Drone

Coming soon… Benjamin Finger – Voice Frames

We have two new physical editions lined up for release on the 30th of October and this one is by Oslo, Norway’s Benjamin Finger, who has released with labels such as Time Released Sound, Shimmering Moods and Flaming Pines, not to mention a recent collaboration with James Plotkin.

‘Voice Frames‘ will be available in one of our typically low runs of 100 gatefold vinyl-effect CDrs, complete with a series of analog photography by the artist. Themes of sentimentality, time and melancholia thread through this varied album of electro-acoustic tapestries.

Voice Frames will be released for pre-order on Saturday the 30th of October. If you join our mailing list using the link below, we’ll make sure you’re the first to hear.

press release
“Benjamin Finger is an artist from Oslo in Norway with releases on labels such as Time Released Sound, Eilean, Shimmering Moods and Flaming Pines. He has performed live both in Norway and abroad. UK performances have seen several appearances at Café Oto and Brighton’s Supernormal festival. He has also played with a trio at The Rewire festival in Hague and the Mekausma Festival in Belgium, not to mention a short US tour in 2014. Benjamin’s sound combines acoustic sources with electronics and his impressive collection of around 8000 records, provides a backdrop of wide musical influences.

He operates from a small studio on an island just outside of Oslo, taking acoustic instrument recordings and treating them with effects to create electronic soundscapes. In Voice Frames, hardware synths, guitars and pedals, voice, field records, piano and Inga-Lill Farstad’s vocals make up the spine of this album. Its central themes of loss, isolation and time unfold over a range of intriguing compositions which draw out the sentimental mindset of their author.

Traits from previous albums are present, with some techniques and ideas having been borrowed and reframed into a new context. The melancholy in passing time is further shared through Voice Frames’ cover artwork; a photo Benjamin tool of his partner in Salema, a small Portuguese fishing village. It was shot through a wine bottle using an analogue Kodak camera and the series features throughout the packaging design.

Different moods and tones permeate this wondrous record as a weight of reflection halts your mind’s ability to focus on one element for too long. At times the voices being framed are through the people in distant field recordings, other times they might be through Inga-Lill’s ethereal singing or Benjamin’s own voice. They could be the voices of those around you or the artist’s memories. Perhaps they could even be your own voice?“

credits
Written and produced by Benjamin Finger
Mastered by James Edward Armstrong
Analog Photography by Benjamin Finger
Art and Design by Andrew Heath

Coming soon… Glåsbird – Return to Sea and Sardinia (Original Soundtrack)

We’ve been regularly throwing forward Glåsbird’s involvement with film director Daniele Marzeddu, in creating the soundtrack to a film called Return to Sea and Sardinia, which has been made to mark the centenary of D.H.Lawrence’s visit to Sardinia and the surrounding area. Not least, Ennio’s Muse, a crowd-funding compilation album that we released in January.

We’re excited to share the film’s trailer video (above), some snippets of tracks from the soundtrack (soundcloud), as well as announce the release date!

Return to Sea and Sardinia will be released on Saturday the 30th of October. If you join our mailing list , we’ll make sure you’re the first to hear!

press release
“In January 1921, some 100 hundred years ago, the renowned writer D.H. Lawrence set sail for Sardinia, joined by his wife Frieda. He produced a critically acclaimed travel novel called Sea and Sardinia, reflecting his observations as he traveled. His creative use of language and expression adds colour to his reflections. To mark the centenary of the journey, film director Daniele Marzeddu and his crew returned, to retrace these steps.

After a year of working on this project, Return to Sea and Sardinia now sees the light of day and will be presented to the public in a series of screenings or digital viewings. The film has been produced and Organised by The Visual Guys, with the support of the D.H. Lawrence Society of Great Britain and features Daniele’s vivid imagery. The current state of modern Sardinia and its neighbouring island Sicily is laid out as a documentary film and our very own Glåsbird has produced an original soundtrack to accompany the visuals, and local accounts provided by the islands’ inhabitants.

