb artists perform, both British and international. Geographic location is less of a relevance these days mind, what with the Internet. Obviously gigs and events are location based, but records are coming out in countries where the artist is hailing from the other side of the world, perhaps having never even been to the country that releases their music! The Internet in my view has really helped establish a world-wide ambient community, as opposed to several sub-communities based in their own countries. Having said this, I am not suddenly shunning any patriotic duty; I am proud to be from a country where there are a lot of very talented artists and musicians!

Do you see yourself as part of a certain tradition or as part of a movement?
This leads on nicely from my comments about the Internet - I feel that it has made the modern ambient scene a worldwide movement. The music is accessible, the people involved with it are generally very encouraging and it is fantastic to be part of this.

In terms of composition, what do you consider your main challenges?
Time would certainly be the biggest hindrance for me. And often the problem with this lack of time is that sometimes I am giving myself a sort of 'slot' in which to do something creative with my sound design. Which is the opposite to how I would operate if I had plenty of time to my disposal. I tend to work better when I have an idea and I can fully explore it and see where it goes. I've read that a lot of artists discard a lot of work and actually waste their time in some cases and this can happen to me too occasionally. Other times however, I can put something together that just seems to flow out of nowhere ...

How would you describe your method of composing?
The processes and methods can vary, but generally my work is born out of a base sample that I gradually build on with several layers of instrumentation. All of my music at the moment is derived from a real instrument source, which I then manipulate into a soundscape. There is never a real sense of rhythm or  structure to my music; it tends to be loose and the several layers of instrumentation tend to climb over one another in a disorderly fashion. Then often, my work is accompanied by field recordings I make either when I'm out and about or sounds I gather from objects around the house.

In which way, would you say, is your cultural background reflected in your work?
Lincolnshire is very much a farming county and although flat in many places, the area of it where I live does have its more undulating terrain. For some reason, I wanted to be a farmer when I was very young – this quickly fizzled out as I got older, but I've never lost that yearning to be outdoors, stuck in the middle of nowhere. I quite often take countryside walks to get a bit of fresh air and some ideas and often I'll take field recordings that eventually find their way into my tracks. I also find this time a great source of inspiration for my work; time to think and be away from all the day to day rush.

How do you see the relationship between sound and composition?
As I mentioned earlier, I like to keep my compositions loose and free from a set tempo. So the several layers of instrumentation are more focussed on the sounds that I can make with the instrument, as opposed to the rhythm in which I have played it. Also, a lot of my work is based around field recordings both 'chance' and 'deliberate'. The chance recordings are certainly not composed, nor are they improvising as such. These sounds just happen, and they really help to add some strong narrative to the eventual track.

How strictly do you separate improvising and composing?
Pretty much all of my music is improvised, based on the actual sound that instruments and objects can make. Sometimes I'll play around with an instrument and make a few 'takes' whereas other times, I might chop up the fragments of recordings that work best once I am arranging the main track. I am experimenting a little more with composing at the moment, as I am working on the Paper Relics project with my brother Stuart, who's a guitarist. His background centers much more around musical composition than mine and it is interesting to hear how our two completely different approaches have gone together.

What does the term „new“ mean to you in connection with music?
I think it can be very difficult finding something completely new in terms of sound. I think the term 'new' for me with music is when something is presented in a different perspective. Music that makes you think differently, or think 'I'd never have thought about doing it that way, and I like it'. I think there is a strong fascination through much of the ambient community at the moment in presenting soundscapes in an old, sort of antiqued way. Whereas, when ambient started, it was all about spacey, futuristic sounds. That's the beauty of sound though; it can be recycled into something new or it can really capture the essence of something old.

Do you personally enjoy multimedia as an enrichment or do you feel that it is leading away from the essence of what you want to achieve?
I think a breathtaking or mysterious image along with a few paragraphs of narrative and thought provoking titles can make a heck of a difference to the way an album is received, for me. I guess it helps cement everything together and give some added depth and food for thought. In terms of video, I tend to leave it most of the time since I rarely get chance to sit down in the comfort of my own room. But again, this can certainly add that extra dimension to an album package.

What constitutes a good live performance in your opinion? What’s your approach to performing on stage?
At present, I don't personally perform on the stage since I haven't invested the time or money into working out how best to present my act as a live performance. The only way at the moment that you're likely to catch me playing a set is DJing with ambient music, since I've been doing so with various forms of music since an early age and feel very comfortable with it.
As for what constitutes a good stage performance in my opinion, I'd say it's all about atmosphere. Blending together the right tones and sounds to engage with the people in the room. This is a formula that for me, fits across the board, whatever the style of music.

How, would you say, could non-mainstream forms of music reach wider audiences without sacrificing their soul?
Again, having touched on the subject of the Internet, I think this is certainly something that has opened up many channels. Sites like Spotify and social networking have become a way of showing our friends the music we listen to. Music is as accessible as it's ever been now we have the Internet. Having said that, this has had a very negative effect on the good old fashioned record shop. There's not so many of those crazy characters in backstreet music shops forcing you to buy records you don't really want but when you get home you realise how wonderful it is. Face to face, there is not so much introducing others to music these days and I do think that given the experimental nature of the music, it is simply not marketable on mass without sacrificing its 'soul' as you say. Best keep things the way they are and those that delve a little deeper will really feel the rewards that only 'underground' music can offer.

You are given the position of artistic director of a festival. What would be on your program?
I've pretty much immersed myself in music of various genres since my early teens and so I'd be keen to put on a festival of all sorts of sounds. Obviously lots of ambient, but some good jazz, some trip-hop, downtempo stuff, post rock bands, maybe some deep/techy house later on too. All sorts!

