Tag: Drone

Coming soon…Glåsbird – Novaya Zemlya

We’re excited to announce the latest Glåsbird album set for release on Saturday the 26th of September. For those not yet familiar, Glåsbird is an anonymous artist who is currently creating a series of albums, each themed as an imaginary soundtrack to a geographical location. The latest far-flung land to receive the spotlight from this artist is Novaya Zemlya and this album sees the artist create some of their most dramatic work, set around this Russian-owned Arctic island.

The album will be released on Saturday the 26th of September with no pre-order. If you join our mailing list using the link below, we’ll make sure you’re the first to hear.

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
“The fictitious tour of far-away lands continues, as anonymous artist Glåsbird follows the scratchy, folk-ambience of Norskfjǫrðr with a return to lonely arctic-island sounds. Novaya Zemlya is a Russian-owned island, stretching from just off the mainland between the Kara and Barents seas, with two islands split by the Matochkin Strait.

The Southern island Yuzhny is the home of a few inhabitants whereas the Northern counterpart Severny is pretty much all glacier. The added complication of sea-ice during Arctic winters have made certain parts of this land very difficult to navigate. There are accounts stretching back to the 16th century when explorer Willem Barentsz died on an expedition and his body is rumoured to have been buried on Severny.
Into more recent times, Novaya Zemlya has been a sensitive military area throughout the cold war as well as a nuclear testing site. In 1961 the world’s most powerful nuclear weapon was detonated, the ‘Tsar Bomba’.

In this album, Glåsbird composes a soundtrack which transcends the years of history, combining themes of explorers and Barentsz’s tragic demise, isolation, climate change and polar bears, underpinned by radio broadcasts to give a slightly unsettling undercurrent, hinting back to the cold war. The track Vanya is named after a code name the Russians had for the Tsar Bomba detonation project and this piece sits at the centre of this album, in some of the most dramatic soundtrack work this artist has made to date.

The cover artwork and bonus images within the CD packaging were taken by photographer Uliana Prokhorova, who visited a few locations on the island. As always, this album uses the sounds, photography and track titles to build an imaginary soundtrack in your mind as you listen and immerse yourself in this latest sonic exploration.”

credits
Written and produced by Glåsbird
Mastered by James Edward Armstrong
Photography by Uliana Prokhorova
Packaging Design by Harry Towell

Coming soon…thme – that’s what it will be like

We’re pleased to announce thedebut album due out on Saturday the 26th of September by Paris, France based artist thme. That’s what it will be like is a daydream soundtrack of slow and blurry guitar and piano drones which will place the listener into an idealistic but melancholic state. The album is accompanied by a retro-futurist collage cover artwork, provided by Arctic Sun.

The album will be released on Saturday the 26th of September with no pre-order. If you join our mailing list using the link below, we’ll make sure you’re the first to hear.

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
“‘That’s what it will be like’ is the debut album from emerging French artist Théo Martin, who records was thme. Théo was originally raised in the Parisians suburbs and now resides inside the city itself. He has lived a life with music at the fore since childhood, with learning guitar progressing to playing in a band for several years, before he started solo music production as part of a student exchange program.

Théo’s sound gravitates towards melancholic atmospheres, slowly evolving drones and time worn textures. Damaged piano pieces and micro/macro sound environments provide a dreamy backdrop for the listener, as a kind of spiritual shelter to travel to and rest.

These tracks were recorded during an intense period of work and Théo considered his studio as a space where time could slow down, to almost grind to a halt. This experience is captured inside these seven recordings, where time stands on end and the mind can wander. The retrofuturistic artwork (by Arctic Sun) which accompanies this album reflects this perfectly, in a surreal but dreamy glimpse of a daydream set in the clouds. That’s what it will be like.”

credits
Written and produced by Théo Martin
Mastered by James Edward Armstrong
Artwork by Arctic Sun
Packaging Design by Harry Towell

Out Now! Max Ananyev – Midday

We’re pleased to announce the second album out now! This one is by Saint-Petersburg, Russia based artist Max Ananyev, an accomplished  guitarist and composer who has released with fellow British labels Serein and Preserved Sound. Electric guitar appears in the subtlest of ways as it is surrounded by warm drones, restful bells and hints of piano notes.

Our low-run releases will be made available suddenly without official release dates, meaning they’re 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

https://whitelabrecs.bandcamp.com/album/midday

press release
“Max Ananyev is a composer and classical guitarist originally from Far Eastern-Russia, who currently resides in Saint-Petersburg. Max began studying and playing classical guitar in music school as a child, composing his own pieces from this early age. In the last 10 years, he has become increasingly focused in his work as a composer, with numerous albums and EPs, released on British labels Serein and Preserved Sound as well as Moscow’s Fancymusic.