Glåsbird has produced several geographic based sound interpretations since beginning their mysterious project in 2018. They describe this soundtrack as a ‘vacation’ from the on-going ‘A Sonic Expedition’ series, yet it has been approached in a similar way to this musician’s work: the cycle of inspiration, research and more inspiration. Daniele gave the artist free-reign to sketch out stories from afar, into these sound-postcards. We are delighted to be able to present the Original Soundtrack for Return To Sea and Sardinia, in an edition of 300 CDrs, featuring a 32 page book of photographic stills and captions, to give a flavour of the film.“

credits
Composed by Glåsbird
Film and photography directed by Daniele Marzeddu
Audio mastering by James Edward Armstrong
Art and design by Andrew Heath
Booklet design by Harry Towell

https://seaandsardinia.org/

Out Now! Various Artists – Hundred

We had recently run a poll asking fans and listeners for their votes, so that we could arrive at the top 15 albums in our discography so far. We’ve created a compilation called ‘Hundred‘, selecting a track from each of these albums in a limited edition CDr, which includes a 16 page booklet featuring images and insight.

Hundred is out today with some copies remaining, at the time of writing. Saturday the 25th of September. The best way to keep informed is to join our mailing list which can be located through our website menu or you can click HERE

press release
“On the 25th of September 2021, with this release, we will have achieved 100 items in our core catalog since we launched Whitelabrecs in 2016. The editions consist of 48 hand-burned white-label effect CDrs, 5 printed compilation CDrs, 1 digital compilation album and 45 gatefold LP style CDrs.

Hundred is a special compilation album which has been assembled mark the occasion, after we had asked our listeners and fans to vote for their favourite albums in a poll. Here we’re pleased to present the top 15, as per their votes, in this suite of Ambient, Drone, Modern Classical and Electro Acoustic pieces.

Our label owner Harry Towell has chosen his favourite tracks from each of these 15 records and the resulting compilation near enough fills the 80 minute duration of a CD. The tracks have been arranged in an order that hopefully flows as an album experience in its own right.

The physical edition is available in a limited edition of 100 copies, including the label’s logo and identity as part of the design, along with a 16 page booklet with commentary and cover imagery for each of the 100 albums. We hope you have enjoyed the first 100 works in our catalog and we are looking forward to sharing all of our plans and ideas with you in the future.“

credits
Curated by our fans and listeners
Tracks selected by Harry Towell
Art and design by Andrew Heath
Booklet by Harry Towell
Tracks are as originally mastered. For mastering credits, refer to the CD sleeve or you can view this information by clicking the relevant track.

Coming soon… Various Artists – Hundred

This month, we are pleased to meet the landmark of 100 album editions which we’ve released on Whitelabrecs, since out label began in January 2016. We’ve enjoyed the ups and downs of running a label and feel very lucky to have achieved 100 releases, not to mention our EPs, tapes and Home Diaries series too. To celebrate this occasion, we have a busy month of activity planned including new digital music which we announced at the beginning of September, limited edition baseball caps, free badges which will be included in random orders, a ‘mystery CD‘ option, a label history mix and also, a compilation album!

We had recently run a poll asking fans and listeners for their votes, so that we could arrive at the top 15 albums in our discography so far. We’ve created a compilation called ‘Hundred‘, selecting a track from each of these albums in a limited edition CDr, which includes a 16 page booklet featuring images and insight.

Hundred will be released on Saturday the 25th of September. We have not created a Soundcloud preview of tracks, to keep this a surprise. If you join our mailing list , we’ll make sure you’re the first to hear!

Out Now! Spheruleus – Absent Frames

Absent Frames by Spheruleus is released today for Bandcamp Friday in digital only formats. The best way to keep informed about our releases is to join our mailing list which can be located through our website menu or you can click HERE

press release
“Spheruleus is the long-standing artist name of Whitelabrecs owner Harry Towell, with releases outside of his own label appearing on the likes of Fluid Audio, Home Normal, Hibernate and Lost Tribe Sound. The project has been active since the netlabel days of 2009 and he has also collaborated with artists such as Sven Laux, Pleq and Ekca Liena. This new EP called Absent Frames is a short, conceptual work that delves back to his early work as a sound artist.

