Introducing Still Point Ambient festival
I’m really excited to share in this week’s blog post, a run-down of an all-day event that we’ll be putting on in Stroud on the 4th of July, called Still Point. It is being hosted by the Ambient Label Hub, a collection of labels run by my friends Adrian Newton of Evergreen Music, Andrew Heath of Driftworks and James Osland of Elm Records. We’ll also be joined by an honorary guest label - Ian Hawgood’s Home Normal! This is something we’re especially looking forward to; Ian is one of my Ambient music heroes and his label has certainly been a big influence on Whitelabrecs.
This festival follows our involvement last year in the Woodbridge Ambient Festival, where the Ambient Label Hub was born. In many ways, it’ll be a bigger, longer extension of that wonderful afternoon inside the Shire Hall - where James Osland filmed what has become a very well received documentary on YouTube (see below if you missed it!).
Still Point will continue with this very same spirit, with a laid back, welcoming event featuring live performances, talks, a field recording session, DJ set and a chance to chat with us artists and labels involved. Then of course, there’ll be a diverse mix of Ambient music fans attending this special event, to share the experience with - including locals from the art-mad community of Stroud, lovers of electronic music and other creative types.
If it all sounds of interest, you can find out more HERE - it would be amazing if you can make it! If you're not sure yet, see below for details including the line-up and a mix featuring music by the artists involved.
We appreciate that not everyone can make it, especially since many of you reading will be based overseas. So as we did at Woodbridge, we aim to capture what we can; we hope to make a follow-up documentary film, capture live set recordings and, no doubt, plenty of photos. I’ll be sure to present what I can after the event here, via this very blog.
EVENT SUMMARY
(PRESS RELEASE)
Still Point is a day-long Ambient music festival featuring music performances, talks, field recording sessions, DJ sets, Q&As and more, with a host of exciting Ambient artists. It is presented by a group of independent record labels known as the Ambient Label Hub, comprised of Driftworks, Elm Records, Evergreen Music and Whitelabrecs. Come and listen to the concerts, soak up the atmosphere, talk to artists and Ambient music labels and eat some fantastic food made with love from The Long Table kitchen.
Still Point is developed from a smaller event which was part of the Woodbridge Ambient Music Festival last summer. It brings together a few of the UK’s most respected Ambient labels and artists who will be performing and answering questions about their work whether it’s releasing music, collaborations or working with film and visual artists. It’s a perfect opportunity to gain an insight into the Ambient music scene or just listen to some beautiful low key music.
ABOUT THE VENUE
Still Point is being held at ‘The Long Table’, Brimscombe, just a short walk along the canal from the centre of of Stroud. The Long Table is a visionary organisation that brings people together through the radical hospitality of eating what you can afford together. Still Point will be held in an old mill building known as The Sanctuary which is on the same site. There is a lively café next door with amazing food made with love, under a ‘pay what you want’ initiative and this will be available throughout the day. There’s parking on site as well for those of you coming by car.
Stroud is on the mainline train route from London and getting to The Long Table by bus is easy. From Merrywalks in Stroud, either change if you’re coming from further away or take either the 54A or 67 bus to Chalford or Eastcombe. Get off at Brimscombe and it’s a short walk to the venue.
WHAT'S ON
The event will start with a field recording session to begin on a quieter note. The artist performances will then run all day into the evening - paused only for a couple of talks, and for some intervals for refreshments. I won’t give exact timings for features or otherwise, as these things can change. But, as you’ll see from the talent below, it promises to be an amazing, and varied experience all day through.
'The Sanctuary' is a pretty large room, so there’ll be ample space for the labels, artists and guests to showcase their merch; expect CDs, tapes, vinyl, clothing and more. There’ll surely be some advance copies of records not yet released and some rarities.
During the day, we hope to make use of the small room you can see above, chatting to the artists and labels in the 'interview den' so that we'll have something to bring home to share here at a later date.
To close the event I’ll have the cherished Technics 1210 turntables I used back in my DJing days, and I intend to do a live vinyl mix - with something a little more upbeat after a full day of Ambient music.
Below you can see profiles and bios from the artists that will make up this packed line-up.
STILL POINT MIX
I've put together a special mix to preview some music from each of the artists in the line-up.
Tracklist:
01 Adrian Lane - Looking To Spirals
02 Phonsonic - The Listening Sea
03 Rachel Musson - Bethink and Lay to Heart
04 Mosaicist - Because Spring Has Come
05 Ian Hawgood - One Step On
06 James Osland - Each Flower Blooms In It's Own Time
07 Bowing - Emerald Bay
08 Slow Clinic - Flickering Before Departure
09 rhubiqs - Alone & Adrift In Celestial Waters Pt. 2
10 Andrew Heath - Landscape After Corot
11 The Inventors of Aircraft - Using the External
12 Cyril Secq - 10
13 Simon McCorry - Where the Hermit-thrush
14 Spheruleus - Umbrella Days
15 Akira Sileas - Berengrave Reserve
WHO'S WHO
Adrian Lane
Adrian Lane is a neo-classical Ambient musician and visual artist based in Southend on Sea, UK. His work blends acoustic instrumentation with modern production techniques, creating soundscapes that feel intimate, melancholic, and richly textured. Lane’s music has been released on respected labels such as Whitelabrecs, Audiobulb, Oscarson, Hibernate, Chitra, and Preserved Sound.
