theapplesofenergy mirror / echo [VINYL]

Recorded in a flat in Croy, Scotland and a little way up the Campsie hills, “mirror/echo” is an organic album both in its construct and the sound-world it creates, it is a study of how sound works / reacts in two very specific yet very different spaces, the first being a small flat and the second a wide open landscape. The debut offering from theapplesofenergy- aka Steven Gribbin - whose Musique-Concrete-infused compositions are uniquely atmospheric; his album is the successful product of Steven’s desire to marry the minimalism of his live, improvised performances with the intricacy of his multi-faceted recordings.

Steven hails from Croy, Scotland, but it was during a yearlong stay in Toronto, Canada that theapplesofenergy was born. Mark Anthony Burgoyne -a friend of Steven’s from Croy- was meanwhile formingfrom a stolen sea, a recording company intent on promoting Scottish talent across a broad spectrum of the arts. As they had previously collaborated musically in an improvised performance in Glasgow’s Nice n Sleazy, it was a natural progression for Mark to record Steven’s album.

No material was written down or conceived of prior to the recording of “mirror/echo” in the Spring of 2008; experimentation and improvisation were to lie at the music’s core, in the hope of discovering innovative recording techniques and sound effects.This creative decision led to the spontaneous capture of many interesting background sounds whilst recording the first part of the album in Marks’ flat: birds chirping, the hum of traffic, pouring rain and the children playing next door. The second part of the album was recorded in the Campsie hills, Scotland, where all sounds were played acoustically and recorded onto small tape machines spaced around a stream that cut through the hill.

Without using any overdubs in “mirror/echo”, theapplesofenergy has succeeded in creating an ethereal, textured sound. From haunting to hopeful, the music carries the listener on an otherworldly journey which transcends time. The album is, in essence, a series of interludes that when combined make a whole, and should thus be listened to uninterrupted from start to finish.

Track List.

Winter Kiss to Autumn Circle.

1. arms outstrectched
2. sometimes lights lead lovers
3. music happens during storms
4. sleeping through snow
5. your voice hangs in the air
6. sometimes obscured skies
7. mirror/echo

Interlude.

a place to sit, gather, collect, hold memories
Spring's Interlude to Summer Dream.

1. stones drop into rivers
2. maps from memory
3. there was no-one in the scene
4. tiny ink birds
5. takes you into the night

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