ideas attached to objects

2012-01-25T04:44:00.000-08:00

2011-10-09T02:01:00.001-07:00

Photo of Patrick Farmer & Dominic Lash at the Port Mahon, Oxford, by Andrew Newcombe.

Patrick Farmer (b.1983) is a musician and sound artist working withinimprovisation, field recording, and composition. Commonly referred to as apercussionist, Farmer will often enlist the help of a drum or turntable to actas a resonator for natural materials or filtering field recordings. He is afounding member of the Set Ensemble and co-runs the Compost and Height label.

Diatribes + Durrant, Farmer, Lash, Marshall UK tour

2011-10-08T16:30:00.000-07:00

I'm very indeed excited to be part of this wonderful sextet, and it will be the first UK tour I've taken part in for well over a year.

Cyril Bondi - (drums/percussion)
D'incise - (objects/laptop)
Dominic Lash - (double bass)
Phil Durrant - (laptop/sound manipulation)
Hannah Marshall - (cello)
Patrick Farmer - (acoustic turntable)

29.10.11. London. St Leonards Church.

30.10.11. Oxford. Port Mahon.

31.10.11. Bristol. Cube Cinema.

01.11.11. Birmingham. Lamp Tavern.

02.11.11. Sheffield. Redhouse.

03.11.11. Manchester. St Margarets Church.

04.11.11. Brighton. Green Door Store.

Calmé Etendue

2011-10-05T16:05:00.000-07:00

On 30.09.11 I realised four hours of Antoine Beuger's Calmé Etendue (percussion) at ChristChurch Meadows, Oxford. My good friend Trevor Simmons worked independently of me. Below I have uploaded a small number of Trevor's paintings from the day, and some notes I made after the realisation.

In a number of separation, neither negate oraware, the permutations of a partial environment, contained surrounded in andby an abstract environment. A some thing not comprehended, detached almost, allfocus on immediacy, all focus on impossibility, contained in instruction, inscore, manifest in realisation also contained.

The time of listening, of without exertinginfluence, posture, sitting for portrait, state of mind ecology of mind, listeningaffecting listening. Sound made by performer made by anything - pertaining aheightened degree of vitality - if listening can be said to influence thelistener, where does listening reside in environment, it is its ownenvironment, what else does such contain?

Listeners self world, myriad realisations ofaccordance of the senses, such scores are fields, creating events uponperformers awareness, performer creating event of the score, everything anevent.

Continual reference toIngmar Bergman's Winter Light, the discovery of a suicide, the priestleaves the auditory security of his vehicle to be met by hyperbole, the handsof the river, swallowing footsteps, swallowing everything and thus everythingswallowed becomes vital in its absence, notice all now all does not make asound. All I hear is every eight seconds.

A review of Ben Owen's - 05012009 FP

2011-10-05T07:01:00.000-07:00

Ben Owen - 05012009 FP

The field recordings found in this wonderful work possess a rare quality in that you can picture yourself at the scene; a benefit not often found in discs of this nature and a boon that attaches itself to repeated experience. Enshrouded in the joy of listening is found a conscious acceptance of always being surrounded, how can this disc portray such a measure?

Throughout the four tracks the listener is immersed in a substantial depth of field, in a quixotic insertion of unexpected auditory events played out to ones senses. I can't quite tell if Owen has 'meddled' with the recordings here, and I find ears straining to the floor, trying to hear from different angles what it is I think I hear. It is almost impossible to detach oneself from the events as the play themselves out, involuntary memory takes leave of taste and smell to reside in the ear for a time, and in this world of sensory integration, audition and vision engage in constant discourse, melding into chimeric pose at once attempting a split at twice pushing ever closer. It's as if I am not quite listening to a disc, rather my reflection. I hear feelings of inspiration as I do–did when out in the field myself, when I was without knowing, a something that opens only when one forgets it has a lid.

Myriad illusions can be extracted from the experience of this listening, the clamour of ravenous insects, for example, eating all within and without reach, eating themselves as they eat each other; but wanting to repeat myself, the quiddity of this release echoes echo, one encounters oneself in a simulacrum that matters and does not matter in a Cageian 'no matter what eventuality', though, perhaps a more apt; no matter what, every eventuality is mirrored eventually. Thought appears, fragmented, attached to an element of a frame in flux as appearance disappears, attaches to another fragment borne of the same listening of neither one node or a thousand. Each fragment is inseparable as it becomes itself it becomes others as source echoes its etymological origin and takes the shapes of droves of possibilities manifest in origins.

05012009 FP is certainly the most poetic disc of field recording I have yet to hear, whether intended or not, Owen has abstracted himself from the aforementioned frame. A frame that resides everywhere, yet I perceive him as somehow absent. There is the presence of the uncanny, though not the usual sensation of one environment bleeding into another into another - it's as if what I am hearing is always happening, always occurring–even though I am sat here in front of a laptop in front of a mixer in turn in front of rather garish Alesis speakers–the experience feels entirely natural.

I would say there is an ebullient originality found in the notion that Owen did not wish to make a grand gesture with this release. Myriad incidental sounds (chairs scraping on floors–often heard through the filter of pipes and ceilings) sing of a Leopardiesque sense of vagueness, or vago, effortlessly co-mingling with silent static and flocking liquids as they approach corners and clamour for direction. I can't put my finger on it, though I am certainly trying out loud, but the simplicity portrayed in this digital replication of environment is analogous to the feeling of stepping outside ones front door, and enjoying it, a Ponge like glee in gingerly approaching the knob of the door, the routine reflections in Perec's eyes as he quaffs another coffee in front of another bus, another layer in the bulging strata of idiosyncratic explanation in attempting to ascertain the mindset of calm that mixes with vibrating elation upon confrontation within sought substance. The appreciation of never being quite ready.

In a review of the same disc the always eloquent Brian Olewnick stated that 'walk,wind,rain' brought with it a sense of truculence, of which I couldn't agree more. Throughout this work there are indeed many moments of fierce and raw beauty, some by-products of technology, others, benefits of a technological clarity (such as the hyperbolic gyrating pipes that present themselves during 'in hull'). Throughout I find myself clutching at a composite definition of disappearance tethered to the balance of dynamic, always speaking of a lustre found in constant approach.

So, a disc, as scarce as hens teeth - where ones sensory faculty is laid bare in an uncovering of fascination.

Purchase it here

Live at galerie8, Hackney.

2011-10-04T14:32:00.000-07:00

Performed at the Soundfjord curated event - phonographic - at galerie8. 14.06.11.Thanks to Helen for filming.

Images

2011-10-04T14:06:00.000-07:00

Recording 'Droplets' - Dominic Lash | Sarah Hughes | Patrick Farmer
Stephen Cornford | Sarah Hughes | Patrick Farmer - performing at Artjericho, Oxford.
Realising Lee Patterson's Fold, with Angharad Davies | Matt Davis | Lee Patterson
Loris - Daniel Jones | Sarah Hughes | Patrick Farmer - performing at the Blurred Edges Festival, Hamburg.
Recording on the Hoo Peninsula.
Q-O2, Belgium
Recording at Criggion, Mid Wales.

Many thanks to Richard Farmer, Sarah Hughes, and Richard Pinnell for the photographs.

consumer waste

2011-10-04T09:51:00.000-07:00

Stephen and Samuel have been kind enough to release a new field recording album of mine.

sat on a small stone as not to become all and total sand

bank of the severn touching other banks

i have slipped from stone

was once

underwater not sat

will be again

are crows in the boughs of oak trees

how many rivers did they see in that moments

the moment when i wrote

can hear many different tones

as if the river were behind

as well

as front

slowly it reclaims stone

a bed of rushes right

and left

to the left is smaller

but only in size

microphone attached

before i picked this up

listening

marvelling at rough of

fragile things only here

sounding as water engulfs

swallow them

bright

i barely see a page

remember and stop listening with headphones

why i always stop listening with headphones

two adolescent ducks and the sun shines on this page

moss dancing underwater

sit here until it disappears

do not

listening how we change

propped up on a stone behind i

smaller than the small rushes to my left

my microphone a shrub

yet again can not identify shrub

imprints of feet

for a short time as the sky turns grey

noisy comparison

Consumer Waste

2011-10-04T09:50:00.000-07:00

Soundfjord

Wonderland Zine

2011-10-03T16:11:00.000-07:00

Emma and Rob have been kind enough to publish a small writing of mine about walking in Oxford.

Go here to view online and order: Wonderland

or solo | for neil davidson

2011-10-03T14:03:00.000-07:00

Part of an ongoing (speculative) project with Glasgow based artist Neil Davidson

Download score - or solo | neil davidson

and react always of being surrounded

2011-10-03T13:57:00.000-07:00

Excerpts from a prose poem - and react always of being surrounded - written between 14.07.11 | 30.07.11 at MoKS, Estonia.

Qo2 residency

2011-10-03T09:44:00.000-07:00

I'm lucky enough to be at the Qo2 space for two weeks with Dominic Lash and Helena Gough.

21/11/2011 - 04/12/2011

Q-O2

a three that has been two yet not three. three coalesce multiple variants of addition subtraction separate, time realised permutation, three writing, (thus) one (thus) two. traced to remotest point a prerequisite of composition found adorned unadorned of weight. a single work simultaneously two and three a combination of artistic practice, seemingly disparate, seemingly indistinguishable.

10.10.11 - Sounds of Europe

2011-10-03T04:37:00.000-07:00

A recording of a heating valve made during my residency at Q-O2 in March 2011, with Sarah Hughes and Kostis Kilymis, has just been made available on the Sounds of Europe website, a project initiated by Q-O2.

Click for more information: Sounds of Europe

10.11.10 - POLYply

2011-10-03T04:31:00.000-07:00

This coming Thursday, 13.10.11, I will be performing 3 parts of my score, this has already had a history (0), as part of the POLYply events series, at the Centre for Creative Collaboration, Kings Cross.

More information here: POLYply

C Joynes - Congo

2011-09-05T11:23:00.000-07:00

Myself and Dominic Lash appear on the wonderful Chris Joynes' new album on Bo Weevil. Chris took an early recording of Dom and I, playing double bass and percussion, and dismantled it into a section of one of his pieces.