Many artists dream of a “magnum opus”. Do you have a vision of what yours would sound like?
I don't have a clear vision as such, since I am always adopting new techniques and styles the more I experiment with sound. I'd imagine that in years to come, I'll have been able to hone all of the skills I have learnt as well as any instruments I learn to play and present them as the sort of tracks I've been striving for. My dream is to have a room that is full of weird and wonderful instruments and equipment … But who knows what the pinnacle of my achievements will end up being once I decide enough's enough.
Image taken from the upcoming Spheruleus album on the Resting Bell netlabel.
Harry Towell Discography:
As Spheruleus:
A Vision Obscured (Earth Mantra)    2009  
Tales From The Labyrinth (Test Tube) 2009
The Disguised Familiar (Earth Mantra) 2009
Driftwood/ Seafoam (Audio Gourmet Netlabel) 2010  
Rust EP (Audio Gourmet Netlabel) 2010  
Frozen Quarters (Under The Spire, Audio Gourmet) 2010  
Decompose (Audio Gourmet) 2010

As Audio Gourmet:
Subconscious Substance (Webbed Hand Records)    2008  
Defying Science (Webbed Hand Records) 2008  
Earth's Exit Door (Webbed Hand Records) 2008  
Rusted Dreams (Webbed Hand Records) 2008  

As Eyes Flutter Beneath:

Inside the Dream Laboratory (Phantom Channel) 2009

Homepage:
Spheruleus

blog:

Saturday, 10 November 2012


Hawk Moon Records Volume III



http://hawkmoonrecords.bandcamp.com/album/hawk-moon-records-volume-iii
Spheruleus piece 'Under Respite Vision' is featured on Hawk Moon's third compilation installment:


PRESS RELEASE:
For our third Hawk Moon compilation, we charged a small band of selected artists with the brief of creating ‘music to sleep to’. If you look right back to the very roots of ambient and drone music, this idea is something that’s been explored many times over the years. Not striving for mere cliché, we wanted to give a current crop of artists the chance to express themselves with this oft-explored theme. We wondered what new techniques and textures might crop up and if our chosen few would draw influence from sounds explored previously for this conceptual venture.
Often in works such as these, the sound is drawn out to allow the subtle nuances of a drone to develop and activate the subconscious; an ideal state of mind for drifting off to sleep. So to avoid any timeframe issues in the curating process, we kept the list of artists approach to an absolute minimum, thus allowing them the time to work on something a little longer, if necessary. Most selected mid length pieces, some put a shorter slant on their work and somehow, the compilation has turned out to be exactly CD length.
We hope you enjoy listening to this collection of sleepy soundscapes, whether subconsciously or otherwise…

credits

released 17 September 2012
Artwork by Lauren Honey

Spheruleus - The Late Surge Of Gold [Analogpath]


Copies are still available at the time of writing, from the link above. Digital version coming soon




The Late Surge of Gold was composed specifically for Analogpath,
recorded during last year’s Indian Summer in the UK, a phenomenon in
which the sun shines deep into autumn. This is an album which
documents warm and hazy summer, the bright sunshine that extends
through autumn before eventually descending into the cold of winter.

The sounds are a typical example of Spheruleus’ work, pooling together
fragile acoustic recordings from the artist’s instrument collection.
They are joined by field recordings, static and subtle drones which
amount to a lo-fi pastoral tale, unfolding the full spectrum of
seasonal colours from the warmth of yellow and orange, fading slowly
to grey and darkness.

Artwork by Johan Söderberg, except from the image which features a
building. This was taken by Harry Towell on holiday in the Peak
District at the height of the Indian Summer.





Ekca Liena and Spheruleus - Mapping The Boundary Layer [Home Normal]


www.homenormal.com

Mapping the Boundary Layer is the fruits of a collaboration between Ekca Liena and I, first established back in 2009. It took place after I remixed a piece of his work for a planned remix album which never came to be. Dan of Ekca Liena liked my remix so much that we spent the following two years talking about a possible collaboration album of our combined sounds. For one reason or another, nothing took place until eventually, things started to click and we started creating atmospheric tracks influenced by the weather.
It was released on the mighty Home Normal label in a run of 500 digipack copies, still available to purchase from some places, if you do a bit of searching.  Digital copies can also be obtained from various distributors including iTunes.

We all agreed to do something different for the press release and presented it as a sort of interview, conducted by Home Normal boss Ian Hawgood:

