Upward – ‘Beams’
Upward is the project of Jack Chuter from Bournemouth (UK) – editor of experimental music site ATTN:Magazine, host of the Crucial Listening podcast and head of the Hard Return label. This EP is the solution to a period of creative block with his two main projects: the guitar/synth drone of Upward and the’heavy shoegaze’ of Chuter. Turns out he just needed to smash them into one another! 45 copies.
Deathbird Stories – ‘Summonings’
Scratch and scrape avant noises from the Falmouth-based sonic experimentalist, who’s previously had releases on other Tyneside-based labels Panurus Productions and Invisible City. Bowed guitar, Korg Monotron delay, processed voice and death whistles all add up to a mind-melting fearsome epic sound. 45 copies.
Vahvistusharha – ‘Holos’
“Vahvistusharha” is a Finnish word that can be translated either as “confirmation bias” or “amplification delusion”. The music of Vahvistusharha flows free and tense, seeking paths unknown to both the musicians and the listeners. A group of courageous and distinctive Pori-based musicians of different generations have founded a collective, grounded on pure improvisation. Small and fragile may grow to be big and bombastic or something else altogether, as the different layers of sound tell their own stories. 50 copies.
Iker Ormazabal – ‘The Oscillation’
Since 2004, London-based Iker Ormazabel has been progressing experimental music in different forms, through solo projects (as IOM or Iker Ormazabal), alongside dance performers (Itto Morita, Soizu, Minako Seki), improvising with other musicians (Miguel A. Garcia, Oier Iruretagoiena, Andrew Page, Arturo Blasco) and in bands (Mnemonic, Warren Schoenbright, Fft Players, Oilbag). This solo work is heavily inspired by acousmatic composers, and acousmatic listening, the music and writings of Pierre Schaeffer, Eliane Radigue, Pauline Oliveros, Francisco Lopez, taking inspiration from what is known as ‘deep listening’, listening with intent or acousmatic listening. 45 copies.