Listen to sections of the album here

Rob St. John - Weald

2011-08-26T11:28:00.000-07:00

Rob St. John's new album Weald has recently been released on Song, By Toad records. Rob cut some recordings of mine, tree roots rubbing together underwater and a waterfall recorded through a mesh fence, into one of his pieces.

Listen here

Jason Kahn

2011-08-01T09:26:00.000-07:00

The Thickness of Things

2011-07-06T12:43:00.000-07:00

First performed 21.06.11 by Bruno Guastalla (cello), David Stent (guitar), and Sarah Hughes (chorded zither) at the Oxford Literary Festival.

Download score - The Thickness of Things (2)

Acoustic turntable and amplified snare drum in Manchester

2011-06-20T13:00:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to play one of the last MIE music shows in Manchester a couple of weeks ago, supporting John Tilbury - who performed his interpretation of Samuel Beckett's novella Worstward Ho.

Simon Reynell was kind enough to record my performance, which consisted of acoustic turntable, amplified snare drum, and amplified objects, so I thought I would put it up for download here.

Click here to download (aiff)

Click here for a review of the night by Richard Pinnell

Kettle Blacksmith - Well, we get these rashes.

2011-06-20T04:58:00.000-07:00

As is the theme at the moment, this blog post relates to a music released at least a year ago.

Kettle Blacksmith formed from the Tom and Jerry horror that was Call it a Clunes, I have no idea what to say on the matter. records on Ribs, who were kind enough to put the wee thing up for a net release, had this to say:

This album is certainly the oddest thing we have put out so far. Musically it features improvised jazz drums combined with shouted vocals. But the combination of these is difficult to put into words other than to say that it is hugely eccentric and in the best Pythonesque traditions of British comedy. This is an album best heard rather than described – surreal to the last while blessed with a sometimes magical sense of comic timing.

Please click here to listen

The Happy Generations

2011-06-20T04:53:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago, Makrame records released a piece of mine, improvised on prepared drums, alongside many other drummers, such as Gino Robair.

I'm not entirely sure if you can still buy the CD, so I thought I'd put the piece up here as streaming audio.

If anyone wants a copy of this please let me know.

The Happy Generations

Christian Munthe | Anders Dahl | Patrick Farmer

2011-06-20T04:18:00.000-07:00

I recently played a few shows in Norway and Sweden with two very gracious and talented people, Christian Munthe and Anders Dahl.

The compost and height label has published a live performance, recorded at the Geiger festival in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Please click here to listen.

There will hopefully be a release of this trio sometime in the near future.

For Loris

2011-06-20T04:13:00.000-07:00

Neil Davidson has been kind enough to host a recording of Stephen Cornford, Sarah Hughes, and myself, realising the score 'for loris' by Jeph Jerman at his blog, never come ashore.

Please click here to listen.

The Family Elan - bow low bright glow

2011-06-20T04:05:00.000-07:00

The new Family Elan record, on which I play Turkish Frame Drums, Tabla, etc, is now out on heavy vinyl and Cd. You can purchase and listen to it at Norman Records

I very rarely play with this group now, please click here to listen to what they are up to.

And click here to hear Hanna Tuulikki's new group, Two Wings.

For and Dancehall

2011-06-20T03:58:00.000-07:00

A beautiful handmade 3" cdr compilation on the Psykick Dancehall label, of which I have contributed a solo drumkit improvisation, is now, i believe, sold out.

You can hear my recording online at the labels myspace page:

Psykick Dancehall

I believe there are plans to make the entire compilation available for free download some time in the near future.

Yet more backdating. Radio Zero.

2011-06-20T03:53:00.000-07:00

The second piece of mine was played on Radio Zero by Paulo Raposo as part of the RadiaLx2010 festival of radio art.

The piece played is called Fantasy is a place where it Rains, and is a assemblage of recordings made in and around the River Severn.

Many many wonderful artists took part in both shows, and it has been a privilege to take part.

Thanks so much Paulo.

Backdating. World Listening day.

2011-06-20T03:49:00.000-07:00

I have had a few of my pieces, reworked, played on the radio as of late.

An assemblage of recordings made at the Panshanger Aerodrome site, was played as part of the World Listening Project.

This falls under the heading of Episode 2, curated by John Kannenberg, was collated under the nomenclature of Urban Archaeology.

It was played on Resonance FM, amongst others, on the Framework programme.

Daniel Jones

2011-06-20T03:46:00.000-07:00

Catching up on a number of old posts here.

A while back my good friend Daniel Jones, with whom I perform with in the group Loris, had some of his solo work made available for free download.

The label hosting Dan's music is run by Pierre Gerard and is called et le feu comme. I did a wee bit of writing to go underneath.

Listen to the music here

an | bare

2011-06-20T03:44:00.000-07:00

Recording trees, dependant on wind,

largely dependant,

convincing myself am so.

and struggle as it would.

with microphones

and not often wind. i leave them,

feeling no need to forcefully interact, i sit,

and that is the least i can do.

Sound and Music | Oxford

2011-06-20T03:39:00.000-07:00

These small writings were written over the course of a cold and still day in November 2010. I had only been living in Oxford for two months and took the opportunity to listen for spaces of an unusual auditory slant. Many of the entries seek to find areas in Oxford that are partially devoid of the typical sounds one would expect to hear in a busy City. I find this can be an intriguing way of actively listening out for quietude, remaining aware that whilst I may often hear spaces in this way, their stillness is something that is commonly taken for granted.

Please click here: Sound and Music to read about my auditory perspective of Oxford. There are some wonderful writings on the site, especially Olivia Block's Chicago & Nadine Byrne's Stockholm.

No Islands | Droplets

2011-06-19T05:04:00.000-07:00

Two new releases on the Another Timbre label as part of the Silence and After series will be available this July.

The first is called Droplets , Dominic Lash, Sarah Hughes, and myself, consisting of an Improvisation and realisations of scores by Eva-Maria Houben and Taylan Sussam.

The second is called No Islands, Stephen Cornford, Kostis Kilymis, Sarah Hughes, and myself, consisting of a realisation of John Cage's Four6 and two improvisations.

These wonderful artists will also be released in the same series:
Tierce. Jez riley French, Daniel Jones, Ivan Palackẏ.
Divisions that may be autonomous but that comprise the whole. Performed by James Saunders, Tim Parkinson, Angharad Davies, Philip Thomas, Rhodri Davies, Stephen Chase, Edges Ensemble.
A Pauper’s Guide to John Cage & Early Morning Melancholia. Anett Németh.

They will be available here: Another Timbre

Photo taken By Richard Pinnell at a performance of John Cage's Music Circus in Kettles Yard, Cambridge as part of the 'Every Day is a Good day' visual art exhibition.

"Meaning Machines" - Oxfringe Festival

2011-06-19T04:47:00.000-07:00

Members of The Set Ensemble and Oxford Improvisers will be performing a number of text based scores, including ones by James Saunders, Dominic Lash, and myself, in Oxford this coming Tuesday. Indeed. Sadly I can't be there, as I had already booked tickets to listen to Nadjorlak by Elaine Radigue, at Spitalfields in London.

More information about the Oxfrindge event can be found here:

"Meaning Machines"

Wolf Notes

2011-06-19T04:41:00.000-07:00

The second issue of Wolf Notes is available for free download over at Compost and Height. It features work by:

Jeph Jerman
Jason Kahn
Michael Pisaro
Simon Reynell
Adam Sonderberg
Trevor Simmons

Wolf Notes

This has already had a history (0)

2011-06-01T12:30:00.000-07:00

First performed 01.10.11 at St Columba's Church, Oxford. Performed by Rhodri Davies (electric harp, objects, radio) & Tim Parkinson (piano, objects, tapes).

From programme notes:

a prose score of extraction subsequent interpretation of the autobiography of alice b toklas by gertrude stein

note #1

i have no wish to lay claim over (as with much of) my work an involvement (ends) with (the) approach as far as this is possible the ideas are not original derived from a pre–written text wholly particular to the syntax of (…) this leads somehow to a wholly particular series of interpretations words and shapes existing in a particular sequence in relation to the particular sequence of words and shapes they are derived from all words and the pages that frame can be taken as statements of function any number of words or pages can be realised in any sequence there is always room for repetition according to how one is disposed at the time events can be simultaneous in creating a possibility of a number of indivisible instants of addition of subtraction of subtraction of addition of any number of internal relations there exists a possibility of a sorting of turning back on itself where what is external and what is internal reside as points in flux any moment disposed of any moment juxtaposed in and absence of presence of presence of absence of absence of absence of presence of structure each and only moment can be absorbed into the following

note #2

a notion of silence prevalent in all works a language of mute being
absent surface experience reflection above as below
presence of silence in a work abundant weight of not seen not heard seen heard the recognition of a mystery
what do we love if not the enigma the enigmatic phillip guston muses
i do not understand this process and that is my understanding am not flailing am approaching quietly with care initiating move or not a constant subtraction and tag of flaubert of foolishness consisting of wanting to meet a conclusion turning back on myself running into music looking at a rock on a bench music looking at everything but itself therein lies the enigma turning itself in accordance to thoughts absence

Download score (22 pages) - This has already had a history (0)

Green rings around the eyes, this grass in Vibrant Motion

2011-05-19T05:40:00.000-07:00

Kosuke at Nadukeenumono has been very kind in releasing the first 36, or some such, minutes of me ever playing a turntable. I have copies, and you can also purchase them at the website, where there is a small sound sample.

Improvisation for turntable, wire brush, and contact microphone.
Recorded by Patrick Farmer, 27.01.11, at Oxford Brookes University.
Photo by Richard Farmer.
Title taken from a poem by Nichita Stãnescu.
For Kate and Mark. 2011.

To listen | Purchase, please visit: Green rings around the eyes, this grass in vibrant motion

Apis Mellifera available for download.

2011-04-18T09:11:00.000-07:00

My album of Honeybee recordings, originally released in 2009 and now out of print, has been made available by Kostis at Organised music from Thessaloniki.

A process of indirect diffusion that by means of various materials, bass drums | various cymbals | rocks | and minimal circumstances, attaches to the original Honeybee recording a sense reflected by other objects.