IAN: Hello lads
DAN: Good morning Ian…
HARRY: Good morrow sir.
IAN: What exactly is ‘mapping the boundary layer’ then?
DAN: Well in atmospheric terms it’s basically the bottom, the section closest to the earth… essentially the part of the atmosphere in which we live and experience the different weather systems first hand. The inspiration for the music and textures on the album came from the concept of exploring or tracing a thread through these weather systems, through the turbulence and serenity of the air around us. As well as the environmental field recordings, a direct and blatant link to the subject matter at hand, the music plays a significant part in representing the abstract sense of drama some associate with the changing weather. That strange, oppressive tension of a gathering storm; the contented lushness of a spring breeze rolling through the willows…
HARRY: Absolutely on the nose Dan - there’s really not a lot to add to that!
IAN: How did the collaboration start?
HARRY: It began after Dan had approached me about doing a remix/collaborating with him 3 years ago. The eventual piece became what is now Summing Elements and formed the start of our project. We did leave it though for an awfully long time - I guess we picked it back up in early 2011 and from there it all came together from nowhere, it seemed. Although we never wanted to rush it and were prepared to take as long a necessary, we managed to strike a natural flow and bounced off one another really well. I’m sure I can speak for us both in saying that some collaborations can be difficult to establish and carry through but this, it just seemed to happen. And smoothly, at that!
 IAN: There’s a heck of a lot going on in the album…what gear did you use if you don’t mind me asking?
HARRY: I always use my collection of acoustic instruments as the main ingredient in my work and it was no different here. When I received work from Dan, I’d add zither, violin, harmonica, ukulele, voice, glockenspiel etc - whatever worked. Then on the most part, I’d use some effects to get them sounding how I wanted and then passed the whole thing back to Dan. So it was literally just cheap or second hand acoustic instruments, a mic and a laptop from my end. I’m also well into using radio static, tape hiss and vinyl crackle too. I’ve a lot of samples recorded from real sources on my hard-drive and I’m always recycling them or adding to the collection. So this is also a prominent feature in the album.
IAN: The artwork is fantastic. Can you tell me a bit about it?
DAN: Harry sourced this image from an artist friend of his I believe, it’s exactly what I’d imagined when we were creating the album.
HARRY: Yeah, at around the time Dan and I re-established this project last year, I got an email from a Swedish artist called Johan who expressed an interest in working with me. He sent just a couple of images and this one just fit with our vision perfectly. It’s a painting that he made late one night when struggling to sleep. It kept him up for hours and was a real labour of love - it’s a special picture that really gets our concept of atmospheric weather conditions across, with its textured stormy aesthetic.
It can be viewed in two ways, from what I get from it. You can either imagine that it is a stormy sea, with a big sweeping wave or it looks like an overhead view of mountain-tops during a heavy storm.
All music by Ekca Liena and Spheruleus 
Mastered by Ian Hawgood 
Cover art by Johan Soderberg
Tracklist:
01 Apparatus and Installation
02 Enclosed Low
03 Windwards
04 Advection
05 Landspouts
06 Scrambling Radiosonde
07 Fog Bound
08 Summing Elements
09 Derecho Belt
10 Storm Waning / Calm Warning

Spheruleus - Revolving Fields [Rural Colours]


http://music.audiogourmet.co.uk/track/revolving-fields


"Revolving Fields is a single long form piece composed with the idea of an imaginary time lapse film, focussing on active farm land. Over its duration, the sped-up video footage would document the changes in appearance to agricultural fields. Carefully prepared soil turns to slowly germinating seeds, which grow to larger crops before being harvested. Then back again, ready for the cycle to repeat itself. A shift in weather patterns and a clearly visible change of colour tones blend seamlessly into one. Browns to greens to gold and then back again. Revolving fields, never static. Always changing form." 



released on Rural Colours, July 2012  
www.ruralcolours.co.uk
All instruments performed and produced by Harry Towell 
Artwork by Johan Soderberg 
Mastered by Jason Corder



Spheruleus - Cyanometry [Tessellate Recordings]


The cyanometer is a circular measuring instrument made from graduating shades of blue, originally created as means to measure the blueness of the sky. It was invented in the late 1700s by Horace Benedict de Saussore to assist his studies and fascination with the sky. He correctly supposed that the level of blueness visible in the sky was as a result of the amount of suspended particles present in the atmosphere.
In recent times, not much has been written about cyanometry and a quick scour of the internet will yield you little in the way of further reading. 

It was on a particularly crisp blue day, the sort that would have had Saussore engaged, cyanometer at the ready when Harry Towell (Spheruleus) happened upon the concept for his latest project. He embarked on a long walk through the surrounding countryside in Lincolnshire, UK with the intention of drawing inspiration for a new body of work.
He had hoped that the quiet farmland, trees, fields and electricity pylons would provide the spark required to propell his work with sound yet on that day, it was the sky that fixated him and thus Cyanometry was born.


Back in the studio, Harry set about weaving his collection of acoustic instruments into his usual style of rustic melancholy. Inspired and fresh from his walk with a theme in mind, he allowed the resulting lo-fi sounds to retain their melodic properties and set them against a backdrop of noise, radio interference and vinyl crackle.
Field recordings taken during the walk and at other locations filter into the mix; an old lady pushes her trolley through the backstreets of a sleepy village, ice cracks under foot on a cold morning and the cogs and gears of a bicycle turn, all the while permeated by fragments of forgotten radio broadcasts.
The final stage of the recording process saw Harry team up with work colleague and piano owner Neil Winning to round off this set of short recordings with an additional element.
After a short period of tweaking, the final outcome was married with track titles to reflect the varying moods of the sky.
 


TESSELLATE RECORDINGS 
www.tessellate-recordings.com

credits

released 12 July 2012
Recorded and produced by Harry Towell
Piano by Neil Winning
Cover photo by Paul Randall
Artwork by Harry Towell
Additional photography by Harry and Baz Towell

Instruments used:
Piano, classical guitar, violin, duduk, ukulele, harmonica, glockenspiel, trumpet, bugel and keyboard

Bonus remixes by Tom Honey, Hummingbird and Harry Towell. Remix photography by Harry Towell and Hummingbird

CD print design by: Christian Roth

Pleq & Spheruleus - Quietus Gradualis [Time Released Sound]


