HOOT #04
Third Ear Takeover | Casting the Runes | Dan Nicholls | Sova Labs | Tony Andrews
That's right - we're halfway through 2021. Crazy! Thanks for all the positive feedback on our newly developed audio hire system - we decided to extend the Beta for another month for some finishing touches. Saying that - you can still use the 30% promo code until the end of august - Beta30.
Sova Labs
The second lecture of the Sova Labs series is a discussion with the seminal sonic-thinker and founder of Funktion-One sound systems, Tony Andrews. We will be covering the philosophies of sound such as sound and spirit; deep listening; sense hierarchy– hearing as a marginalised sense, and the pursuit of sonic-fidelity to facilitate ‘a transcendental event’ – a shared altered state of consciousness that can lead to societal change, as historically demonstrated in Tony’s intrinsic influence on the UK’s 80’s rave scene and subsequent counter-culture.
We will be premiering the event on the 19th of July - sign up to get the link:
Studio Sova
June's edition of Studio Sova featured a takeover by Third Ear - a label that's always been very close to our hearts. Many thanks to Guy Mccreery for putting this together, and shout out to the artists: Lorca, Saint Thomas Ledoux, Sam Watson, Marija and L’Aubaine. The sets are now available to live stream in both HD video and WAV audio.
Casting the runes
We collaborated with sound artist Ewa Poniatowska (@__.ewa.__ ) to create a spatial audio installation, part of ‘Casting the Runes’ exhibition. It is on for a month at 108 Fleet Street.
The exhibition is curated by Arthur Poujois @arthurpoujois
Hosted by @harlesdenhighstreet in partnership with Underground Flower
Included artists:
@colombedhumieres@miranda.keyes@josephkadow@____malyna____@samlangrigg@hwirgman@jenkinvanzyl@stefankartchev@yasmina___________@tomhardwickallan@marie.lueder@joe_hi1@_inanina_@aeubelen@finlayabbottellwood@arthurpoujois
Five albums worth sharing
Last year we invited the Free Movements crew down to Studio Sova for a proper multisensory hoedown. Dan Nicholls and Michael Knight, playing together as String Figures, provided a gently throbbing and swaying soundtrack of live electronics, augmented by a recording of an Ursula K. Le Guin interview (taken from the Between The Covers blog) in which she laments our rapacious pursuit of new technologies and advocates for a more holistic and loving attitude to nature and objects. There was plenty on offer visually too, with ((ZON)) layering live imagery and Elisa Vassena performing interpretive dance in response to the music.
We caught up with Dan Nicholls ahead of the release of his album Mattering and Meaning and asked him to share some music with our readers. Here we go:
Alice Coltrane - Journey In Satchidananda
From my early days at music college, discovering a whole load of subversive new music from the comfort of my student halls, to whatever place I'm at now, Alice Coltrane has always been a big and beautiful presence for me. Her sound feels at once earthy and cosmic – which is the way I love things to be. On this record her harp has this stunning radiance and she feels like a powerful feminine presence guiding the other musicians into some very deep places.
Julian Sartorius - Hidden Tracks
It feels important to have a friend or two on this list. I've worked with Julian for a few years and he's one of the most natural and inspiring people I know working with sound. These sounds were collected during a hike from Basel to Geneva, stopping at different locations along the way and playing found objects in the landscape. To listen it feels like being there on the journey with Julian, who seems, through sound, to be so playful and attentive to an emergent world.
Joshua Abrams and Natural Information Society - Magnetoception
This album is a journey of warm and earthy minimalism, from a really special group led by Chicago bassist and Guimbri player Joshua Abrams and featuring Hamid Drake, who will feature on our first Free Movements label release next year. This group has such a strong energy and communality, a joyful example of one of my main interests – instrumental trance and dance music which incorporates improvisation.
Elin Franzén and Andreas Tilliander - Japan
'...hundreds of Tokyo ravens in Yoyogi park, an old song found in an old man's small shop in Kyoto, the bird-like traffic signals in Naha...' – some of the sounds which create the profound sense of many places diffracted by this album. I first heard Japan during a period of big change a few years back, when I was discovering a lot of amazing new ideas – including those of people such as John Cage, Pauline Oliveros, Donna Haraway and Tim Ingold – and starting to bring together my interests in improvisation, rave and deep listening.
Atom™ - Dots
My friend Ario runs Astral Industries, a label which has carved out a really special sound with its immersive, warm and intergalactic explorations! I have been in so many dreamy situations when the track Spinout Segment was played, that it has taken on a certain nostalgia for me that I don't often experience (I'm generally not one for reminiscing!). Hearing this on top of a mountain in the Spanish Pyrenees with some of my closest friends at Parallel festival was a bit of a life highlight!