Tag: Eastern

Out Now! Guy Gelem – Passing by and Through

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Here’s the second of our two new releases for February, with this one being from Israel’s Guy Gelem. We’ve been working with Guy Gelem for years now; in fact, ever since 2016 when his album ‘Entirety’ helped kick-off the label in its inaugural year. His latest album ‘Passing by and Through‘ blends cello and guitar with casio keyboard sounds and field recordings, rounded off by the specially painted cover artwork from Amit. The album is out today in a run of 100 gold edition vinyl-effect CDrs. If you follow us on Bandcamp (Click HERE) we’ll keep you updated when we have new releases.

press release
“Guy Gelem is a composer from Israel, who returns to the Whitelabrecs discography following digital release ‘Scenario’ and 2016’s ‘Entirety’. Guy has also created music for labels including Rural Colours, Split Femur, Quiet Design, Mini 50 ,Time Released Sound and Polar Seas. With the latter, he collaborated alongside Whitelabrecs owner Harry Towell, in an album called ‘Restful Spaces’.

Guy performs cello as part of ensembles and also comes from a background of playing electric guitar in bands. Since focusing on his own solo compositions, he typically combines both of these instruments together in his work, influenced by many styles including neo classical, jazz, electronic, post rock, Arabic and North African music.

For his latest album ‘Passing by and Through’, Guy began by recording layers of organic sounds, such as field recordings and some experiments on a Casio Earl 90 keyboard, as well as cello and guitar performances. Improvisation and an experimental approach was central to the creation of this music, focusing on a central nostalgic theme as the creative force. This album is dedicated to Guy’s personal journey in life so far, a fusion of periods, places, chapters, situations and other sentimental motifs. Each track title gives the listener clues about the detail that inspired the music. Nostalgia often brings about melancholy feelings but Guy wanted this record to glance optimistically towards the future too.“

credits

Written and produced by Guy Gelem
Mastered by James Edward Armstrong
Artwork by Amit
Art and design by Andrew Heath

Coming soon…Guy Gelem | Entirety

As hinted on our Facebook page recently, we’ve another highly limited released lined up. This time, it’s in the form of ‘Entirety‘ by Israel based cellist/artist Guy Gelem. Entirety will be available to order within the next week or so and will appeal to fans of the modern classical and eastern sub genres of Ambient music. You can listen to a preview of the album using the Soundcloud player below or keep an eye on our Facebook page to see a preview of the packaging.

Whitelabrecs 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.

press release
“Guy Gelem is a well travelled cellist and experimental artist from Israel with previous work made available through labels such as Quiet Design, Time Released Sound, Rural Colours and Mini50.
Guy’s sound is underpinned by the unique sound of his cello which is accompanied by recordings of other instruments such as guitars and an old Casio keyboard and typically his approach to composition is to layer the recordings, adding subtle passages of drone and textured field recordings.
His distinctive sound is striking so it’s no wonder that his musical influences are wide; these range from Radiohead, John Cage and Thelonius Monk, onto North African and traditional Jewish composers as well as taking in influences from nature, film and philosophy.

In ‘Entirety’ we are proud to present Guy Gelem’s first body of work since 2014, mastered by Tim Diagram (Maps & Diagrams, Hessien). The record is a brooding listen from start to finish as the cello takes centre stage, weaving through hints of the oriental and Arabic music that Guy has been reunited with over the last couple of years. Followers of his work will find enough familiarity within the record to recognise his extraordinary style, although the added eastern charm gives a whole new dimension. It is this sound that provides the main theme within ‘Entirety’ as Guy strives to reflect his roots having returned to his homeland after living overseas.
Another key element to this record are the track titles, which subtly reference themes from Jewish philosophy and belief.

‘Entirety’ will be the third release on Whitelabrecs and will be made available in a highly limited run of 50 handmade white label vinyl effect CDrs. Each copy is burnt, hand-stamped and shipped directly from the label along with a polaroid print of the cover artwork inside a circular vinyl style sleeve.“