Earlier this year I had the pleasure of collaborating with Pleq again, as we had done on the 'A Silent Swaying Breath' album. We were invited by Time Released Sound to create work to spread across two 3" CDRs as part of their special chocolate box series, with Colin from the label creating unique artworks for packaging. There were two editions on offer in limited supply, the primary being an insane and elaborate edition of 80 which have since sold out. The took the form of a pop-art inspired game, complete with pieces, also housing both discs containing our contribution to the series.
The second version of pairs both tracks onto a 5" CD, contained within a wallet. This is still available to order (at the time of writing) from Time Released Sound:
http://timereleasedsound.com/shop/releases/pleqspheruleus-picture-sleeve/

Sound wise, Pleq and I worked hard to create two slowly developing soundscapes, full of subtle detail and accompanied by a helping of tape hiss. The theme for the project and concept behind the titling is centred around the slow and gradual process of decay and disintegration. The sounds condense this lengthy journey that all objects, buildings and people are subjected to as a simple existence is slowly warped and changed by the hands of time. The two individual tracks are titled to reflect the different angles of this process. Apologue refers to the stories, legends and folklore that rise from the passing of something. The folky feel to the track swells and falls to indicate the changes that the story carries with it. Slowly with time, it becomes diluted.
Vestiges refers to the physical evidence that remains; things that are left behind and refuse to disappear completely. This piece is consequently much deeper and contains a gritty power to it. You can listen to a sample here:


Monday, 7 May 2012


[escala 2:3] vv.aa. – escala 2.3


A massive three part compilation album with some of the finest names in the scene, completely free!

Some of you may be familiar with the Escala netlabel and others may have noticed the Sismografo Spanish national radio program that regularly hosts shows featuring top quality experimental music. I was honoured to be invited to get in on the action and teamed up with American artist Jared Smyth, whose recent work on new Japanese label ANALOGPATH has been one of my personal year highlights from 2012. Our short piece is called Transignal and is the starting point for a collaboration EP that will be available for free on Audio Gourmet later this year.

PRESS RELEASE:
escala 2.3 is a joint project between Escala netlabel and Sismógrafo Radio3. A massive release divided into three volumes which brings together many of the best ambient, drone, soundscape and electroacustic music producers.
A unique compilation to keep abreast of the latest proposals in advanced music that presents a matchless quality among the experimental scene, both because of the artists who make it up and of the included unreleased tracks.

Monday, 7 May 2012


Recent Spheruleus remixes

Over the last twelve months I've managed to make a few remix appearances that have as yet gone unmentioned on here. I thought it would be worth bunching them together on a post so that you can check them out and also get yourself acquainted with the rest of the albums that they appear on.

I'm always keen to remix material so if anyone out there needs something reworking for a release, please get in touch here:
audiogourmet(at)gmail(dot)com
JOSCO - 0611 (Spheruleus Version)
So to kick this post off, most recently I had a remix go out on Somehow Recordings, as part of this remix album for Josco's 0611 EP out last year on the same label. It has been renamed Khan Tam - ngan - Roum Kan and has only just been released this week. For now, without an available digital copy, you'll have to act fast to get a copy of the CD from the label:
http://www.somehowrecordings.co.uk/page16.html
Other remixers include Shaula, Alessio Ballerini, Nobuto Suda, Joshua Carro, Damian Valles, Mushy and Fernando Carvalho
PLEQ AND LAUKI - XII (Spheruleus Remix)

Also on Somehow Recordings and out earlier this year, I was invited by my friends Pleq and Mikel Lauki to remix a piece from their The Anatomy Of Melancholy album. I'm in good company, with other remixes from Offthesky, Antonymes and Maps and Diagrams. The disc sold out fast, but you can still get yourself a full digital version at the above link.


y0t0 - URIARRA ROAD (Spheruleus Remix)
Released in July last year, this remix of y0t0 (one half of Hessien) came out on Fac-Ture as a digital only release. Fac-Ture is a label run by Fluid Radio boss Daniel Crossley and is curated as exquisitely as both the posts on Fluid Radio and the music sold in its Stashed Goods store.
I'm also delighted to join a roster of remixers consisting of Jasper TX, Seaworthy, Field Rotation, Relmic Statute, Ghosting Season, Downliners Sekt
The album is still available for all at a measly £2 and if you still can't stretch to that, my remix is on offer for just 30p.

A preview of what's to come...



Here's a sneak preview of a new project for 2012, that will mark the first release on my new label Tessellate Recordings. The first album is a lo-fi Spheruleus record that pits ten melodic pieces on a bed of noise and static. It is themed around the Cyanometer, which is an instrumnt designed to measure the level blueness of the sky. The album will be available this July in a highly limited edition run of 50, plus a digital version.

PRESS RELEASE:

The cyanometer is a circular measuring instrument made from graduating shades of blue, originally created as means to measure the blueness of the sky. It was invented in the late 1700s by Horace Benedict de Saussore to assist his studies and fascination with the sky. He correctly supposed that the level of blueness visible in the sky was as a result of the amount of suspended particles present in the atmosphere.
 In recent times, not much has been written about cyanometry and a quick scour of the internet will yield you little in the way of further reading.

It was on a particularly crisp blue day, the sort that would have had Saussore engaged, cyanometer at the ready when Harry Towell (Spheruleus) happened upon the concept for his latest project. He embarked on a long walk through the surrounding countryside in Lincolnshire, UK with the intention of drawing inspiration for a new body of work.
 He had hoped that the quiet farmland, trees, fields and electricity pylons would provide the spark required to propell his work with sound yet on that day, it was the sky that fixated him and thus Cyanometry was born.

