A Note from Stephen Wilkinson on the album:
I don't usually have a preconceived theme for an album before I start making one, to do so would perhaps feel like a restriction further down the line, one that might inhibit natural creative flow and get in the way of new ideas. Restriction is quite different to limitation though, limitations can of course tease out creativity, like how the limitations of a haiku or a limited palette of colours can force you to be more mindful and selective. If there was a preconceived idea before this album started coming together, it was a fairly vague one: to focus more on an organic and live sound and to record more guitar and other live instrumentation. However, I'm no purist, so I don't restrain myself from taking stylistic diversions, to do so might be to dispose of the unplanned. As a result this album feels to me as eclectic as my previous two albums. There is a certain 'let nature take its course' attitude with my approach to making an album, this is because I know discoveries can often be more rewarding than stringently directing even the grandest of ideas. After working long and hard on an album, however, I crave change… like you might crave spring after winter. I love seasonal change, it affects me a lot. I like the idea of comparing albums to seasons - they stand alone yet are part of a bigger story. They complement each other. So this album, to an extent, started out with the desire for a new 'season', contrasting somewhat with the previous.
Although the majority of my tracks get started and finished in my studio, I occasionally take things outside where I've found the process and the result to be refreshing. The recording of 'À tout à l'heure' started out in my garden on a gorgeous sunny day when it felt morally wrong to be hidden away indoors. I still had the urge to make music so I limited myself to a few bits of gear and set up in my garden: a 12 string guitar, an MPC sampler, a microphone and a cassette recorder. I drummed on objects in the garden, like a plastic watering can and 'snipped' garden shears for percussion parts. The guitar part was something I had been developing over some time in my head but it was this change of environment that led to recording the backbone of this song, which I then continued to build upon in my studio later. When I listen to the intro of that track now, I still hear the sunshine and the garden in it because for me it's like a photograph of that moment. No doubt the sunny outdoors inspired the lyrics too.
With the song 'Dye The Water Green' (my personal favourite off the album) I remember going into my brick-wall shed in the garden for a change of scenery and to capture the sound of rain on the tin roof, I remember recording additional musical ideas around a guitar riff I had previously come up with, capturing them to an old ghetto blaster. I remember feeling at the time that I wouldn't have come up with the same things if I was in my studio. I think putting yourself in different environments affects how you feel and act and essentially can lead to more variety.
Golden Antenna Records are thrilled to announce the signing of Heirs.
After spending over 2 years on the production on their long awaited 3rd album "Ceremony", Australia's Heirs will be premiering this new material with shows across Europe - together with the amazing Ascetic:.
Heirs "Ceremony" will be out late 2013 on Golden Antenna Records.
Heirs "Redemption" European Tour 2013
21.03.13 – CASSIOPAIA – BERLIN, GERMANY
22.03.13 – LIZ – MADGEBURG, GERMANY
23.03.13 – DOOM OVER LEIPZIG FESTIVAL – LEIPZIG, GERMANY *
27.03.13 – FZW – DORTMUND, GERMANY
28.03.13 – ROTE FLORA – HAMBURG, GERMANY
30.03.13 – FOOTPRINTS IN THE VOID X – DB’S – UTRECHT, NETHERLANDS *
31.03.13 – DUNK! FESTIVAL, BELGIUM *
03.04.13 – SCHAUBUDE – KIEL, GERMANY
04.04.13 – JH ZENITH – DENDERMONDE, BELGIUM *
05.04.13 – CLUB B52 – EERNEGEM, BELGIUM
07.04.13 – AZ CONNI – DRESDEN, GERMANY
09.04.13 – VENUE TBA – SIBIU, ROMANIA
10.04.13 – GAMBRINUS PUB – CLUJ-NAPOCA, ROMANIA
11.04.13 – PANIC! CLUB – BUCHAREST, ROMANIA
13.04.13 – ASTRAL SPACE FEST – BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
16.04.13 – CLUB GROMKA – LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA
17.04.13 – KLUB FEST – BELGRADE, SERBIA
19.04.13 – BOLOGNA, ITALY TBA
20.04.13 – ALVARADO – ROME, ITALY
23.04.13 – SENTINEL BAR, ERANDIO, SPAIN
24.04.13 – VILA REAL, PORTUGAL TBA
25.04.13 – SWR BARROSELAS METALFEST XVI – PORTUGAL
26.04.13 – ROCK PALACE – MADRID, SPAIN *
27.04.13 – LIONS CAFE – BENICARLO, SPAIN
28.04.13 – ROCK SOUND – BARCELONA, SPAIN *
02.05.13 – EKH – VIENNA, AUSTRIA
03.05.12 – THAV – HILDESHEIM, GERMANY
04.05.13 – HALLE 14 – KARLSRUHE, GERMANY
05.05.13 – ARLON, BELGIUM TBA
* INDICATES HEIRS ONLY
Matt Howden is working on a new Sieben new album , entitled Each Divine Spark, for release later in 2013
7JK will also release their second album at some point in 2013
Before either of these, Redroom will release Redroom 012; a limited-edition (500 copies) top quality hardback poetry book, by Keith Howden, father of Matt. The book comes with a matching CD of the author reading his poetry, set to music by Matt Howden, plus a symphonic piece at the end that pulls together all the musical threads in Barley Top.
Release date is 1st May 2013, for both the physical and e book/digital audio.
Plastic Frog Records founded the sublabel HOLY HOUR RECORDS (Music for Dark Wave, Cold Wave, Psychedelic, Bat Cave and Alternative Music). Their first releases will be "Wound In Wall" of FEEDING FINGERS (their first album from August 2007, the first time on vinyl) in early summer 2013.
The first 100 copies of the vinyl album are with an unreleased bonus 7".
The next record will be a cd of SHADOWPLAY (their first album).
The next release on Plastic Frog Records will be the minimal electronic compilation "Frogmania II" on 12" vinyl with Psyche, Nine Circles, Epic Dreams and many more. In 2013 we will release the first album of INFRA RED (a minimal electronica band from Scotland and Germany) and many more.
New CYGNOSIC album:
The new CYGNOSIC album "Fire and Forget" will be released simultaneously via Black Rain (Europe) und DeathWatch Asia (Japan/world) on March 22nd. CYGNOSIC is an outstanding Greek Electro project and became widely known with their predecessor albums "A Diety in Pain" and "Fallen". As much as these two releases were critically acclaimed, CYGNOSIC fans will also definitely love "Fire and Forget".
Listen to a preview sample here
New POLARLICHT 4.1 album:
"A Collection of Blech- und Hausmusik" is the title of the new POLARLICHT 4.1 album which is soon to be released. "A Collection of Blech- und Hausmusik" comes up as a skillfully compiled collection of early POLARLICHT 4.1 tracks. Some of them were composed more than 12 years ago. Moreover you will find exclusive collaborations with FLINT GLASS, WYNARDTAGE and SUPERSIMMETRIA as well as brand-new tracks and rare material. "A Collection of Blech- und Hausmusik" also includes 2 remixes by WYNARDTAGE and ECHORAUSCH and a track from POLARLICHT 4.1´s side project TRANSISTOR. The CD will be released as a limited edition in a 6-page-figifile and also as two strictly limited editions in special wooden boxes - limited to 12 and 66 copies.
Listen to a preview sample here