“For Giacomo Leopardi maintained that the more vague and imprecise language is, the more poetic it becomes. I might mention in passing that as far as I know Italian is the only language in which the word vago (vague) also means ‘lovely, attractive’.”

To listen | Purchase, please visit here

Tanuki

2011-03-18T08:59:00.000-07:00

Raccoon raccoon, come out and play.

I can't right now, I'm eating

What is it you're eating?

Pickled plums and radishes.

How about some for me?

Don't be so greedy!

Tan Tan Tanuki no kintama wa,

Kaze mo nai no ni,

Bura bura

(Tan-tan-tanuki's testicles, there isn't even any wind but still go swing-swing-swing.)

George Brecht - for a drummer, fluxversion 2. 1966

2011-03-17T03:30:00.000-07:00

Felicity Ford has kindly put this recording of myself performing George Brecht's for a drummer, fluxversion 2. up on the Sonic Art research site.

To listen please visit here: For a Drummer, Fluxversion 2.

The text reads, Performer drums with sticks over a leaking feather pillow making the feathers escape the pillow.

Performed at the Holywell music hall, alongside pieces by Stephan Thut, Radu Malfatti, Tim Parkinson, Ben Patterson, & Bengt Af Klintberg, as part of the Audiograft Festival.

Pouring millet into bowls

2011-03-13T07:36:00.000-07:00

1.6.10 | to walk note

Friesian Cows stumbling towards Canada Geese, causing flight. Great deal of honking (for this read trumpet)

8.6.10 | (buck) who learnt how to open a pumpkin with his head

mistook bird song for a man whistling to his dogs. a bit out of sorts this morning.

In spending time with anything.

2010-11-07T06:16:00.000-08:00

Walking with speed from the Lamb and Flag passageway,
left hand closed, two reasons,
the cold of November, the orange skin.
I could kick my heels, such jubilance,
I don't. I regret now.
I regret regret now. what regret?
Sat on a bench to write what or who.

doors closing. For Michael Pisaro | Manfred Werder | Dominic Lash.

2010-08-26T04:53:00.000-07:00

As I sit on my chair, a red cushion separating, I have just got back from a short walk. It is a misty rain outside, I sat on the edge of a bench near a bridge, watching the near silent Swallows flying low over the river. I don't do this nearly enough, an imminent move to Oxford amplifying such. I have my window open, and I am listening to Morton Feldman's - for john cage. The words I am about to write up, I wrote just over a week ago in a cafe in Oxford in somewhat stream of consciousness, not stopping, not looking up, letting my tea go cold, rather stupidly. I was stretching myself over graphic scores, for various reasons. I may take this post down, I want to see how it alters my view, the knowledge that at least a few people will read it, formulating their own opinions, such an opening will always often close doors.

"The line one measures is immobile, time is mobility. The line is made, it is complete; time is what is happening, and more than that, it is what causes everything to happen. The measuring of time never deals with duration as duration; what is counted is only a certain number of extremities of intervals, or moments, in short, virtual halts in time." Henri Bergson

the potential, theory, of a unified listening. a listening where action and reaction cease. a removal of the self, a heightened self, in removal, the self is the environment, does not move, always is. inside and outside such potential listening, existing, changes, without moving. removal from the situation, incorporating others, listening points other than ones own, the introduction of unavoidable patterns. myriad choices presented. less familiarity. if performing unaccompanied one is accompanied. the development of text and sound, enfolding, filling the mind with the contents of the room, searching for solitude within the realisation. dialogues as presupposition, dialogues as present, dialogue therefore as movement. a listening of the past as influencing the performative present, a present of tangled past, quasi interaction simultaneous within oneself. the incorporation of perceived boundaries, insubstantial territories, a positive found doubled, concentration focussed on what is usually not. being, in such situation, as multiplicity. as anything but. a consilience of the preconceived and the unaware, unassuming, a coagulation of purposefully disparate ideologies. all listening, lack of hierarchy or importance, fleeting ideas to be held for as long as 'allowed'. an absence of counting, of attack, of texture, to exit as one assimilates, constantly start again, to accept failure, and ceases to exist in such terms. to forget everything, an undercurrent and overcurrent of allegory. to play at thought and experience, a lack of assumption, varying degrees of preparation, to hear one and many simultaneously. to forget the score, forget object, unification apart of intuition, unlearn at the instant of learning. to listen with ears shut. equal amounts of under and misunder standing. where does under standing cease and misunder standing begin.

we each of us share in what we hear, we all interpret what we hear, how we hear, when we hear, why we hear, differently. creating an infinite variety, a perpetual series of realisations existing in a steady state. there is no ultimate preference, there is no absolute interpretation, as soon as one explanation arises a counter is drawn in all directions. creating more dimensions, more explanations, more counters, always hearing. even in our sleep.

Listening the hum around oneself, excluding oneself.

2010-08-25T03:00:00.000-07:00

The concept of writing, the manifestation of words written, only comes when I write. My mind does not have something to say before I say it. So, taking my headphones off, sat under a Veteran Oak tree, the wire of the contact microphone rising in the air like a charmed snake, I write. The wind is blowing in from the west, the coast, in shards, when listening through headphones the wash of noise almost scares me. From my vantage point, a hill overlooking the town, sound in part becomes more telling, in that my knowledge of the area is highlighted, but also becomes more blurred than usual, the volume of the wind separating and unifying myriad aspects of the towns entire auditory spectrum. Now I must change the position of the contact microphone, and find a new place to sit. I am no longer shaded by the canopy of the large Oak, I am shaded by my headphones, my view of the town is only partially blocked by a flight of Swallows, soon heading south. As the wind comes in i hear the creaking of the felled tree I am recording at the same time as I see the blades of grass blowing, as it, well, I do not know what to make of it, in any sense of the situation. I can not think, but it does make me feel, something.

Earlier, I had stayed in the same spot, recording the same small area of trees for over an hour, the microphone never moving far away form the part of the tree that had preceded it. Yet the difference, substantial. It makes me hear like there are many trees residing in the same spot, as if one tree were the home of thousands of trees. Looking down, I resist the temptation to swing on the tree branch, then I look up, the microphone had slipped, the putty dry from overuse. The squeaking and crackling of the branch resounding as shadow, not that I hear this as a negative. Now I have stuck it back firm to the bark of the limp branch, barely hanging onto its body, stroking the ground, becomes all the more intense. My eyes start to water, not through what I am hearing, but through the intensity of the wind.

Bestiaries

2010-07-26T12:02:00.000-07:00

Bestaries, a duo Double Bassist Dominic Lash, it out on the Cathnor Label, more information can be found in the Releases section of this site. Thanks so much to Richard Pinnell and Sarah Hughes.

The cinnamalogus is a bird that lives in Arabia. It builds its nest using the fruit of the cinnamon tree, which men value greatly. The men who want to cinnamon cannot climb the tree to reach the nest, because the nest is too high and the tree branches too delicate, so they throw lead balls to knock down the cinnamon. Cinnamon obtained from the nest of this bird is the most valuable of all.

The bonnacon is a beast with a head like a bull, but with horns that curl in towards each other. Because these horns are useless for defense, the bonnacon has another weapon. When pursued, the beast expels its dung which travels a great distance (as much as two acres), and burns anything it touches.

The pard has a spotted coat, and is extremely swift. It kills its prey with a single leap. The offspring of a pard and a lion is the leopard.

To Gather

2010-07-03T13:17:00.001-07:00

"Firstly there is the unity in things whereby each thing is at one with itself, consists of itself, and coheres with itself. Secondly there is the unity whereby one creature is united with the others and all parts of the world constitutes one world." - Pica Della Mirandola.

Perched on a small rock so as not to disturb what is beneath me, and the bank of the River Severn lapping at my shoes. Where i find myself is transitory, was once underwater, and will be again. There are crows in the boughs of the Oak trees over the river, and I can hear many different tones, as if the river were behind me as well as in front. A bed of distant sedge to my right, and left infact, although one is smaller in size. My microphone is attached and before I picked up my notebook I was listening, marvelling at the roughness of such fragile things, things that will only be here for a moment. I wonder what they sound like when engulfed in the river water, it looks like rain. As I feel my feet digging further into the substrate, the Sun becomes so bright that I can barely see the page I am writing on, I remember why I stopped listening with headphones, why I always stop listening with headphones. But then I spot two adolescent Ducks and the Sun shines on me again. I see the algae dancing underwater, I wish to sit here until it disappears, this fragile environment, listening to how it changes, and listening to how I change.

I prop myself up and attach my microphone to an unknown, to me, Shrub. I can see the imprints that my feet have made, but only for a short time, and now the sky is turning blue. The river shapes the banks and the banks guide the river, I merely sit still and smile at the apparent stillness of a Muslin Moth Caterpillar, diaphora mendica, realising that I will always be noisy in comparison.

Prevailingly horizontal

2010-07-01T12:19:00.000-07:00

Heisenburg concluded that nature is not absurd, but that, because it is necessary to contrive 'artificial' perception devices in order to know it, we intrude the deficiencies of our perception into these objects and processes that we wish to know about. He writes: "...the observation plays a decisive role in the event, and the reality varies whether we observe it or not. It is very important to realise that our object of study has to be in contact with the other part of the world, namely the experimental arrangement, before, or atleast at, the moment of observation. This influence introduces a new element of uncertainty, and since the device is connected with the rest of the word, it contains, in fact, the uncertainties of the microscopic structure of the whole world..."

To walk and make notes, to make notes, to walk, to forget about remembering the sciences, to forget about the soul, there is no order to such a tension, there is no preference or hierarchy, there is all and nothing, existing through the others existence.

Constitution Hill

2010-06-20T11:12:00.000-07:00

There was a dog whining, the sound up here, relatively free from any trace refraction or reflection, no hint of the beauty of vagueness, was most peculiar, as it evidently sat quite naturally within its morphology. He could tell most people thought the dog was scared, or wanted to investigate the scents of other animals in the vicinity, but it was obvious, the dog was bored, and was probably thinking the same thing he was, why do people actually come up here? As he had walked up the hill he could hear, in his right ear, his heart beating as if there was something inside him desperate, but everytime an attempt at escape was made it simultaneously, in an all too frequent moment of lucidity, realised its self wasn't, and fell back, inert. However, such familiarity, induced by the reaction of misaligned realisation, lasting a mere millisecond, supposedly, once again inducing a desire of flight.