Back in the studio, Harry set about weaving his collection of acoustic instruments into his usual style of rustic melancholy. Inspired and fresh from his walk with a theme in mind, he allowed the resulting lo-fi sounds to retain their melodic properties and set them against a backdrop of noise, radio interference and vinyl crackle.
 Field recordings taken during the walk and at other locations filter into the mix; an old lady pushes her trolley through the backstreets of a sleepy village, ice cracks under foot on a cold morning and the cogs and gears of a bicycle turn, all the while permeated by fragments of forgotten radio broadcasts.
 The final stage of the recording process saw Harry team up with work colleague and piano owner Neil Winning to round off this set of short recordings with an additional element.
 After a short period of tweaking, the final outcome was married with track titles to reflect the varying moods of the sky.

For those new to the Spheruleus sound, Lincolnshire (UK) based artist Harry Towell has been releasing experimental material since 2008 on labels such as Hibernate, Under The Spire, Time Released Sound and most recently a collaboration with Ekca Liena on Home Normal.
 When he is not manipulating frequencies whether acoustic or otherwise, Harry spends his spare time curating netlabel Audio Gourmet and now its new sister label Tessellate Recordings.

Tessellate Recordings specialises in issuing hand-made limited edition CDrs and accompanying digital versions, releasing albums just a few times a year.
 'Cyanometry' is available in a limited run of just 50 copies, with the first 20 sold featuring a hand-stamped tessellating hexagonal pattern in different shades of sky tones. The remaining copies are plain recycled card with hand-stamped titling. Inside is a disc containing the album with printed artwork designed by Christian Roth of Resting Bell, the album tracklist and credits, a 4x4 photographic print of the album artwork as well as a unique image taken just for you.
 Also, there will be a handwritten thankyou note.

TSR01 Spheruleus - Cyanometry will be released on 12th July 2012. It will be available to pre-order 2-4 weeks before the release date.
TESSELLATE RECORDINGS www.tessellate-recordings.com

Credits
 released 12 July 2012
Recorded and produced by Harry Towell
Piano by Neil Winning
Cover photo by Paul Randall
Artwork by Harry Towell
Additional photography by Harry and Baz Towell
Instruments used:
Piano, classical guitar, violin, duduk, ukulele, harmonica, glockenspiel, trumpet, bugel and keyboard

PREVIEW TRACKLIST:
01 Blue Cast
02 Sky's The Limit
03 Blueprints
04 Horizon
05 Inhibition
06 Scattered Light
07 Suspended Particles
08 Lined With Silver
09 White
10 A Grey End To A Blue Day

Pleq / Hiroki Sasajima / Spheruleus - Time and Language [Felt]


I'm proud and honoured to have my very first vinyl release, courtesy of Felt, a label run by my friend Byron. It is a long distance collaborative project between Pleq, Hiroki Sasajima and I, called 'Time and Language' mastered by Taylor Deupree.



PRESS RELEASE:
The third instalment of Felt welcome's three upcoming artists on a really special collaboration project. Pleq, Hiroki Sasajima and Spheruleus manage to overcome the sheer geographic distance that lies between them to produce a really wonderful studio album.

Pleq and Hiroki Sasajima are from bustling capital cities; Warsaw and Tokyo respectively, which has naturally had an impact on their sound.Whilst Spheruleus is from a quiet Lincolnshire town in the UK,surrounded by farmland. As a result of the inspiration drawn from
their different environments, the solo output from these three artists is all quite different, with Pleq exploring glitch, drone and sometimes downtempo styles, Hiroki working mainly with field recordings and digital processes and Spheruleus focussing on acoustic instruments.

Whilst it took several months for the three artists to
craft the final outcome, the listener gets a sense of not a studio album but rather a live improvised session. The sound is compound as if they were all in the same room performing together and yet you can clearly distinguish the three different approaches of sound design, overlapping and yet never barricade each other. The tracks are inspired by the language barrier and obviously the physical distance between the artists, and are named after a certain time of day that everybody in the world experiences, irrespective of timezone or language differences. Almost as if they are trying to capture various everyday life emotions and transcode them to a non-language, universal and appealing form. The oneness and
togetherness of music.

Throughout this record, Hiroki Sasajima's field recordings and drones are carefully adapted by Pleq with the addition of gentle drones and glitching textures, with Spheruleus weaving in subtle acoustic sounds using his instrument collection. Together, three far-flung sound artists have created a short and beautifully cohesive selection of moods, designed for the turntable and beyond.
All tracks written & produced by Bartosz Dziadosz,Hiroki Sasajima & Harry Towell

Mastering by Taylor Deupree
Album cover by Nefelie Pd
Drawing by Ioannis Fanariotis

Felt / 3           

Friday, 24 February 2012


Spheruleus - Dissolve


SIDE A: Retreat (21:31)
SIDE B: Dissolve (20.19)
In his first solo release since last year's 'Voyage' album on Hibernate, Spheruleus gets the year up and running with this pair of longform pieces called 'Dissolve'.Dissolve is currently a digital only release, presented as a vinyl or tape set with two 'sides'.Both pieces are continuous longform tracks, culled from a wide pool of instruments including guitar, violin, cello, harmonica, vibraphone, french horn, piano and voice. The instrument sounds are blurred into a swirling collage, accompanied by light shards of noise, radio static and field recordings.The cover artwork was provided by photographer Richard Outram, (who also did the artwork for Voyage) and then treated with a canvas effect to make it look like a painting of what would (at first) be the artist's ideal home.

