Christoph has finished his debut album which will be coming up on Fluid Audio directly after the Field Rotation ‘Acoustic Tales’ project. For now here is a sneak preview video from the release…

www.christophberg.tumblr.com

The artist Hummingbird has recently put together a mix selection for Fluid Radio entitled ‘Thinking Outside’. The mix comes in perfect time as a ‘heads up’ to let you know about the new remix album that is just around the corner on Fluid Audio’s new sub-label. Full info coming very soon…

HUMMINGBIRD REMIXES

The recent release on Fluid Audio of Hummingbird’s “Our Fearful Symmetry” not only resulted in the lightning sell out of its limited copy run, but also produced a flurry of speculation on the web over the identity of the artist responsible for it. For those unlucky enough to have missed out on the initial run (and also for those looking for clues as to who the artist may in fact be), news that the album has been remixed and is soon to be released on Fluid Audio’s new sub-label will be both a blessing and curse.

A blessing, as those who didn’t get to own their own copy will now have the opportunity to hear for themselves what all the fuss was about.

A curse, as the subtle re-workings offer up further hints but no clear answers as to who it could have been.

You could speculate endlessly.

What is not speculative is the quality on offer in the eight tracks, an emphasis on timbre, tone, implied melody and hints at glitch drones. The live instrumentation is still present in places, but in most cases the “mood” of the piece has been drawn out alone, and presented in a complimentary but distinctly different light. Hints of additional instrumentation creep in at points and slip away again – almost impossible to tell if they were even there to begin with, or if they were present on the original. It feels like a rare privilege to hear, a life’s work lost and then found at a dusty antique store decades later.

It has been remarked that our culture USED to be a reflective one. If someone needed to make an important decision, they would take time over it. Someone from a previous generation would climb a mountain and take in the surroundings whilst mulling it over. Pause. Consider. Most now are made in hushed whispers over linoleum floors in emergency wards, or impulsive decisions in banks or real estate agencies. Tracks like “Sketch of the Mythology (Interval at the Station Mix)” seem to capture the melancholy fact that the luxury of reflection is no longer available to us, like overhearing an intimate and private conversation in a crowded world. The collection has a timeless quality to it, despite occasional electronic tones and high quality modern production.

What others have said about the original “Our Fearful Symmetry” -

“The listener is never overwhelmed, and instead, is given space to breathe and absorb, before returning to soak in the ever-expanding sea of sounds.” – Michael Vitrano

“Our Fearful Symmetry is a deeply nostalgic disc, filled with echoes, static and decay, laden with seemingly-ancient instrumentation and far-away sounds. Myriad crackles, melodic snippets and field recordings are hidden in the mix like dust between the cracks of an old floorboard. Snippets of conversation, music boxes, tape loops and light drones pop up their heads like little prairie dogs. The cumulative effect of listening to such a release is that of encountering something elusive, an unidentified sound in the night or a whispering, receding memory. 8/10” – Richard Allen – thesilentballet.com

“The material is by turns portentous, brooding, pensive, soothing, turbulent, and unsettling, not to mention atmospheric in the extreme, with all sounds, whether they’re piano, electronics, speaking voices, static, white noise, nature-based field recordings, or strings, steeped in reverb and rendered faded by the imagined passage of time.” – textura.org

“Hummingbird’s marriage of restrained classicism and contemporary electronic atmospheric manipulation means that “Our Fearful Symmetry” is very much a record of the moment – the ambient/electro-acoustic scene abounds with artists mining the same vein of inspiration – however, while many acts aspire to the creation of reminiscence-evoking beauty it is an uncommon achievement. The artist behind Hummingbird accomplishes a startling ubiquity of grace throughout this album and though it is a debut outing for the project, the strength of the material and its connotative power betray the unmistakable hand of a master at work.” – John McCaffrey