As he continued to walk, keeping his mouth shut for the sake of vanity, such undeveloped thoughts were caught and discarded, occasionally they entertained him, and he had been known to entertain them. A pervading melancholy dominated their persistence, but this was not his own sadness, but now he was still, immersed in the view of the town and the voices up there with him. It escaped, and his face was cold, perhaps nauseous. If left alone would these thoughts be found again, were they particular to this space away from home, if found again would they be recognisable? Did he actually care that much.

He thought. There are so many things I have read, seen, heard, and at this moment all I can focus on is a man who looks as if he is about to die. The man got up and moved away.

Patrick Farmer - Severn Farms Pond. - Free Download.

2010-06-19T11:55:00.000-07:00

"Beauty is everywhere a welcome guest" - Goethe.

These five recordings contain a minute glimpse of the auditory world of photosynthesising pondweed (HornWort or ceratophyllum demersum), located at the Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust nature reserve, Severn Farms Pond. Made audible is the production of teeming oxygen bubbles, the plants using energy from the sun to produce sugar, the beginning of an age old system of process and equilibrium.

These sounds are of a very low audibility, and have been 'picked up' by specialist hydrophones, or underwater microphones. Due to the close proximity of traffic on either side of the reserve, there is a constant low frequency presence, a slight amount of this has been filtered out, but in keeping with a certain aesthetic of representation they are left alone.

The last recording is an example of the sheer weight surrounding the reserve. I kept this because rather than being overwhelming, it is to me, a joyous thing. It shows that such minutiae can exist in any conditions and that intriguing worlds are all around and will continue to exist regardless of our anthropic presence.

Going out and searching for such auditory phenomena as this, I am constantly reminded of what it was like to be a child, intrigued by everything and anything. Always listening and watching, not taking anything for granted. Long may it stay that way.

These recordings owe a debt to Lee Patterson. A wonderful human whose depth of exploration is only exceeded by his humour and dress sense.

Patrick Farmer - Severn Farms Pond. <-- Right click and Save as to download

Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust

Dropping Objects.

2010-06-17T03:33:00.000-07:00

I've been still more often as of late. Sat. Listening. My head is still but my ears are moving. Listening to the tales outside my window, On the first floor, just to the right of the window, sat on a chair that is supported by a red cushion, surrounded by Sparrows. I cannot help but think that I am hearing how I want to be hearing. How, if I heard the exact same sequence of events post or prior, I would hear it al so differently. I think, if that were so, if I had heard it differently, arriving at this conclusion thorough yet further differentiation, then I would have not have observed this deduction and would not be writing any such thing. Perhaps I would.

ForSake.

2010-04-28T02:17:00.000-07:00

The affable Christian Munthe has recently started a new label called *for sake* recordings with a slew of new releases. One of which features myself. The recording in question is a brief and cut short excerpt of a recording Christian made of himself on guitar and myself on snare drum in his living room in Göteborg, the last stop of my short solo tour around Norway and Sweden a few years ago. We played for nearly an hour if I remember correctly, but due to a technical fault only a few short minutes were salvageable. More information about the release can be found below. Thanks Christian!

A compilation of never before released live and home recordings from the period of 2005-2009, featuring Christian Munthe solo and in combinations with Anders Dahl, Nina de Heney, Patrick Farmer, Kelly Jones, Saga Munthe, Pascal Nichols, Henrik Olsson, Alberto Popolla, Christine Sehnaoui, Rachael Wadham & Mariam Wallentin.

*for sake* recordings

í

2010-04-03T11:26:00.000-07:00

the birds are everywhere to be heard, but nowhere to be seen. one can sit and forget that one needs to forget. could keep going in. the wind through clothes, and the crossbills for company. i sit head in palm. eyes closed. listening. a crossbill sings for five minutes at a time. stops. then starts again. as i descend. most of the snow has gone.

Picidae

2010-03-20T10:10:00.001-07:00

I rode my bike around Gregynog, listened to two greater spotted woodpeckers 'drumming' to attract a female, and looked for frogs, of which I found many. A good day.

c

2010-03-19T13:02:00.000-07:00

I played a show with the esteemed Ryu Hankil, Jez riley French, Paul Khimasia Morgan, and Daniel Jones last night at the coachwerks in Brighton. A 7 hour train journey doesn't exactly bring out the best in anyone, but arrving into Brighton, just knowing I was close to the sea and hearing the multifarious gulls was enough to hitch up a toothy grin. We played two sets, the first highlighting a ground that we have all walked many times before, and the second bringing to the fore a much more dense morphology. A layer of initial confusion and joy followed us around towards the end of the second set, if I remember correctly, a steady series of drops (deadened due to the floor of the space, which was set up for dance rehearsals) started to appear at different points around the performers and audience. This was all happening during the enfolding moments of our set, as we became quieter the drops became more and more apparent, causing members of the group to look around in confusion as to who or what was making such a noise. After a time all gave way to a wash of white noise, making its way from one side of the venue to the other, and as the rain lessened in in its motion the drops were noticed once more, not that they had gone away you understand, and neither had the smiles of all the performers.

Sometimes it seems that a series of, what one might call ill advised choices, can heighten ones understanding of an environment, and in turn paradoxically create a positive event. I believe this was the case last night. A very nice lady called Laura stated that the second performance went on for far too long, and perhaps she was right, but had we not played for too long then perhaps this wonderful moment would have been lost on us.

of entropy

2010-03-05T09:56:00.000-08:00

Just as the sun was starting to curl up for the night, I was driving from Caersws back home and decided to take a road that I hadn't travelled or investigated for many years, going through Bethel and Bwlch Y Garreg, to where I thought I was going to end up, Tregynon. About 10 years ago I lived up that way in an Observatory, a wonderful and peaceful place. Driving past various farms you always see interesting things, and today the sight of hundreds of Starlings all lined up along the side of the road brought the largest smile to my already lined face.

After many stretching hillsides and gravity defying stone walls I ended up, too my surprise, at a Nature Reserve called Llyn Mawr, or Boggy Heaven. This particular nature reserve is about two Miles from the nearest main road and just a tad north of an old courthouse I used to live in called Neaudd Newydd, and it is without a doubt the most peaceful and relaxing spot that I have come across.

Walking down to the lake I was met by the sights and sounds of Curlews, Rams, and Aberdeen Angus, I believe one was actually giving birth, but most interesting to me was the slight crackling that was becoming more apparent the closer I came to the water. I started running to the shoreline in childish excitement, the best kind of excitement, to be met by what I can only describe as the most fascinating and joyous phenomena that one could ever wish to witness.

I ran back to the car to get my recording equipment (earlier on in the day I had been recording at the Hafren Forest) and by the time I got back to the shoreline the wind had increased to such an extent that cascades of ice were piling ontop of one another. The friction, beginning with the movement of wind and water, creating hordes of delicate patterns all around the edge of the lake.

The atmosphere around Llyn Mawr was balanced in a state of poetic equilibrium, a fleeting series of ectones, by the time I left the shore the ice had whispered away to almost nothing. A sound not unlike wind through trees.

The Cat from Cat Hill

2010-03-04T04:04:00.000-08:00

Loris - The Cat from Cat Hill, a trio I'm a part of alongside Daniel Jones and Sarah Hughes, is now available from Another Timbre, and various distributors

All clear.

The Wandering Rhizome - Free download.

2010-02-24T12:23:00.000-08:00

Originally released on Goh Lee Kwangs Why Not LTD label as a run of 40, since sold out.

Bass drum, large Bamboo stem, four acoustic guitar pickups, Rode NT4, milk frother.

The Wandering Rhizome (27:24) <-- Right click and Save as to Download

Why Not LTD

'is' - Free Download

2010-02-24T11:54:00.000-08:00

Originally released on the Compost and Height label in 2009 as a six minute excerpt. A Hydrophone recording of Black Headed Gulls, Coots, Moorhens, Canada Geese, Mallards, etc, and the dispersion created within the drum head like phenomena of a frozen pond. Many of the sounds associated with ice are usually at their peak during fluctuations in temperature, throughout this recording however, they are mainly created by the movements of birds.

'is' (22:12) <-- Right click and Save as to Download

compost and height

Symphoricarpos

2009-12-15T13:16:00.000-08:00

"Through the open window he could see a flock of ducks with their young. Waddling and stumbling, they were hurrying down the road, apparently on their way to the pond. One duckling picked up a piece of gut that was lying on the ground, tried to swallow it, choked on it and raised an alarmed squeaking. Another duckling ran up, pulled the gut out of its beak and choked on the thing too....At some distance from the fence, in the lacy shadow cast on the grass by the young lindens, the cook Darya was wandering about, picking sorrel for a vegetable soup." - Anton Chekov.

Greenish Yellow - Free Download

2009-12-05T15:22:00.000-08:00

A micro recording of two Hazel trees almost devoid of foliage, the leaves in an enhanced state of Chlorosis.

Greenish Yellow - Loseless | MP3 <-- Right click and Save as to Download

"If there is a sense of reality, there must also be a sense of possibility" - Robert Musil.

Text to follow soon. Images show a series of leafs at the Elan Valley, Rhayader.

The Nature of Things

2009-11-27T02:47:00.001-08:00

"Go on, they advance at full length, adhering to the humid earth. They lug some along, they eat some, they excrete some. They traverse it, it traverses them. This is interpenetration in the best of taste, tone on tone you might say - with one passive element, one active, the passive nourishing as it bathes the active, which moves from place to place while eating." Francis Ponge

The Severn Way - Y Drenewydd | Y Trallwng

2009-09-10T08:03:00.000-07:00

"Is it impious to weigh Goose music and art on the same scales?" - Aldo Leopold.

Losing Swans and Signets with Welsh Cakes. Pondweed at the Locks.
A field full of Rams. A one centimetre long Frog.
Sediment on the surface of the canal emulating a Silver Birch.
Scum on the water interpreting an unseen topography.
Large crops of Moss under the surface of the water.
Roots in the water like Mandrake. Chickens cleaning themselves in ash.
Two pygmy Horses vying for attention as a Llama idly clips the grass.
A completely silly Donkey. Displays of Sheep dominance.
Following a Grouse for some miles.
The trumpets of many a flying Canada Goose, over two hundred.