Harry Towell, the man behind the Spheruleus moniker has recently been residing in a living space for a short time, which has for some unknown reason been less than inspiring. He is due to move soon, which got him thinking about the time he has spent living in his current home and how his musical creativity has been hindered by it. He pondered upon what would be the most ideal place to live in terms of inspiring creativity and immediately recalled Richard Outram's beautiful photograph of an isolated house against a backdrop of mountains on the Llyn Peninsula in Wales.The area is very much untouched and the houses are scattered sparsely.Soon, thoughts turned to how such a place of isolation may eventually induce a despairing loneliness despite its obvious beauty. In turn, this gave Harry the inspiration to make the most of his current living space and overcome his hindered productivity with one last creative surge before he moves to pastures new.
Aside from this, the rest is left wide open for individual interpretation and it is hoped that the imagery and titles evoke thoughts that each listener can relate to themselves.There are currently no plans for a physical issue of 'Dissolve'. However, if you're a label interested in releasing it then please get in touch here audiogourmet@gmail.com
Credits
released 24 February 2012
All sounds recorded and arranged by Harry Towell
Photography by Richard Outram
Photo editing by Harry Towell

Thursday, 3 November 2011


Spheruleus - Voyage [Hibernate Records]





'Voyage' is the latest album from Lincolnshire based sound designer Harry Towell. Released under his Spheruleus guise, this album utimately provides a soundtrack to a doomed sea-voyage. Through eight different movements, 'Voyage' chronicles everything from the immense pride felt as the ship sets sail to depicting the horror and heartache of its sinking. The album then closes with detailed passages that portray the decomposition of the ship as it begins to rot deep under sea.


This album is well researched with Harry having explored his chosen subject thoroughly. For the two years in which the album has been in the making, the young sound designer studied the history of great sea disasters and also took inspiration from soundtracks such as Gavin Bryars’ ‘The Sinking Of The Titanic’ and Gareth Hardwick's 'Of The Sea And Shore'. Although the Titantic's infamous fate was naturally a strong influence on the project, 'Voyage', does not refer to any particular sinking ship. Instead, its purpose is to sonically depict the various emotional aspects that lie within a failed sea voyage, as felt by all those who are affected by it.


Once the concept for 'Voyage' had been born, Harry revisited one of his old demos from early 2010 and decided to make this the spine of the album. He then used his instrument collection including; guitar, violin, trumpet, bugle, zither and keyboard to add several layers to the demo. In doing so Harry has been able to develop his chosen theme and create the character required to turn this forgotten treasure into the album it is today. As a poignant exaggeration of the events that unfold through the track 'She Sinks', there is a contribution from Russian pianist Alex Tiuniaev that opens and closes this dramatic track. He also performs on the track 'Clouds Swarm', as it heads into a crescendo.


Aside from his solo production work, Harry also records with brother Stuart under the name Paper Relics and runs the Audio Gourmet netlabel, which specialises in 15 minute EPs designed for shorter 'tea-break' listening. His work as Spheruleus has seen him release through netlabels such as Test Tube, Resting Bell, Earth Mantra, Audio Gourmet and in March 2010, his first physical album 'Frozen Quarters' was released on CD format by the Under The Spire imprint.


Mastered by Rudi Arapahoe at Purgatory Mastering

Photography by Richard Outram and Daniel Crossley
Design by Jonathan Lees


Limited edition CD pressing of 200. Released 07/10/11



INTERVIEW:


You can find out a lot more about this album through this interview on Tokafi. It covers the thoughts behind the project, the sounds and ideas that helped create it and lots more...

REVIEWS:


The Silent Ballet:














MIX:


In conjunction with the release of Voyage, Spheruleus has made a mix featuring some of his favourite nautical themed tracks. You can stream it here:









Wednesday, 5 October 2011


Various Artists - Just A Moment



Following March's earthquake in Japan, there has been great progress in the on-going rebuilding project but still, much work remains. So Bartosz Dziadosz (Pleq) and I (Harry Towell) decided that we would put together something special to be released through Audio Gourmet to raise money for the cause and donations will be sent via Ian Hawgood, who's wife is currently working directly with some of the people affected.

There have already been some excellent compilations put together that have raised hundreds of pounds for Japan, including Kanshin, For Nihon and 31 Songs For Japan to name but a few.
We wanted to try and do something too and between the two of us, we invited 60 artists to each put together a short track of roughly a minute in length.
As a result, we've collected a global effort of short pieces spanning many of the sub-genres that make up what some might call ambient music. It fits perfectly in line with the Audio Gourmet aesthetic and is perhaps a shining example of the sorts of sounds we seek to release within our 15 minute EP section.

Conceptually, the sixty 'moments' that make up this hour-long compilation album fit together neatly with the intention of stretching out your recess periods from 15 minutes to an hour. The netlabel section of Audio Gourmet is specifically for short 'working' tea breaks, when time is of the essence. The Just A Moment compilation has been put together for when you have the time to enjoy a longer tea break and the quick changes of the many tracks should see that your listening experience remains a conscious one throughout the hour...


released 29 July 2011
Curated and compiled by Harry Towell (Spheruleus) and Bartosz Dziadosz (Pleq)

Mastered by Byron Felt (Felt Collective)

Artwork by Gerry McDermott


1 Marihiko Hara And PolarM – Forgotten Constellation
2 Fraqsea – Crayon
3 Alvari Lume – Untitled
4 Spheruleus – Untitled #1
5 Darren Harper – A Moment For You
6 Damian Valles – Old Sol
7 Elintseeker – Reja
8 Flica – Don't Weep

9 Tone Color - Less Than A Minute
10 The Green Kingdom – Rashida
11 Offthesky – All Not Said
12 Duncan Ó Ceallaigh – Scapa Flow
13 Paper Relics – Kindling
14 Jacaszek – Window
15 Bartosz Dziadosz And Shintaro Aoki – Wake Up
16 Talvihorros – Hallowed