His process for creating music is to schedule some time specifically to compose. He does not wait for inspiration to strike, instead allowing this to take place once his studio sessions begin. Time is all that is needed for the work to develop and it is timbre which is the target, so that specific sounds can be achieved. He prefers his recordings to flow into an album or record, rather than selecting the best sounds from a large pool of material.

Thematically, anything from the sunlight beaming onto the wall in a room, chance communications with people and traveling can influence Max as an artist. His unrelated studies at the time of recording subconsciously feel linked to this body of work somehow, with lectures on Renaissance alchemists, mythology, death and human evolution having been an area of research during this album’s production period. Nietzsche’s tightrope walker was also a poignant read at the time and purely by coincidence, the person in the cover image appears to be walking a tightrope.

However, conceptually there is not a neatly mapped-out journey for the listener. Instead the asymmetric shapes of atmospheric sound and the names they have inherited, along with the cover artwork tell different stories as each track passes. Introductions, codes, different parts and moods unfurl carefully in the lightest breeze, like classical music. Midday creates a warm and restful environment for the listener to make sense of this collection of moods; a task made all too easy thanks to its shimmeringly adherent gathering of light sounds.”

credits
Written, Produced and Mastered by Max Ananyev
Photography by Natalia Poluyanova and Dmitriy Ratushniy
Packaging design by Harry Towell

Out Now! Zoltan Fecso – Daylight In An Empty Room

Here’s the first of two new albums, out now! This one’s by Melbourne, Australia based artist Zoltan Fecso, who uses a custom-built guitar to create a unique sound. These compositions are warm and bright reflections as the artist wanted to create a more open, spacious sound. His partner Claire Lefebvre is an artist and she provided the cover painting for this album, entitled ‘Daylight In An Empty Room‘.

Our low-run releases will be made available suddenly without official release dates, meaning they’re 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

https://whitelabrecs.bandcamp.com/album/daylight-in-an-empty-room

 

press release
“Zoltan Fecso is a composer based in Naarm (Melbourne), Australia. With previous releases on Hush Hush Records, Sonder House, The Slow Music Movement and Shimmering Moods, Whitelabrecs is thrilled to present Zoltan’s most restrained work to date on ‘Daylight in an Empty Room.’

Zoltan’s pointillist compositions combine single notes of varying lengths to form ever-changing patterns. A composition technique he’s been exploring since 2018, Pointillism borrows its name from the post-impressionist painting technique which uses individually coloured dots to form an image. Zoltan’s works are performed on a modified guitar, on which he captures fragments of notes, creating ever-shifting tonal permutations.

‘Daylight in an Empty Room’ is an album of solo guitar improvisations, in which Zoltan has aimed to create a more open, spacious sound than in previous records. Zoltan works closely with his partner and painter Claire Lefebvre, who created the artwork for this album. ‘Daylight in an Empty Room’ suggests finding new detail in simplicity.”

credits
Written and produced by Zoltan Fecso
Mastered by James Edward Armstrong
Artwork by Claire Lefebvre
Packaging design by Harry Towell

Coming soon…Max Ananyev – Midday

We’re pleased to announce the second album set for release on Saturday the 29th of August. This is by Saint-Petersburg, Russia based artist Max Ananyev, an accomplished  guitarist and composer who has released with fellow British labels Serein and Preserved Sound. Electric guitar appears in the subtlest of ways as it is surrounded by warm drones, restful bells and hints of piano notes.

The album will be released on Saturday the 29th of August with no pre-order. If you join our mailing list using the link below, we’ll make sure you’re the first to hear.

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
“Max Ananyev is a composer and classical guitarist originally from Far Eastern-Russia, who currently resides in Saint-Petersburg. Max began studying and playing classical guitar in music school as a child, composing his own pieces from this early age. In the last 10 years, he has become increasingly focused in his work as a composer, with numerous albums and EPs, released on British labels Serein and Preserved Sound as well as Moscow’s Fancymusic.

His process for creating music is to schedule some time specifically to compose. He does not wait for inspiration to strike, instead allowing this to take place once his studio sessions begin. Time is all that is needed for the work to develop and it is timbre which is the target, so that specific sounds can be achieved. He prefers his recordings to flow into an album or record, rather than selecting the best sounds from a large pool of material.

Thematically, anything from the sunlight beaming onto the wall in a room, chance communications with people and traveling can influence Max as an artist. His unrelated studies at the time of recording subconsciously feel linked to this body of work somehow, with lectures on Renaissance alchemists, mythology, death and human evolution having been an area of research during this album’s production period. Nietzsche’s tightrope walker was also a poignant read at the time and purely by coincidence, the person in the cover image appears to be walking a tightrope.

