HARRY TOWELL - INFINITE LIGHT

DETAILS

Release Date: 09.12.2023
Format: Gatefold Vinyl
Catalog: WLR150

Genre: Electro-Acoustic, Modern Classical

PRESS RELEASE

Harry Towell is an artist, composer and record label owner based in Lincolnshire, UK. He has been releasing ambient, electro acoustic and modern classical music since 2010 with records on labels including Lost Tribe Sound, Fluid Audio, Time Released Sound, Home Normal, Eilean, Polar Seas and his own Whitelabrecs imprint. Harry also records as Paper Relics alongside his brother Stuart and has collaborated with artists such as Sven Laux, Guy Gelem and Ekca Liena.

In 2010 for his debut album (Frozen Quarters), Harry captured field recordings from inside his home and placed these alongside lo-fi electro-acoustic compositions. In 2016 he became a home-owner and followed a similar process, capturing the sounds in and around his first property and this was released on vinyl via US label Lost Tribe Sound. The album was called ‘Light Through Open Blinds’.

It was a cold afternoon on the 9th of December 2022 when Harry, his wife Beth and their daughters Isla and Emily moved into a new family home in Morton, a quiet Lincolnshire village. After an initial period of settling in Harry began to sketch out ideas for a new album, using acoustic instruments as a starting point. He noted down events as they occurred in a 2023 diary that he was given as a Christmas present, took several photos and tracked the home improvement projects throughout the year. As with his two previous albums, he wanted to create a time capsule to reflect back upon nostalgically. The achievements and challenges from the year were cast alongside innocuous happenings. Moments of beauty, chance field recordings and sudden ideas were the driving force behind what is Harry’s most sentimental album to date. Isla and Emily helped perform some of the music, whether it be playing acoustic instruments, making field recordings or controlling guitar pedals.

Infinite Light blends a range of musical influences, from modern classical and folk, to ambient and electronics. There is a whimsical feel to the pieces, which are drenched in vintage tape effects to heighten the nostalgia. Work on the album continued throughout the four seasons, resulting in 28 tracks and close to 2 hours of music. The album is available in two versions; a double disc gatefold vinyl-effect CDr and a deluxe version which includes a 32 page booklet inside a presentation box. The digital version includes the booklet in PDF format and within this you can read insights into the production process, the local area, a journal and more, as well as view several photos from throughout the year. The cover artwork is a collection of leaves hand-picked from the garden and inside the inner gatefold sleeve is a photo of the village, taken via drone by local photographer Ian Cappitt.

CREDITS

Written and produced by Harry Towell

Mastered by James Edward Armstrong

Cover artwork by Harry Towell

Inner photography by Ian Cappitt

Booklet content and design by Harry Towell

Art and design by Andrew Heath

PRESS QUOTES

Stationary Travels: "The album masterfully blends modern classical and folk motifs with ambient guitar and electronics to create a sonic diary of the period during which he and his family moved home. The album, which features a collection of leaves on the cover that were hand-picked from the family garden, boasts some of most elaborate packaging available on Towell’s own Whitelabrecs label."

Ambient Blog: "Infinite Light presents acoustic modern classical music, with an atmosphere directly linked to the atmosphere of the Lincolnshire surroundings. Acoustic and Stratocaster guitar, ukulele, harmonica, mandola, violin, hang drum, cymbal, zither, kalimba, recorder, piano, and – of course – various field recordings. Hardly any electronica is involved apart from some sparse plugins. This music is as organic and natural as can be – almost as if you’re living there with them in the same house."

Possible Musics: "Ma note : 8.7/10 - En plus de gérer l’excellent label Whitelabrecs, Harry Towell signe des musiques magnifiques depuis 2010, réparties sur des labels comme Lost Tribe Sound, Fluid Audio, Time Released Sound, Home Normal. Son nouvel album ample et foisonnant vaut encore une fois le détour. C’est depuis sa maison, dans la paisible campagne du Lincolnshire, qu’il a composé ce petit bijou, à partir d’instruments acoustiques (piano, cordes…), enregistrements de terrain (cloches, moutons, oiseaux…) et guitares passées par divers effets, pédales et laptop. Un disque magnétique et bucolique, entre Modern classical, ambient et folk minimaliste."

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