17 Lauki – Form
18 Widesky – Zephyr Studies
19 Antonymes – Alone And Adrift
20 Lights Dim – *

21 Strom Noir – Milk Dream
22 Alex Tiuniaev – Even If
23 Visionary Hours – The Return Of Basho
24 Segue – An Open Space
25 Silencio – The Escapist

26 Gimu – Oboe
27 Mark Harris – Lost
28 Listening Mirror – Guitar Improv No.2 (Excerpt)
29 Hakobune – A Lamppost
30 Philippe Lamy – The Photo I Took

31 Félicia Atkinson – Poings Serrés

32 Specta Ciera – Scattered Papers
33 Josco – Fluxus
34 Leonardo Rosado – Passing By
35 Shotahirama – Self Reference Engine
36 Philippe Petit – Coffea Cymbalum

37 Hiroki Sasajima And Ami Yamasaki – A Dream The Vapor Have
38 Nicolas Bernier – Untitled

39 Quinn Walker – Iceboxes
40 Hior Chronik – Your Inner
41 Monolyth & Cobalt – Estampes
42 Szymon Kaliski – Of A Fraction
43 Byron Felt – Repeat
44 Wil Bolton – Charcoal
45 Deep Into Perspectives – Flickering Lights
46 Julien Demoulin – Inertia
47 The Inventors Of Aircraft – Before Light
48 Bengalfuel – Snakes
49 Raül Fuentes – Les Partícules Magnètiques
50 Spyweirdos – A Track With Small Duration But Not Small Title
51 Field Rotation – April
52 Dentist – Metals
53 Pjusk – Dieseldyr
54 Danny Clay – Nocturne
55 Tim Noble – A Symphony Of Exit Signs: Adagio
56 Yukitomo Hamasaki - Abstr P No03
57 David Velez – 3600
58 Alex Durlak – Architectural Boat Tour
59 Autistici – Type G (Edit)
60 Hajimeinoue – Permeation

Sunday, 26 June 2011


Various Artists - Kanshin



Kanshin is a two CD compilation album that presents a collection of sound design work from some of the scene's finest artists from across the globe. It has been put together to raise money for the current recovery in Japan following March's earthquake.

As the sensationalist media broadcasters find other things to talk about in the news, a huge recovery operation is still on-going as we speak. Many people have lost everything. So we decided to put together Kanshin so that via Ian Hawgood, 100% of profit from compilation sales will go directly towards the Japan recovery and on-going relief efforts. Ian lives in Japan and his wife is currently working with both the Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support organisation (JEARS)
in Sendai and surrounding areas, as well as the Direct Help for Victims and Animals Rejected from Shelters in Japan group who are going up to areas which are not receiving government support for food, water, basic
supplies, as well as rebuilding and cleaning up. By this means they are able to transport food, clothing and aid directly almost every other weekend and during holidays to areas which are not getting enough or any support.
Ian's wife has also arranged a house as a base in Sendai for volunteers and a temporary home for found animals who are then moved on through JEARS either to foster homes or animal centres. We felt that any funds we can send this way would probably have more of an immediate impact than donating via one of the larger UK charities.

Ian himself has contributed to the compilation in a collaboration with Peter Jørgensen and through 3 hours and some 30 tracks, the line up that comprises this album is surely as exciting as it gets...

Kanshin is curated by Daniel Crossley (Fluid Radio/Fluid
Audio/Facture) and Jonathan Lees (Hibernate/Rural Colours), with invaluable assistance from Ian Hazeldine (Cover art), Wil Bolton (Mastering) and Damian Valles (Digital distribution). This release is made possible by the generosity of all of the artists involved.

TRACKLIST:

1. Clem Leek: Light Passage II (Grief)
2. Hummingbird: Dancing Shadows
3. Relmic Statute: Lopery
4. Scissors and Sellotape: Heal
5. P Jørgensen & Ian Hawgood: Isles
6. Wil Bolton: Lost In Transit
7. Field Rotation: A Pondering Silence
8. Caught In The Wake Forever: LiaFail (At Dawn)
9. Damian Valles: Clime
10. Library Tapes: May (Variation)
11. Yellow6: Repeat
12. Maps & Diagrams with Yvat: Again
13. Felicia Atkinson: Chaleur Vacante
14. Hessien: Flightless And Nocturnal
15. Yann Novak: 3 Surfaces Excerpt
16. Offthesky With Ten And Tracer: Therapy Refuge
17. Orla Wren With Katie English: Swallowtail Yellow
18. The Moving Dawn Orchestra: We’re Here
19. Spheruleus: Residue
20. The Silence Set: So Will Everything We Love
21. Aaron Martin & Machinefabriek: Utsutsu
22. Szymon Kaliski: And Longing
23. Jeremy Bible & Jason Henry: Grainslip
24. Bengalfuel: Gorgon
25. David Newlyn: Landscape (III)
26. Tom White: Bright Rooms
27. Listening Mirror: The Cause Of It All
28. Talvihorros – Perigee
29. Alex Durlak: Bellows
30. Antonymes: Kiotsuketene
31. Kyle Bobby Dunn: Britannia Into Morning

Friday, 20 May 2011


"In The Bleak Wilderness Of Sleep" (Compilation featuring a Spheruleus track)





1. Michael Trommer - Pushing Through Gray

2. Simon Whetham - Cold Shoulder (Part 1.2)

3. D'Incise - Octobre-Septembre

4. James McDougall - Scarborough

5. Specta Ciera - Under Cool Air

6. Deep Into Perspectives - Home

7. Francisco Lopez - Untitled #264

8. Spheruleus - Overcast

9. Small Things On Sundays - Harbour

10. Philip Sulidae - Aher

11. Natalia Noelia Siebuła & Bartosz Dziadosz - Ótta og kvíða

12. Julien Demoulin - Dull Ache

"As well as curating and putting together this compilation album to celebrate Audio Gourmet's first birthday, I've taken the time to put together a Spheruleus track for it. It's pretty intense; dark and brooding. It was recorded using guitar, violin, radio and vinyl static and voice."