Harry had discovered some old field recordings he captured onto an Olympus digital recorder between 2007 and 2009. On listening to the collection, there were very few sounds that he could relate to; most were rain, birdsong or poorly recorded out-takes. In some cases, forgotten memories were recalled and overlapping events became a little clearer. But a clear and complete picture could not be recalled, due to the time that had elapsed and the lack of information to jog his memory.

The medium used to capture a moment in time does not record every tiny detail. A field recording doesn’t capture the visual experiences or tell you the location. For example, the rain droplets you hear could be from anywhere on the planet. A photograph does not always tell the story, the scent, the mood, the location. We use memory to recall the detail if we were present, but some of the detail may be stored in our subconscious or perhaps lost completely. We may easily recall some or most of the experience, but parts may be missing from even the most vivid of memories.

Recently, Harry took a photo of a swan swimming one evening in a local lake called Rutland Water. He can still recall the events earlier that day, the time of night, the section of the lake that his family were stood by, the time that they left the car park. The original photograph gave plenty of detail that would help him recall the memories from when it was taken. To match the theme of Absent Frames, Harry edited the image by replacing the horizon along the water surface, with the cloudy sky of a completely different image, from which memories will be much harder to recall.

Absent Frames is an EP consisting of two mid-length drone pieces, placing multiple field recordings at different volumes, along with drones to which he added multiple effects chains. The intent was to further blur the recordings, to make the content even harder to distinguish. So that in years to become, this theme becomes even more poignant.”

credits
Written and produced by Harry Towell
Mastered by James Edward Armstrong
Photography and artwork by Harry Towell

Out Now! Kraut Sounds – Silence

Silence by Kraut Sounds is released today for Bandcamp Friday in digital only formats. The best way to keep informed about our releases is to join our mailing list which can be located through our website menu or you can click HERE

press release
“Kraut Sounds is sort alias for an artist that followers of Whitelabrecs will recognise; South Germany’s Polaroid Notes. This project is reserved for more electronic, purer ambient explorations having been initiated in 2012. Previous releases have featured on Büro für Erdrotation, Stellar Transitions, Diametral and Drone Works International.

This digital-only edition is a debut under this name, for Whitelabrecs and clocks in at just over 35 minutes of audio. Silence is a peaceful journey through quiet and meditative soundscapes, based on personal studies about sleep, subconsciousness and higher awareness, in combination with a deep interest in old electronic sounds from the past century.
It is an attempt to play less, in order to gain more. Like minimal music with repeating and shifting multi-layered soundscapes. Like slow motion sound painting, with a curious view of how things evolve naturally.

All five tracks are based on improvisations, following no specific rules or schemes. Everything flows in way that works uniquely for you, as you drift along in sound and time.”

credits
Written and produced by Kraut Sounds (while the cat gently slept beside)
Recorded February/April 2021
Mastered by James Edward Armstrong
Photography by Kraut Sounds

links
krautsounds.bandcamp.com
soundcloud.com/kraut-sounds
www.facebook.com/krautsounds/

Out Now! Soft Generator – A Carefully Controlled Space

Their album ‘A Carefully Controlled Space‘ will be available in our usual low run of 50 gatefold vinyl-effect CDrs and its concept looks at the idea of hypnotic rest, reflecting back on Asclepeion sleep temples from the ancient Greek civilisation. The sound is a contemporary view, using the Pippi Computer System as part of the sound design. The packaging ties this all together, with art and design by collage artist Tom Tebby.