Breidden Hill

2009-08-28T08:35:00.000-07:00

I have a feeling there must be other ways of working with sound, ways which would allow one to be more accurate, more true to the inner world suspended within the larger world, not just an individuals inner world, but what lies within the world itself, what is essential to it and does not depend on us. Finding a means of working with sound that can bring us back to our first experience of entering the world, making it immediate and at the same time renewing it, returning, as it were, to its sources.

Jeph Jerman | Tom Cox

2009-08-26T04:05:00.000-07:00

Jeph Jerman and Tom Cox — if/when

if/when comes housed in a compelling handmade box containing mushroom prints, the cd itself, and various organic matter. A profitable collaboration that involved Tom sending various recordings to Jeph who then reconstituted and playfully juggled them into their individual selves. I highly recommend looking inside this box as the cd plays itself out, as, to me, the box acts as a microcosm of Jeph’s milieu.

Whilst attempting to describe what I have heard on this disc, my grasp of words, such as it is, seems all too misleading. So I fall upon images and visual analogies that I hope might shed some light upon how I feel about this release.

The first two tracks align themselves to visual scenes, presented differently each time I listen through. Images of invertebrates burrowing in the soil beside a constant stream of traffic, time-lapse footage of plants growing (with the sound of the film crew left in the mix), walking into a restaurant and sticking one’s head into a deep fat fryer where the sounds heard blend together, slowly vying for autonomy, and the food in the fryer scratches and pulls against the sides of the machine creating various internal soundworlds. The next two tracks bring to mind the previously mentioned microcosms once more, observing lilliputian aeolian villages where the vehicles are blown along by the wind, creating all manner of scratches and whistles, and peering through the window of Andrei Tarkovsky’s model house in The Sacrifice, as if sound emanates from the reflected light that catches your ears.

if/when is full of inspired auditory strata. It is a world of quasi-communication where energy harnessed is never dormant, but under a constant state of calibration.

Field recordings, auditory documentation, whatever you wish to call them, have come a long way in the last decade, and if listening to if/when evokes the precarious motion of stepping from rock to rock, observing the mosses underfoot, then the first two tracks of @stuk remind me that it’s all too easy to forget everyday objects and their inherent sonic worth.

skymaps

2009-08-25T12:04:00.000-07:00

If I haven't anything in my mind, then what shall I do. Under bushes and water.

Tarab - Take all the ships from the harbour and sail them straight to hell

2009-08-25T10:23:00.000-07:00

Tarab — Take all the ships from the harbour, and sail them straight into hell.

Oscillation, metal scraping on metal, dragged, large space, little sounds, pushing and pulling, drawing sounds from a well, giving way to a larger atmosphere, looks upwards, the movements made in the space, following ears and eyes, sense of touch, crunching and crackling, ebbs and flows, capturing dead industry, utilising abnormal machinery, thousands of automatons, mechanical insects, strata of life, the industry and the soil, breeds intrigue, 7:07, gives way to gradual silence, the reverberation of fricative liquids and solids, what has been, starts up, as if the mechanical insects are building from scratch the sounds of the distant sea, playing derelict objects, creating imagery that conjures their original purpose, beautiful hyperbolic crackles, 10:10, white noise, a switch to real insects, are they insects? Evolution of sound material, insects oscillating like drones reminiscent of the discs commencement, entomophobia, tunnels, passed out, miasma, life above, next layer, clamour of the upper levels seeping onto your skull, down the indented walls, are sounds coming towards you or are you going towards the sounds? Reoccurring crunching, heard with your eyes, realignment, looking up, again an open manhole cover, sparks of electricity hitting the dead concrete, what is the equivalent auditory terminology of a silent film? Relief 21:24, auditory storyboard, light, humorous, head sinking into a record player, intensely natural transition, each facet of each atmosphere is so real, so much so, it becomes harder and harder to quiet your mind, the thousands of imagistic unions.

Album cover acts as a graphic score.

Wind drenched landscape, recorded through a bottle, through a wall, a vacuum, the outside world heard through a beehive, inside out, complementarity, ectosymbiosis, felt through the senses of bacteria, auditory ecotone, saline meets fresh, attracting new life, ancient vessels rotting inside the whale, hulls rubbing against its rib bones, the blow hole of the whale creating a cyclic push and pull, enhancing the decay and rot, infrasound made audible, croaking beams, vast unseen patterns, microcosm of said images returning overhead, positive feedback, a fugue of micro and macro, each continually altering the others perspective, 37:02, torrential rain ends the story, drowning out all traces, leaving no remnants, an empty stomach to be filled with pistol shrimp, filters, a flock of birds heard through a wooden leg, temperature ebbs, ravenous birds dig at your feet, slowly engulfing. Listening through a tube whilst inside a tube, auditory retraction, cymatics, shapes form inside the tubes, sharp, a mended ear, feedback system, correlating information all over a series of circuits, receive as soon as send as soon as receive until such meanings are non-existent, roofs of the circuit in flux, naive realism, everywhere at once, vacant estates, drawing breath, a slow night, enclosed in a box, no ears, lead snow.

http://www.23five.org/tarab/

The value of suggestion

2009-07-11T12:49:00.000-07:00

"One day Soshi was walking on the bank of a river with a friend. "How delightfully the fishes are enjoying themselves in the water," exclaimed Soshi. His friend spake to him thus; "you are not a fish, how do you know that the fishes are enjoying themselves?" "You are not myself", returned Soshi, "how do you know that i do not know that the fishes are enjoying themselves?"

Ben Owen - radio in

2009-06-28T04:09:00.000-07:00

Ben Owen - radio>in

Ben Owen, who runs the wonderful winds measure label, describes this release as a “document recording consiting of an fm radio transmitter, a portable fm radio, and mixer. The fm transmitter sent a signal to the portable radio, the portable radio to the mixer, and back into the fm transmitter. No radio station signal was used, tuned to a fragment of unused fm radio band, the fm transmitter signal is captured and sent back to the fm transmitter via the mixer. ”

I can’t usually concentrate on anything else whilst I have a CD playing. I constantly find myself drawn back to whatever I’m listening to at the expense of other work, but this album seems to aid my concentration, where even if I’m paying attention to Ben’s radio detailing, I’m able to imagine myself working, and lo and behold… I am working. The degree of repetition involved with these three tracks can perhaps open up subjective interpretations in that the tones prevalent in the background seem to be traveling through a varying morphology upon every listen. This is a recording that sounds different wherever I place myself in relation to the speakers, and upon leaving the room I had to ask someone if it was still playing as tinnitus — which is evidently of similar prevalence — took over.

Yet the music stays in one’s head otherwise. Around nine minutes into the first track a large oscillating feedback drone is introduced — whether accidentally or not I can’t tell — but it serves to bring the piece forward, engulfing the subtler elements of sound that are the subject of focus. Towards the end of the last track more recognisable radio static weaves its way between the two speakers at different levels of audibility, leaving the possibility that what was heard was actually psycho-responsive and not encoded onto the CD.

The documentation of the radiophonic processes within the particular unused FM band that Ben is working from is an intriguing and very pleasing aesthetic, one that is full of processes on the brink of collapse as feedback engulfs the piece for sporadic moments, highlighting a more literal, creational process. It’s full of slight flutters and flicks that, if you you listen carefully, denote subtle changes in the sound, even if only for brief moments that serve to disassemble the omnidirectional sonic frequencies that run pretty much throughout all three tracks; frequencies that bring to mind the sound generated by plug-in mosquito repellents.

radio>in, for all its repetition and unrelenting high-pitched tones, possesses a surprising warmth, one that requires close listening, but lends itself to anything but.

http://windsmeasurerecordings.net/en3er.html

Jeph Jerman @Stuk

2009-06-27T04:07:00.000-07:00

Jeph Jerman — @stuk

I consider achieving a satisfactory and interesting recording — plucked from the mundane — to be equally impressive to, say, the surface tension of a frozen pond or Stag Beetles a metre underground. Within the latter it is more about presuppositions, careful thought followed by minimum action, the former, the process as a whole. It can be very easy for artists to overlook such things — holding firm to the belief that there is nothing new to be found. The first track is a recording of a radiator in Jeph’s room, where we can hear vehicles drive past, intermingling with the interior of the pipes, creating a bleak sense of space coloured in white. The second recording (which can easily be mistaken for that of the first, if you’re not paying attention) is of the electric meter in Jeph’s room. It resides in a similar atmosphere to that of the first, but there is a lighter and more transitory feel to this track. It brings to mind the railroad imagery of Emile Zola’s La Bete Humaine — its twists, cranks, seeping mist, a more foreboding domain.

The last track on this cd is a solo live performance by Jeph. The track starts abruptly and leads the listener to believe that the concert has already started; such is Jeph’s polyrhythmic ability that one can mistakenly confuse the conscious shuffling of an audience for one person. Having heard (sadly never in the flesh) a large number of Jeph’s live performances with natural objects, I have found it can become somewhat tricky to find large differences between many of them. But therein lies the task. Studying these events reveals a whole manner of sound suspended within the larger and more obviously recognisable sounds.

Metaphors and linkages aside, it is also simply a pleasure to forgo the analysis and enjoy the playfulness of this particular artist.

http://www.jerman.littleenjoyer.com/

Ryan Jewell | Matt Milton | David Thomas | Patrick Farmer - Free Download

2009-06-20T12:43:00.000-07:00

Video camera audio from our first and only UK tour in this particular formation. The Creative Sources CD 'bear ground' consists of the same musicians and instrumentation.

01.10.07 - Manchester. Loseless | MP3

02.10.07 - Birmingham. Loseless | MP3 - This recording also features Mike Hurley on prepared piano.

03.10.07 - Bristol. Loseless | MP3

05.10.07 - London. Loseless | MP3

Right click and Save as to Download

Ryan Jewell | Patrick Farmer - Birmingham. 02.10.07 - Free Download

2009-06-19T02:08:00.001-07:00

An old recording, lifted straight of a video camera so apologies about the digital hiss, of my friend and truly wonderful musician, Ryan Jewell, and myself. If memory serves we had one drum each. This set was performed during a tour with the musicians Matt Milton and David Thomas, I'm hoping to put the other recordings on here soon, again all recorded with a video camera microphone.