BLURB:

On the 17th of May 2011, Audio Gourmet is precisely a year old. To celebrate this, we have been busy putting together a couple of compilation albums. One of which is 'In The Bleak Wilderness Of Sleep' available for purchase here as either a multi-format digital album or as a limited edition CDr. The compilation features 12 tracks from some of the globe's most talented sound-designers. It is a subtly rewarding headphone listen from start to finish; curated and ordered to purposefully induce a state of sleep. Starting off minimally, gradually gathering tone and atmosphere, the experience goes on without ever boiling over or reaching a crescendo. Parts of the album are light and restful whereas traces of it tread darker territory. All in all, the imagery that the album conjurs sits perfectly as a soundtrack to the dreams one experiences during a nights sleep.


The artwork was put together by French artist Eric Lacombe (Monstror) who some may remember for his cover art collaborations for Spheruleus releases in the past. Here for 'In The Bleak Wilderness Of Sleep', his surreal imagery lends itself perfectly to this mysterious dream invoking soundtrack.


The limited edition CDr release comes housed inside a recycled card case with the cover artwork slipped inside and printed to photographic paper. Along with a CDr copy of the album itself, the tracklist will be printed to high quality salmon coloured paper/card. On the front, the album title will be rubber stamped in brown ink and on the back, the Audio Gourmet logo will be cut out by lazers. It will be hand-numbered in brown pen and limited to 200 copies.


*The first 50 copies will include a second bonus image, taken by select friends and photographers. These include: Gerry McDermott, Harry Towell, James McDougall, Peter Nejedly, Seth Chrisman, Simon Whetham and Stuart Towell.


Everyone who purchases the CD version will be entitled to a free and instant digital copy of the album. For those that wish to purchase a digital only version, this can be obtained as usual through the Audio Gourmet Bandcamp account.

Friday, 25 February 2011


Spheruleus - Forgotten Outland (Resting Bell)

SPHERULEUS - FORGOTTEN OUTLAND
Resting Bell, February 2011

DescriptionThe sound-art of Spheruleus is produced by British artist Harry Towell with a previous discography including releases on the likes of Under The Spire, Earth Mantra and Test Tube as well as his own label Audio Gourmet. Intrigued by all things old and rustic, his music is often inspired by the rural Lincolnshire surroundings in which he lives and his first outing of 2011, here on Resting Bell, is intended to really captured this.

A short collection of deliberately loose and degraded instrument samples and field recordings, ‘Forgotten Outland’ is presented as if it were an old record found discarded inside a derelict farm building on disused land.
It comprises of blurred melodic passages and offers a faded insight into times gone by when the farmland thrived. Just like the physical state of the farm itself, the record sounds timeworn, warped and a shadow of its former self.

The instrument leads and various sounds climb over one another as if fighting for a voice. Nothing seems structured or in order, although amidst the deluge of disjointed melody, subtle detail can be focused upon to reveal parts of this purposefully concealed soundtrack.

Release Date 
25.02.2011

All sounds performed, recorded and arranged by Harry Towell between spring 2010 and winter 2011
Instruments used: Guitar, Vibraphone, Zither, Bugle, Keyboard, Harmonica, Trumpet and Violin

Artwork 
Photography by Jonathan Lees, Cragg Vale Photography
(http://www.craggvalephotography.co.uk/)

Additional Photography, by Harry Towell:

Friday, 18 February 2011


18/02/2011 Spheruleus - Debris [Audio Gourmet]

http://music.audiogourmet.co.uk/album/debris

AG004: SPHERULEUS - DEBRISAudio Gourmet, February 2011

For the first Spheruleus outing of 2011, Audio Gourmet label curator Harry Towell has scoured his hard-drive to put together a collection of tracks that are born out of unfinished samples and discarded parts of previous projects. They have been presented as a four track EP which is aptly titled 'Debris'.

The source material was drawn from the usual collection of instrument samples that Towell's work typically comprises of, although heavily processed with 'vintage' style ambient production techniques. The resulting soundtrack is loose and drifting with moments of hiss and static - a production style that you might not always associate with the work of Spheruleus.
The aim was to draw out the near 24 minute duration as long as possible, giving the impression of time standing still and allowing these otherwise unused sounds a chance to have their 'day'.

2011 is to be a big year for Spheruleus, with CD album 'Voyage' scheduled for release on Hibernate this summer and another short album coming out on Resting Bell at the end of February. Not to mention the debut Paper Relics album recorded with brother Stuart due out in March/April...

spheruleus.blogspot.com
creditsreleased 18 February 2011
Recorded and produced by Harry Towell
Photography by Stuart Towell

Hibernate Records/Rural Colours forecast mix...

Jonathan from Hibernate and Rural Colours has put together a mix for Fluid Radio that delves through the catalog of forthcoming releases on both labels.
I've an album coming out on Hibernate myself this summer called 'Voyage'. An unmastered and un-final edit of a track from this called 'Submerged' is included in this forecast - click play to hear for yourself....
Sunday, 30 January 2011

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