Whitelabrecs low-run releases are likely to sell out fast. The best way to keep informed is to join our mailing list which can be located through our website menu or you can click HERE

press release
“In this new release, we welcome a collaboration between David Newman (Autistici) and Erik Schoster (He Can Jog). These artists have released music individually across a range of labels including 12k, KESH, Hibernate, Home Recordings, Audiobulb Records and Distance Recordings. This duo have worked together to form Soft Generator, with their inaugural release featuring artwork by collage artist Tom Tebby.

‘A Carefully Controlled Space’ was crafted with orchestral sounds, analogue and modular synthesisers, computer generated routines, the Pippi Computer System pippi.world and field recordings.
The work centres on the idea of hypnotic rest as a portal to recovery. Referencing the process of Asclepeion ‘sleep temples’, visited by the citizens of ancient Greece, the album wonders what it would be like to go through the ritual and process in modern times. A Carefully Controlled Space imagines a remedy as it reaches out and offers each listener a chance to reset, heal and escape.“

credits
Soft Generator are:
David Newman (Autistici/Volume Objects) – volume-objects.com
Erik Schoster (He Can Jog) – hecanjog.com

Mastered by Volume Objects

Art and design by Tom Tebby

Out now! Lauge, Perry Frank – Selvascapes

We’re at the height of our summer schedule and have two lots of collaborative albums up next. First, we welcome Danish composer and Ambient artist Henrik Laugesen (Lauge) who has worked alongside Sardinia based artist and performer Francesco Nicola Perra (Perry Frank).

Their album ‘Selvascapes‘ will be available in our usual low run of 50 gatefold vinyl-effect CDrs and it’s themed around the forest, with each track being a reference or reflection on this concept. The sound is a collection of wondrous drone soundscapes that take us back to our roots in pure Ambient music.

Whitelabrecs low-run releases are likely to sell out fast. The best way to keep informed is to join our mailing list which can be located through our website menu or you can click HERE

press release
“Lauge is self-taught composer Henrik Laugesen, who is better known for his pseudonym ‘Lauge’. So far, he has been involved in the creation of 11 albums, participated on multiple compilations, sync placements and one patch bank for the Danish sound design outlet ‘Luftrum’. He also curates mixes and playlists for outlets like Spotify, under the brand ‘Ambient Soundscapes’.

Perry Frank is project started in 2005 by Francesco Perra from Sardinia, Italy. He is perhaps best renowned for his Ambient guitar sessions, in which live performances are filmed against backdrops of scenic landscapes, museums, gardens and verandas. He has also had releases out on labels such as Idealmusik, Tranquillo Records and n5MD.

We have seen great productivity through remote collaboration between musicians since the pandemic and in 2020, Henrik and Francesco began exchanging their sounds, files and ideas. They had the vision to combine their individual sound components into a cohesive whole. The result is ‘Selvascapes’, in which each composition is connected to forestry, reflected by the track titles and sonic content. The artists navigated their sound landscapes through this chosen theme; vastness, enormity, enclosure, open space and nature can all be gleaned by those who listen.“

credits
Written and produced by Henrik Laugesen and Perry Frank
Mastered by James Edward Armstrong
Photography by Harry Towell
Art and design by Andrew Heath

Coming soon… Soft Generator – A Carefully Controlled Space

In this second collaborative album for July, we welcome David Newman (Autistici, Volume Objects) and Erik Schoster (He Can Jog) under their new project Soft Generator. Between them, their individual discographies have seen records come out on the likes of 12k, KESH and Hibernate, as well as David’s own Audiobulb Records.

Their album ‘A Carefully Controlled Space‘ will be available in our usual low run of 50 gatefold vinyl-effect CDrs and its concept looks at the idea of hypnotic rest, reflecting back on Asclepeion sleep temples from the ancient Greek civilisation. The sound is a contemporary view, using the Pippi Computer System as part of the sound design. The packaging ties this all together, with art and design by collage artist Tom Tebby.

A Carefully Controlled Space will be released on Saturday the 24th of July with no pre-order. If you join our mailing list using the link below, we’ll make sure you’re the first to hear.