However, conceptually there is not a neatly mapped-out journey for the listener. Instead the asymmetric shapes of atmospheric sound and the names they have inherited, along with the cover artwork tell different stories as each track passes. Introductions, codes, different parts and moods unfurl carefully in the lightest breeze, like classical music. Midday creates a warm and restful environment for the listener to make sense of this collection of moods; a task made all too easy thanks to its shimmeringly adherent gathering of light sounds.”

credits
Written, Produced and Mastered by Max Ananyev
Photography by Natalia Poluyanova and Dmitriy Ratushniy
Packaging design by Harry Towell

Coming soon…Zoltan Fecso – Daylight In An Empty Room

Here’s the first of two new albums, set for release on Saturday the 29th of August. This one’s by Melbourne, Australia based artist Zoltan Fecso, who uses a custom-built guitar to create a unique sound. These compositions are warm and bright reflections as the artist wanted to create a more open, spacious sound. His partner Claire Lefebvre is an artist and she provided the cover painting for this album, entitled ‘Daylight In An Empty Room‘.

The album will be released on Saturday the 29th of August with no pre-order. If you join our mailing list using the link below, we’ll make sure you’re the first to hear.

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
“Zoltan Fecso is a composer based in Naarm (Melbourne), Australia. With previous releases on Hush Hush Records, Sonder House, The Slow Music Movement and Shimmering Moods, Whitelabrecs is thrilled to present Zoltan’s most restrained work to date on ‘Daylight in an Empty Room.’

Zoltan’s pointillist compositions combine single notes of varying lengths to form ever-changing patterns. A composition technique he’s been exploring since 2018, Pointillism borrows its name from the post-impressionist painting technique which uses individually coloured dots to form an image. Zoltan’s works are performed on a modified guitar, on which he captures fragments of notes, creating ever-shifting tonal permutations.

‘Daylight in an Empty Room’ is an album of solo guitar improvisations, in which Zoltan has aimed to create a more open, spacious sound than in previous records. Zoltan works closely with his partner and painter Claire Lefebvre, who created the artwork for this album. ‘Daylight in an Empty Room’ suggests finding new detail in simplicity.”

credits
Written and produced by Zoltan Fecso
Mastered by James Edward Armstrong
Artwork by Claire Lefebvre
Packaging design by Harry Towell

Out Now! Pie Are Squared – Con Calma

Onto the second of our two new additions, we welcome back Pie Are Squared who provided the thirteenth instalment of our Home Diaries series, which was entitled ‘muri‘. Pie Are Squared is Ravenna, Italy based Egyptian artist Mohammed Ashraf, who has released with labels such as Handstitched*, Eilean and Lost Children. Con Calma has been mastered by Ian Hawgood and is a personal album that Mohammed originally created from lengthy loops, designed to give him an escape route from the mundane world of office work. The album makes use of beautiful, serene soundscapes for daydreaming, joined by light distortion at times for added texture.

The album will be released on Saturday the 25th 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.

Our low-run releases will be made available suddenly without official release dates, meaning they’re 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

https://whitelabrecs.bandcamp.com/album/con-calma

press release
“Pie Are Squared is Italy-based Egyptian musician Mohammed Ashraf. He has previously released music through labels such as Handstitched*, Lost Children and on Eilean Records as Śruti, his collaboration with Omar El Abd. Some of you may also recall this year’s ‘muri’, which was the 13th addition to our Home Diaries Series.

‘Con Calma’ is a serene album for quiet contemplation, as minimalist tones glide and encourage a sense of detachment. It began as Mohammed gathered recordings on his mobile phone whilst travelling, which were later fed through various chains of effects. Guitars and a range of utilities were used to craft these lulling tones, with the wealth of source and detail somehow liquefying into a collection of daydreams.

These reveries were assembled from lengthy loop sessions, which Mohammed listened to for almost a year to help him detach from the mundane office routine. He wanted this work to be a form of escapism, yet free from anxiety; a slow, calm exit.

Con Calma is not completely weightless and feather-lite; at times the light abrasion of distortion joins the wash, to add texture. The album is best enjoyed with the tracks played in sequence, as they envelope you into a sense of contemplation, starting from humble, quiet beginnings, journeying through air and rail in ‘Flügezüge’, onto more than a hint of stormy seas towards the second half, before closing with the daze of its final moments in ‘Away, World, Away’.”

credits
Written and produced by Mohammed Ashraf
Mastered by Ian Hawgood
Photography by Mohammed Ashraf
Packaging design by Harry Towell