Ryan Jewell | Patrick Farmer (11:14) Loseless | MP3 <-- Right click and Save as to Download

Panshangar Aerodrome | Gathering Ground to themselves - Free Download

2009-06-18T05:22:00.000-07:00

Pinhole camera images taken in and around Panshanger aerodrome, Hertfordshire. Audio recorded inside and around the aerodrome itself, utilising the aerodrome roof as a large filter, the fence wires that stretched between the sites, and the various oscillating pulses emitted from the private plane engines and helicopters around the site.

Panshangar Aerodrome | Gathering Ground to themselves (21:15) Loseless | MP3 <-- Right click and Save as to Download

Karhu (in progress) - Free Download

2009-06-17T08:07:00.001-07:00

A selection of spines taken from a female pine cone, megastrobilus

The smell of sap. document of process. All lined up in rows, an entomological viewing.

Visually assertive, arresting, as if you can see myriad faces, the landscape where they once resided, encapsulated in micro physical form.

"Then old Väinämöinen sang, sang his songs and cast his spells: Sang a fir tree flower-crowned, flower-crowned and golden-leaved; Stretched it high into the air, through the very clouds he sang it, till its leafy branches reaching spread its foliage high as heaven. Singing songs and casting spells: Sang a moon to shine up there on the fir tree's golden crown; Sang the great bear on the branches." -Runo 10

Karhu (06:40) Loseless | MP3 <-- Right click and Save as to Download

An integrated manner.

2009-04-25T04:14:00.000-07:00

Whilst reading a passage in a short autobiographical story by Herman Hesse, A Child's Heart:

"Our father's house stood tall and bright on a sunlit street. You entered it through a high gate and at once found yourself embraced by coolness, dusk, and a stony moist air."

I looked up from the book, as I often do when trying to imagine a setting, and a dream I had had some time ago came to the foreground. Almost immediately I was struck by the similarity to another dream I had posted about here. This older dream, from what I have been able to remember, took place in Mid Wales, the predominant colour was a green that makes itself know to us when mist rolls of the hills and the pines. I walked through a stone passageway and upon stepping out it was as if another dream had begun to overlap, so stark was the contrast between the tones, green and overlooked. Many hovercraft lay dormant in a vast harbour lit by lanterns that were streched so far as to be dipped slightly in the still water.

I remember feeling intrigued, homesick...

(Pictures: Ynyslas and Aberystwyth)

Sound 323 opening at Cafe Oto, London.

2009-04-16T13:08:00.001-07:00

The encapsulation of nonchalance.

All Photos by Fergus Kelly

Saltmarshes (in progress)

2009-03-26T04:33:00.000-07:00

A series of pinhole images taken about five miles from my house. A dumping ground, in a sense an ecotone, that has taken on unusually saline properties.

Panshangar (in progress)

2009-03-05T08:47:00.000-08:00

The overlooked space of Panshangar aerodrome had me searching for vibrations with my hands rather than purely hearing my way through the space. Sensing a perceptive betweeness, moving from there, sitting still, leaning towards the unassuming and attempting to disconnect my thoughts from my senses in order to experience the space in a more encompassing manner. Wherever I locate myself within it I affect the sounds that I hear and create, not literally, but upon moving, my mind moves also, perhaps within a time interval, space in reverse, new ideas clouding old, old ideas not having time to formulate but still influencing the new due to the very fact that they existed in a preceding fashion. If this influential stream is to be correct however, ideas cannot be said to be clouded as they are evidently not separate in their truest form, we see them how we want to see them and how they want us to see them at the same time. The function of the image, as Nikolai Gogol once said, “is to express life itself, not ideas or arguments about life. It does not signify life or symbolise it, but embodies it, expressing its uniqueness.”

Intimate immensity

2009-03-01T14:59:00.000-08:00

I do not often remember my dreams, or perhaps I just dont dream very often, either way, recently, upon waking, my ability to recollect what has been taking place inside my head whilst I sleep has much improved. A dream I had four nights ago when sleeping on a friends floor in Nottingham has stuck with me and I feel compelled to document it in some way, and since I've been meaning to write something or other on this blog, said dream seems like a good place to start.

The horizon was as beautiful as I have ever seen it, reminding me of some of the sunsets when I was in Goa, full of purples and oranges, it was one of those rare sights that did not instil within me a longing for more, for something else past that distant point. A horizon that could only be created in the mind.

I was living in a house that overlooked the sea, perhaps the Arabian Sea, and as I walked out onto the decking I was greeted by the overwhelming visual spectacle of hundreds upon hundreds of jet skies all just sat there on the water, their engines running.

You may think the auditory counterpart of this phenomenon would be distinctly unpleasant and contradict such a peaceful scene as I had described up until the discovery of the jet skies, and usually I would be in full agreement with you, but it seems that the vibration, the sonority of these hundreds of machines in the Arabian Sea, had somehow created a vacuum around the house, and I could not hear anything. The vibrations moving through the water and the air made the house shake in such a resonant and utterly relaxing manner. Upon realising I was 'stuck' inside this utopian vacancy, I awoke.

(Pictures: Ynyslas, Ceredigion, 5:30am)

Good intentions.

2009-02-18T13:35:00.000-08:00

Shows

2009-01-30T12:36:00.000-08:00

I will eventually attempt to list all the shows I have played here. But who knows. x

17.02.11. Oxford. W/ The Set ensemble with Tim Parkinson, Angharad Davies, and Rhodri Davies. The Holywell Music Room as part of the audiograft festival.
26.02.11. London. W/ Dominic Lash, Hannah Marshall, Phil Durrant, Diatribes. Shoreditch Church.
27.02.11. London. W/ many many others. At Cafe Oto as part of Dominic Lash's leaving party.

08.03.11. Oxford. 6 hour actulisation of Manfred Werder's ein(e) ausführende(r)
11.03.11 - 26.03.11. Brussels. Residence at Q-o2 with Sarah Hughes and Kostis Kilymis.

26.03.11. Brussels. Post residency concert with Sarah Hughes and Kostis Kilymis, performing a piece by Michael Pisaro written for the event.

06.04.11. Oxford. Solo. Supporting Arrington de Dionyso. At Art Jericho

12.04.11. Oslo. W/ Christian Munthe & Anders Dahl. At Café Mir
13.04.11. Malmo. W/ Christian Munthe. At Pa Besok.

15.04.11. Gothenburg. W/ Christian Munthe & Anders Dahl. Geiger Festival.

23.04.11. London. W/ Chora. At The Dying Artist Festival. ICA.
13.05.11. Dublin. W/ Loris. I & E Festival.

14.05.11. Dublin. W/ David Lacey. I & E Festival.

27.05.11. Oxford. W/ Stephen Cornford & Sarah Hughes, supporting Koboko Senju. Art Jericho.

29.05.11. Oxford. W/ Bruno Guastalla, David Stent, and Sarah Hughes, performing John Cage's four6. Oxford Brookes Drama Studio.

03.06.11. Brighton. W/ Claire Elizabeth Barret as part of the Black Mountain College conference.

10.06.11. Manchester. Solo turntable set supporting John Tilbury in a rendition of Samuel Beckett's Worstward Ho! St Margaret's church.

13.07.11. Tallinn. Talk concerning the poetics of field recording. A Labyrinths and Rings night.
14.07.11 - 30.07.11. Mooste. Residency at Moks, Estonia.
01.08.11. London. Recording at Kew Gardens with Angharad Davies and others.
14.08.11. London. W/ David Lacey & Daniel Jones at Galerie8, Hackney.

20.08.11. London. Performing Stephan Thut's eine/r, 1-6 - Phase @ Unit 3:03

31.08.11. Brighton. W/ Daniel Jones & Stephen Cornford supporting Hong Chulki and Joonyong Choi. Upper Lounge at the Caroline of Brunswick.

10.09.11. Kent. W/ Angharad Davies & Matt Davis. Performing Fold by Lee Patterson.
02.10.11. Oxford. Solo at Art Jericho.
07.10.11. Nante. Solo at Cable.

12.10.11 - 15.1011. Brussels. Field recording talks, performances, and discussions at Q-O2 symposium. Michael Pisaro, Manfred Werder, Sarah Hughes, Jason Kahn, and many others, will be taking part.
29.10.11 - 04.11.11. UK. Tour with Dominic Lash, Hannah MArshall, Phil Durrant, & Diatribes.

20.11.11 - 04.12.11. Brussels. Residency with Dominic Lash & Helena Gough.

22.01.10. London. W/ Loris. Supporting John Tilbury and Sebastian Lexer. Another Timbre Mini Festival.
18.02.10. London. A talk concerning field recording methodologies at Middlesex University.
18.03.10. Brighton. Extended grouping W/ Hankil Ryu, Daniel Jones, Jez riley French, etc.
17.04.10. Newtown. Fantasy is a place where it rains. Installation at the Oriel Davies Gallery. With Sarah Hughes.
01.05.10. Hamburg. W/ Loris. The Blurred Edges Festival.
02.10.10. London. W/ Yasuhiko Fukuzono supporting Jo Mango. Union Chapel
02.10.10. London. W/ The Hunter Gracchus and Chora. Supporting Grinderman at the Coronet Theatre.
08.10.10. Edinburgh. W/ Neil Davidson
09.10.10. Glasgow. W/ Neil Davidson
27.10.10. Manchester. W/ WithBoat (Dominic Lash | David Thomas). Sacred Trinity Church.
30.10.10. London. W/ Dominic Lash, Hannah Marshall, Phil Durrant, Diatribes. Shoreditch Church.
13.11.10. Oxford. W/ The Set Ensemble. Jacqueline Du Pre building.
26.11.10. Newtown. W/ WithBoat. Oriel Davies.
- - - - . Oxford. W/ Dominic Lash Performing a piece by James Saunders.