Drawing on influences ranging from Erik Satie and Philip Glass to Brian Eno and contemporary composers like Max Richter and Jóhann Jóhannsson, Lane’s compositions often merge piano, strings, bowed psalteries, zither, synthesizers and field recordings to create emotionally resonant pieces. He frequently works across disciplines, producing abstract mixed media paintings alongside music; two practices that inform and mirror each other through layering, texture, and atmosphere.
Andrew Heath
Andrew Heath composes piano based Ambient music. Quiet and intimate, it explores sounds from both acoustic and electronic sources, along with processed field recordings and gathered, ‘found’ sounds. As well as many solo releases under his own name, he has collaborated with artists including legendary German musician, Hans-Joachim Roedelius, experimental electronic and classical composer, Christopher Chaplin, Dutch Ambient guitarist, Anne Chris Bakker, Argentinian composer Mi Cosa de Resistance and UK artists, Toby Marks (Banco de Gaia) and James Osland among many others.
Andrew has also been commissioned to produce works for film and installations including ‘Telenovela', an episodical film with artist, Lowri Evans. The short films ‘Melt’, ‘Bev D’ and ‘As Above, so Below’ recently selected for the Trinity Buoys Wharf prize. ‘The Echoing Space’ a film about the National Trust house, Leith Hill Place and compositions and installations for various arts festivals.
Bowing
Bowing is the alias of producer Damon Vallero which he uses for his deeper, atmospheric Ambient music. Damon has produced under many different aliases as well as his own name for a wide variety of electronic based music.
Having grown up in South Africa in his formative years and following a trip to the UK in the early 1980s, he began producing music after discovering the wonder of synthesisers. He was a member of synth pop duo The Visiting Cousins that was briefly signed to WEA Records, and also another duo called The Swanhunters who released a single with Sheffield band Chakk in the mid 1980s. Damon moved to the UK permanently in the late 1980s starting his own label producing Techno and signing other artists. He continued to release techno throughout the 1990s and began getting DJ bookings playing in Eastern Europe, Germany, Ireland and the UK.
In 2004 Damon started his label Downstream Records for all forms of electronica and Ambient based music and is where his focus is today. He has numerous album releases under a number of aliases including Bowing, Audio Maze, Local Sound Developer, Flux of Sensations, Squarb, Data Burst, Servent and others.
Cyril Secq
Cyril Secq is a French-born musician, who began his life in music as a self-taught guitarist before progressing to play multiple instruments, after he formed the band Astrïd.
Playing mostly instrumental music he has collaborated with other musicians who share the same love for minimalism, neo-classical and Ambient music, including Rachel Grimes (Rachel’s), Sylvain Chauveau, Orla Wren
Harry Towell
I guess I'd best introduce myself in case this blog gets shared beyond the Whitelabrecs sphere! My name's Harry and I'm the founder of the Whitelabrecs label, which I started in 2016. The label specialises in limited edition vinyl-inspired CDrs, releasing concept-focused Ambient, Electro-Acoustic and Modern Classical music. I also record as Glåsbird, under my own name and formerly as Spheruleus. I'm passionate about helping others in the scene and I'm an avid record collector too. Before I got into Ambient music I was a DJ and as mentioned above, at Still Point I'll be performing a vinyl-only DJ mix to close out the event.
Ian Hawgood
Ian Hawgood is a composer, sound engineer, and founder of the revered ambient label Home Normal. A fixture of the Ambient scene since the early 2000s, he played a key role in connecting the Berlin netlabel movement with Japan’s physical distribution networks, helping to catalyse the modern micro-label era, particularly in the UK.
His extensive discography spans solo and collaborative works on labels including 12k, Morr Music, and Quiet Details. Based on the UK’s south coast, he runs a boutique tape-based mastering studio alongside research into the clinical application of analog sound design within cognitive psychology. His current research uses eye-tracking to develop predictive sound-based therapies, spanning hypersonic and geophonic approaches, with a focus on stroke rehabilitation, autism, and PTSD treatment.
James Osland
James Osland runs the Ambient music label Elm Records which releases on CD and cassette. The roster has included artists such as Bill Seaman, The Humble Bee and The Green Kingdom. James also recently set up a a Podcast series called Moor Thoughts, alongside Thomas Hoey. The music and live performances he creates under his own name, seeks to explore our relationships with sound, memory and place.
Mosaicist
Adrian Newton (Mosaicist) creates sound mosaics from a blend of field recordings, found objects and electro-acoustic instruments. His work explores our relationships with the natural world, and is informed by his practice as an environmental sound artist. His work has been featured in a number of international festivals, and broadcast on national media. Recently he participated in Radio Art Zone, the largest ever international festival of radio art, and was invited to provide a sound installation for the London Design Festival. Musically he is best known for his critically acclaimed work with free-improvisation groups Zaum, Gerauschhersteller and Echo Engine.