16.01.09. Nottingham. W/ Dominic Lash & Matt Milton at the Radiator Festival, Broadway Cinema.
31.01.09. London. W/ Chora supporting Ashtray Navigations at Cafe Oto. (www.cafeoto.co.uk)
07.02.09. London. W/ Shale - Helena Gough. Daniel Jones. Matt Milton. Lee Patterson, Matt Davis, Ben Drew. Tim Parkinson & John Lely. Jez riley French. C&H night at Cafe Oto
12.02.09. London. W/ Stephen Cornford and Rob Gawthrop "three piece" - A kinetic sound sculpture for two electric guitars and one electric bass. Elevator Gallery.
15.02.09. Bristol. W/ Jez riley French & Simon Whetam. The Cube Cinema.
20.02.09. London. W/ Chora, Zun Zun Egui, Helhesten, Chris Corsano Mick Flower duo. Bardens Boudoir.
27.02.09. Derby/Birmingham. W/ The Good Anna and Pat Thomas. A Series of Shows and Workshops. Derby Jazz Rhythm a Ning.
28.03.09. London. Opening of the new Sound323 store at Cafe Oto. W/ Matt Milton, Sarah Hughes, Dominic Lash, Samantha Rebello: playing a text piece by Jason Brogan. Also playing are: For Barry Ray, Clive Bell and Mark Wastell, John Wall, Benedict Drew, Max Eastley, and Steve Beresford trio, Seymour Wright, Dominic Lash, Paul Abbot, and David Papapostolou quartet.
27.04.09. London. W/ Chora supporting Sonic Youth at the Scala.
21.05.09. Bristol. W/The Exploits of Elaine at the Croft.
13.06.09. Leeds. W/ Jez riley French, also playing will be the trio of Martin Küchen, Seymour Wright, and Keith Rowe. The Unnamed music festival at the Severn Arts Space.
26.06.09. London. W/ Robert Curgenven, The Seen will also play. Joint Confront records | Compost and height show at Cafe Oto.
18.08.09. Nottingham. W/ The Good Anna. Trembling Bells and Ellen Mary McGee will also play. The Chameleon.
16.09.09. London. W/ The Good Anna. Twi the Humble Feather and AU are also playing. Cafe Oto.
28.09.09. Nottingham. W/ A Cup of Tea. Twi the Humble Feather and David Thomas Broughton are also playing. The Maze.
07.11.09. Hull. W/ Sarah Hughes, Jez riley French, Shayla Reynolds. Durational exploration of the spaces & sounds in Holy Trinity Church. Scores by Christian Wolff & Jez riley French. Seeds & bridges event with free entry between 12pm to 4pm. Holy Trinity Church.
28.11.09. Bristol. W/ Loris and extended grouping including Matt Davies and Lea Piontek. Performing scores by Michael Pisaro and Manfred Werder, with videos by Joseph Clayton Mills. A Compost and Height night. Cube Cinema.

Discography

2009-01-25T03:38:00.000-08:00

Solo
Solo drum tape - self released. sold out (2007)
Solo drum tape - self released. sold out (2008)
Swedish tour cd-r - self released. sold out (2007)
Like a Tired Dog - self released. sold out (2007)
Fence - self released. sold out (2007)
Split cassette with Peter Strickmann - Rayon (2008)
Panshangar Aerodrome - self released (2008)
The Wandering Rhizome - Why not ltd (2009)
Apis Mellifera moved to and fro. Organised music from Thessaloniki. (2009)
Solo drums compilation. Makrame records. (2009)
4 disc compilation. Psykick Dancehall (2009)
Green Rings around the eyes, this grass in vibrant motion. nadeenkumono. (2011)

Loris
The Cat from Cat Hill (another timbre) (2009)

Kettle Blacksmith
Well, we get these rashes (Records on Ribs net release) (2010)

Dominic Lash
Bestiaries (Cathnor) (2009)

Dominic Lash, Sarah Hughes, Phillip Thomas, & The Edges Ensemble
Michael Pisaro - fields have ears 4 (another timbre) (2010)

Matt Milton, David Thomas, Ryan Jewell, Patrick Farmer
Bear Ground (creative sources)(2009)

Sarah Hughes and David Dunn
is - (compost and height) (2009)

The Good Anna
Live at the old angel - goodnameforaracehorserecords (2006)
Live at Club Sporadic - goodnameforaracehorserecords (2006)
Full of Beans - Sharks and Pfennigs (2006)
Untitled album available for download at My Formica Table (2007)
Wolf Tickets L.P. - Harbinger Sound (2008)

James smith
Struggles - self released (2006)

Cars
Self titled - Rayon records (2007)
Split Tape with CooperJones - Night People (2007)
Live at the Gramophone - self released (2007)

Call it a Clunes
Self released e.p. (2005)

P P Dog
Sherbrooke Business - self released (2008)

Strap the Button
What kind of rat bastard - goodnameforaracehorserecords (2006)

The Exploits of Elaine
Tour 07 cd-r - self released (2007)

The Family Elan

Bow Low Bright Glow (alt vinyl) (2009)

Forthcoming releases
no islands - Kostis Kilymis, Sarah Hughes, Stephen Cornford, Patrick Farmer - two improvisations and a realisation of John Cage's number score four6. Another Timbre.
Droplets - Dominic Lash, Sarah Hughes, Patrick Farmer - one improvisation and realisations of scores by Eva-Maria Houben & Taylan Sussam. Another Timbre.
The Albion players - Stephen Cornford, Patrick Farmer, Sarah Hughes. Another Timbre.
Extracts form a field recording Archive. Consumer Waste.
Yet to be titled solo turntable improvisation. Senufo.

Reviews

2008-12-22T06:09:00.000-08:00

Bear Ground.

Review by Jeph Jerman for Squids Ear

Three untitled pieces of object improv from this improvising quartet performed using mostly acoustic sources. Scant information about this one, but I know that these musicians have been playing together for a while. Farmer runs the Compost and Height label which specializes in this kind of improvisation, along with field recordings, processed and not.

Field recordings might be a good referent to these slices of textural sound, as they ebb and flow the way the sounds outside my window do, and surprises pop up just like in "real life". It's difficult to tell just who is making what sound, and even exactly what thing is making them at times. The notes list violin, objects, viola, bamboo, snare drum, voice, breath and drum, but I swear I'm hearing horns or reeds for long stretches of time. The given textures hold one's attention, perhaps because of this "what is it" aspect, but also through well placed transitions into new approaches/sounds. It's quite often on the quiet side, erupting from time to time into scratchy loudness. The CD itself is wrapped in Farmer's beautiful nature photographs, which complement the music nicely and give a referent to those who need one.

But... just what is a bear ground?

Review by Richard Pinnell

'So back to listening to music again today after a bit of a palette cleansing weekend. I played a new release this morning by the UK quartet of Matt Milton, David Thomas, Ryan Jewell and Patrick Farmer, playing violin and objects, viola and bamboo, snare drum and voice and drums and objects respectively. The album, released on Creative Sources is called Bear Ground.

Patrick gave me a copy of the release when I spent a little time with him and his delightful other half Sarah up in Glasgow last weekend. Because I had spent a bit of time in their company, and also because Patrick has a forthcoming release on Cathnor I wanted to put a week or so in between him giving me the CD and me listening to it, to at least try and stay somewhat impartial. It is indeed a very nice little CD though, an itchy, scratchy, breathy, crackly little number.

Of the four musicians on the disc I only really know the music of two of them very well, Farmer and Milton. One real joy of the music though is that I cannot tell who is doing what. Although on occasion its easy to tell strings from a drum (and not as often as you might think) I still couldn’t tell you which of the musicians did what. This isn’t a release that projects forth strong musical voices, rather it showcases the ability of four like minds working together towards one common outcome. I’m not really sure how I am meant to classify the music either. It is all acoustic, and yet rarely are the sounds we hear obviously instrumental. In places it is busy, but in others (like during the charged four minute silence that emerges amidst the final twenty-five minute long third track) the music slips into complete inactivity. I am reminded of the music of Jeph Jerman in improvisational mode, all clicks and scratches and dry whispery sounds as if made with all naturally found objects, as Jerman has been known to do. The sleeve imagery only reinforces this feeling, consisting of a series of Patrick’s natural photography, all leaves and wood and feathers.

Bear Ground is a very restrained, gentle, detailed album. It doesn’t shout and scream at you for your attention, and requires a lot of patience to listen to it carefully enough for it not to slip past virtually unnoticed. Taking the time to listen carefully has its rewards though as immersing yourself in this miniscule soundworld is a rewarding experience. Oh and that silence. It just appears with some eleven minutes remaining in the third track and just stays there for four minutes until a faint crackle, like dried leaves blowing on the wind appears. On other releases the silence might have been edited out, or shortened at least, but here it works well where it is, as if the music was just taking a natural rest to catch its breath, and reaffirming the feeling of honesty that Bear Ground gives me. Maybe not one for everyone, but certainly a release I like a lot.'

Apis Mellifera (moved to and fro)

Taken from the Organised music from Thesaloniki site:

'Patrick Farmer is part of the younger generation of musicians blurring the boundaries between the use of "pure" environmental documentation and the direct involvement with natural materials and situations. As a musician he deals with regular or prepared drums, natural objects, phonography, amplfied drum heads, wood and whisks. He has been curating -together with Sarah Hughes- the Compost & Height music blog and label promoting "work focused upon our responses to the surrounding environment and the development of awareness".

While much of Farmer's recorded work can seem systematic in its presentation, his diversity in approaching sonic material allows him to treat each situation differently, thus staying close to the truer qualities that define each of his subjects. In this recording he presents three views of honey bee hives found at an Apiary in Harpenden, UK. The second track, ”and”, is a straight stereo recording of bee sounds,”fro” consists of sounds picked up by contact microphones attached under the hives, while ”moved to” finds the stereo recordings reprocessed in a way best described by Farmer himself:

A process of indirect diffusion that by means of various materials, bass drums | various cymbals | rocks | and minimal circumstances, attaches to the original Honeybee recording a sense reflected by other objects.

The original inspiration behind this process came from a passage in the book 'Six memos for the new Millenium' by Italo Calvino. Whereupon the author sets out to explain the work of the Italian Poet Giacomo Leopardi:

"For Giacomo Leopardi maintained that the more vague and imprecise language is, the more poetic it becomes. I might mention in passing that as far as I know Italian is the only language in which the word vago (vague) also means 'lovely, attractive'."

As our view of the subject is fragmented, the sounds move freely between what is perceived to be presented as musical and in turn non-musical sound. And while it is never unclear what process is employed each time, our ears are free to approach the recorded material in an open-ended manner.'

From The Watchful Ear

'Patrick recently reissued three of these pieces, with some of them completely reworked, on the Organised Music from Thessaloniki label. Reissued may not be the correct word as I suspect that, besides myself not too many copies of the original disc exist out there. The new release though is titled Apis Mellfera, moved from and to. The first track, titled moved to, (can you guess what the others might be called? ) is a piece made by playing back a field recording of the bees through metals, drums, surfaces, bottle and rocks. It begins with faintly recognisable sounds, as if we are hearing the bees at the other end of a deep glass bottle, and then gradually through the seventeen minute piece the sound becomes more abstract, drifting off into a series of clingy metallic tones as presumably the sound played back through cymbals and other objects caused them to vibrate and resonate. This piece has been put together in post production from an assortment of recordings made in this way with different objects, so here and there we are reminded slightly of the source material, but often all trace is lost. I do find myself asking if I would have guessed I was hearing honey bees had I not been aware from the sleeve notes and I suspect I wouldn’t, The resulting music is very charming all the same, a simple, slow meditation on a nice idea.

and, the second piece is a straight recording of the bees made with a stereo microphone. I once called Patrick the UK’s answer to Jeph Jerman on a radio programme, and quite recently called him it to his face as well. He didn’t seem to mind so I’ll make the comparison here too. Jerman, a percussionist like Farmer is fond of recording bees as well, though the CD of his that I own only contains straight-up field recordings like this second piece on Apis Mellifera The little five minute busy buzzy interlude works well here coming after the wistful chimes of the first piece. The bees actually sound very close by, sometimes giving the impression they are hovering around your ear, making for a slightly unnerving recording if you are of an apiphobic condition.

The third piece, called fro is assembled using recordings made by attaching contact mics to the underside of the hives. The resulting piece is a peculiarly alien soundworld made up of tiny shuffling sounds, the occasional knock and scratch and here and there a deadened buzzing, presumably made when a bee came close to a microphone, albeit the other side of the hive floor. This piece sounds unlike much else I have heard before, vaguely reminiscent of those moments when someone accidentally calls you from their mobile phone, and on answering you get to hear the rustling of the bottom of their pocket for a while, with only tiny distant glimpses of anything else. I really like this piece because of its seemingly otherwordly feel, but also, not unlike the field recording work of Lee Patterson it reveals the hidden musicality of things usually hidden away from the human ear.'

From Bagatellen - Review by Alan Jones.

'On Apis mellifera, moved to and fro, Patrick Farmer filters a simple, exploitable subject (bees and their beehive) into three separate aural experiences. He answers the following in the process: 1) how does the subject sound, au natural, and does it jibe with the memory of the observer, 2) what are the resonant frequencies of the subject itself and in what sonic area does most of the activity take place, and 3) how would (1) and (2) be experienced if random metallic and wooden objects were used as the medium through which the sounds travel?

For the first piece, “moved to”, Farmer amplified raw recordings of the hive through metal scraps, rock, drums, and glass. Gains were employed such that, at choice points through the 17-minute duration, ringing feedbacks were obtained, never allowed to become completely silent, presumably due to the occasional interactions of the insects. Track 2, “and”, is a field recording in the truest sense – stereo microphones positioned to record the hive. Several times I imagined a very satisfied Patrick Farmer, editing the final mix with swollen patches of red about his arms and face, with randomly affixed band-aids. The mechanical conditions for “fro” (track 3) may have been dangerous, too, as contact microphones were placed directly beneath the hive. These contact mics bring the delicate touches of tiny critters and their occasional buzzing into the audible range in a manner that open-air microphones cannot. And we hear the activity of the hive itself, constantly underway as the residents’ workloads increase and then settle.
The contact microphones and surrogate mediums reveal properties not normally ascribed to bees. En masse, they are loud – not only do they “buzz” in the same frequency band, but they scuttle, build, systematize. Like cyclic Feng Shui, but with economic output pertaining to the bee lifestyle. Recorded as Farmer has done, we’re treated to a sense of how a hive affects its surrounding environment, complete with muffled rhythms and atonality. It’s music borne out of an unusual concept, defying categorization, and quite therapeutic.'

From Just Outside - Review by Brian Olewnick.

Yes, honeybees. Recorded three different ways, two of which I find very, very beautiful. These are the pair, the first and third tracks, that sound the least apian; perhaps I should appreciate the basic buzzing more, dunno. The first, "moved to", is virtually in Lucier territory, shimmers of sine-like hum but sounding in irregular waves, like sonic auroras, with almost bell-like tones underneath. Just gorgeous. I guess I prefer my bees de-buzzed as the brief second track causes me to swat at my ears more than listen; perhaps the point. The last, miking the base of a hive, seems to catch all the billions of footfalls, chewings, wax-moldings, etc., with a faint hum behind. Quite different from the first, just as entrancing. Lovely disc. - brian just outside

From In Place - Review by Jez riley French

simply & nicely packaged (as always with this label) we have three pieces based on bee hive recordings. Patrick sent me versions of these pieces awhile ago but it seems to me that a distinct transformation has taken place. At first I wanted to dig out the earlier versions to see if I could work out what exactly has changed (if anything) but then I though better of it & instead I keep sitting back & simply enjoying these new versions.

I have some ideas as to what is going on here - track one I suspect features the core bee recordings being filtered through cymbals, resulting in a shimmering and highly resonant atmosphere - but I think it's important with Patrick's work (& indeed a great deal of music / sound) to stop trying to work it out on those terms. The sound of the bees themselves are obvious for the first 5 or 6 minutes & in a slight return at the very end but most of this track is given over to various tones generated by the filtering methods employed. There's a rough edit at around 4.31 which is a bit of a shame, simply because the piece itself runs an otherwise fluid and engaging path in it's 17 minutes 36 seconds.

The second piece is a dense swarm of conventional bee sounds - recorded in a manner that serves to highlight the fast and fractured nature of thier behavoir patterns. At just 5.08 this track is, as the titles 'and' suggests a bridge between the longer, more abstract pieces.

Track three rumbles and flitters - the sounds here coming from contact mics attached to the hive. There's a strange parallel here with some of the sounds Patrick produces when performing live - with various objects scratching and scraping across snare drum heads and branches moved by small motors. At 14.06 this track is all too brief. However, as he does often in his live performances Patrick plays the part of the entertainer, leaving the audience wanting more.

Impossible to sum up the sound of this disc in words. Buy it, listen to it and be reminded that we can always say a great deal about music & sound & indeed most things, but we simply scratch the surface in doing so.

The Wandering Rhizome

rom The Watchful Ear:

'Well I’ve been out of the house for thirteen hours today thanks to an extra long shift at work. As a result I’ve only really listened to one piece of music all day, the Patrick Farmer piece called The Wandering Rhizome that I mentioned last night. I played it through almost three times today ( I say almost because the second play-through was interrupted five minutes before the end by my arrival at work) and I also played it once last night. So (if my command of mathematics still works when I’m this tired) thats near as damn it four close listens within twenty four hours and I still haven’t much of an idea how the music on the recording is made!

The sleeve note lists Patrick’s instrumentation as bass drum, large bamboo stem, four acoustic guitar pickups, microphone and milk frother. The music is really hard to describe, but I am taking a wild guess that Patrick has miked up the drum and the bamboo and then held the frother (which I am guessing is some kind of fast vibrating kitchen utensil?) against them to create a fast strumming sound not unlike that which Keith Rowe used to make by flicking a spring wedged between two guitar strings. There are many different variations on this sound though, as presumably the frother is applied to different objects, nearer or further away from one of the pickups, sometimes in momentary bursts, sometimes for longer. There are other sounds here too, dirty electronic sounding splurges and scuffs that give the whole recording a very lo-fi, Jeph Jerman styled sound, and some three quarters of the way into the twenty-seven minute disc all hell breaks out as the throbbing sounds coalesce into a rich swarm of vibrations. I’ve no idea how this bit was done, but certainly I don’t think there are any overdubs or post production work involved.

However its made this is a very clever, skilled piece of music that sounds very original and keeps the listener entertained throughout. Patrick is a great musician as well as an inspirational organising force among musicians in the UK right now. A duo of his percussion work alongside Dominic Lash’s bass will appear on Cathnor a bit later this year. He also appears on the one of the two new Compost and Height 3″ releases I have on my desk right now and will hopefully get to play tomorrow'

From Vital Weekly:

'He plays here bass drum, large bamboo stem, four acoustic guitar pickups, microphone and milk frother. Quite a curious piece of electro acoustic sound emerges from the speakers, with occasional rattling sounds and what seems to be lots of lo-fi hiss sound. Lots of silence is built in this piece. But then sound gets sometimes picked up again, and the volume increases substantially. It hovers that fine balance between almost silence and almost noise. Quite a nice piece of what I believe live action music for a few objects.'

Downloads

2008-06-20T12:40:00.000-07:00

Christian Munthe | Anders Dahl | Patrick Farmer - acoustic guitar, electronics, acoustic turntable
For Loris - amplified piano, amplified objects, chorded zither
For And Dancehall - solo drumkit improvisation
Fantasy is a place where it rains - field recording assemblage of the river severn
Panshangar Aerodrome - field recording assemblage
Apis Mellifera - honeybee recordings
Acoustic turntable and amplified snare drum in Manchester
The Wandering Rhizome
'is'
Greenish Yellow
Jewell | Milton | Thomas | Farmer
Jewell | Farmer
Gathering Ground to Themselves
Karhu
Severn Farms Pond
Gwenynen Fêl | Y Drenewydd
Howls
Aeolian Tree Recordings
Compost and Height first birthday Compilations
Loris live at the Blurred Edges Festival, Hamburg
Like a Tired Dog
The Good Anna - Wolf Tickets live at Bardens Boudoir in London
Kettle Blacksmith - Well, we get these Rashes...
Loris live at Cafe Oto (excerpt)
Patrick Farmer & Jez riley French live at Severn Arts
Two Kinds Of Light