Adrian also runs the ambient label Evergreen Music, releasing music on upcycled cassettes with hand-printed artwork.
Phonsonic
Phonsonic is the project of Stroud-based multi-media artist Alexander Caminada - a slow exploration of acoustic instruments, synthesisers, and soundscapes drawn from field recordings and found sounds.
His improvised performances move through Ambient drifts and textural detail, punctuated by occasional subtle percussion.
Rachel Musson
A UK-based saxophonist, improviser and composer UK, Rachel Musson has spent over a two decades immersed in improvised music, and is now gradually introducing composed elements into her work, drawing on texts, field recordings and processing sounds. Rachel is involved with a variety of improvisation projects, featuring on several releases (577 Records, Babel Label, Two Rivers Records), performing with on-going collaborations with musicians such as Angharad Davies, Matt Davis, Olie Brice, Pat Thomas and Mark Sanders, and more ad hoc improvisation projects including recent collaborations with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Thurston Moore amongst others.
Her recent album, Ashes, Dust, Earth and Sky, blends compositions, improvisations and field recordings, and these sounds in her solo performances have evolved to incorporate a live setting, using samples, loops and electronics. Rachel is a current recipient of the prestigious Paul Hamlyn Composer award.
“A free-improviser sensitive to melody-like narrative and dramatic pacing”
John Fordham, The Guardian
restinj
restinj is an electronic music performer from the south of England. Their work focuses on live Ambient performance and the use of custom gestural performance software written in pure data.
They’ve released music on a few record labels under the Akira Sileas alias including Hard Return, Hallow Ground, Superpang and Rusted Tone Recordings. Their music has been performed across the UK and Berlin, as well as features on NTS radio.
rhubiqs
rhubiqs is the solo project of London-based musician Tom Squires. As rhubiqs, Squires is known for creating far-reaching electronic and ambient experimental post-rock sounds - immersive soundscapes that expertly marry the lines between organic and synthetic, drawing influence from pioneers like Stars of the Lid, Tim Hecker, and Fennesz.
With a focus on texture, atmosphere, and emotional depth, rhubiqs crafts sonic worlds that evoke introspection, transformation, and a sense of timelessness. Squires’ debut self-titled rhubiqs LP was self-released in 2019, where he explored electronica tendencies coupled with ambient post-rock layers to great effect. Early 2020 saw Squires self-release the Migratory Paths LP, further honing his sound and drawing attention from a number of media sources.
Echoes & Dust said of the lead single: “As the beautiful melancholic piano playing starts and the guitar begins it’s a soft lullaby, the track blooms and grows, creating a bright soundscape. A great tease to a cool album.”
2021-2023 saw Squires turn his attention to his other band - Transatlantic Alliance, a post-rock group who released an LP on Post. Recordings, as well as a remix album with contributions from Mogwai, Holy Fawn, We Lost The Sea & more.
Simon McCorry
Stroud-based cellist and composer Simon McCorry has spent much of the past 18 months in motion, touring the UK as a theatre sound engineer and mixer, rarely home for more than a day at a time. That sense of impermanence and quiet observation now subtly permeates his work.
Releasing previously on labels such as Home Normal, Shimmering Moods Records, Past Inside The Present, See Blue Audio, Rusted Tone, Oscarson, Polar Seas Recordings and Hidden Vibes, Simon has developed an approach rooted in improvisation, fragility and the embrace of happy accidents. Early fascination with tape recording evolved into formal cello training, yet his methods remain guided by instinct. The influence from his approach to work in theatre and dance is central: ideas and themes are broken down, recombined and allowed to breathe.
Slow Clinic
Slow Clinic is the recording and performance project of James Edward Armstrong, a musician, mastering engineer, and academic living in Farnham, UK. The project started in 2012 following a sleepless night in Cardiff, blending droning guitar soundscapes and lopping melodies with field recordings and sonic textures. When playing live, James largely improvises and allows a performance to unfold in response to the environment, supported by a collage of global field recordings played back on cassette. Outside performance, James is a mastering engineer specialising in ambient and experimental music and a lecturer in music at the University for the Creative Arts, Farnham. James’ research interests include ambient and experimental music, field recordings, and audio cultures.
The Inventors of Aircraft
The Inventors of Aircraft is an ambient music project by British composer Phil Tomsett. Combining synthesis, sampling, texture, and subtle melody, the work creates deeply immersive soundscapes that are both atmospheric and introspective. Releases under the Inventors name, as well as under his own, have appeared on labels including Whitelabrecs, Driftworks, Home Normal, and Fluid Audio.
Often exploring themes of memory, absence, and shifting emotional states, the music is less about escape and more about offering the listener a space in which to sit, stand, walk, or think in.
All that remains now then is to remind you that you can explore more about the Still Point Festival and buy tickets HERE if the above has made you curious. Concessionary tickets are also available.