“Far from representing another predictable foray into the realms of Modern Classical, “Our Fearful Symmetry”, after all, combines the minimal melodicism and chambermusical settings of the genre with deep structures, dense textures and dreamy tonalities, intriguingly hinting at Drones, Ambient and Micronoise. It is a combination which clearly extends beyond tentative previous engagements of the genre with beats and Electronica and yet feels entirely natural and organic.” – tokafi.com
“A sun drenched day in a slightly underpopulated city suddenly becomes akin to being the last man on Earth. The skittish found sounds that fall into place behind the musical arrangements are the aural equivalent of something playing across the edge of your field of vision. Intriguing stuff indeed.” Adrian Carter

Mix Tracklist:

Danny Paul Grody – Night Blooms
Myrmyr – Silver Rooster
Pawn – The book that is never read
Masayoshi Fujita & Jan Jelinek – Waltz (a lonely crowd)
Pjusk – Byge
On!Air!Library! – Bread
Valet – Fire
Alexandre Navarro – Mystical Lane
Solo Andata – Look for Me here (Giuseppe Ielasi remix)
Cheihei Hatakeyama – Landscape on a hill
Ian Hawgood – A Film by The Remote Viewer
Tape – Mystery Mutiny
Tape – Moth Wings (Edit)
Hummingbird – The Little Green Box (Landscape Mix)
Konntinent – White Horse Falls
Hummingbird – Seeds of Deception (This Life Mix)

www.fluidaudio.co.uk

Hummingbird has reconstructed the recent ‘Our Fearful Symmetry’ album to bring you elleven new remixes forthcoming on our new sub-label in the next few weeks or so. Full information on the new label and release details will be coming very soon. For now here is a sneak preview of what’s to come…

Coming Soon: Fluid Audio and Handstitched* have joined forces to release an ep by Hessien entitled “Obelisk|Stelea” including exclusive reworkings of the original source material by Solo Andata, Jasper TX, Zelienople and Konntinent…

Surprising astrologists everywhere, Hessien continue to generate spontaneously out of the ether near the equator, somewhere between Australia and the UK. The most recent episode being “Obelisk|Stelea”, constructed inbetween the north-south divide.

“Obelisk” – as Hessien’s landscape evolves, the sound continues to push into desolate environments scattered with obstacles. Although not obvious at first, there’s an apparent relationship between these objects causing them to morph and create detail, submerged-hazy rhythm and textures which mirror the unconventional benchmarks found in music throughout its existence.  More prominent on this release is the human voice, represented in snatches of field recordings and overheard conversations, including vocals contributed by Jane Williams. Acoustic tones continue to underpin the tactile electronic arrangements with loops, delays, e-bow, cello, pedals, creaking furniture and low-fi hiss — all rearing then lowering their heads within it’s duration.

“Stelea” – these four pieces have been intercepted in various states of formation by Solo Andata; combining distant parts of the original composition with their faultless signature sequences, unmistakable and balanced. The prolific Jasper TX; weaving his acoustical, drone-style magic into the mix, floating seamlessly into a land with a never-ending haze as the backdrop. Zelienople; An open-handed reinterpretation of the original shines and guides the way forward with an acoustic-prog interestingness to the version which flows with sincerity and meaning. And finally, Konntinent; transporting the listener into an irregular, avant-garde-like version, fuzzed-up, resampled and re-routed via a tape deck.

All four reworkings have been broken down, reconstituted and put back together, four pieces which become eight. A tale of dislocation, seperation and musical connectivity. Hessien and the four remixers conspire a bizarre plot and an equally bizarre, larger-than-life conclusion.

Available via Fluid Audio and other good record outlets. Limited to 200 copies for the world.

Release Date: Soon

1. A Letter from Engels
2. Gazed and Pale Reflections
3. Five Sisters
4. Breaking Webs
5. Gazed and Pale Reflections – Solo Andata Remix.
6. A Letter from Engels – Jasper TX Remix.
7. Five Sisters – Zelienople Remix.
8. Breaking Webs – Konntinents’ Analogue edit.

www.fluidaudio.co.uk
www.handstitched.net
www.hessien.net

A few months back I put together a mix for Fluid Radio entitled Off Key. Over time we received many emails from listeners asking if a second edition could be created and so I set aside some time recently to do just that…

<!–more–>

From the label’s perspective the mix contains tracks from upcoming releases including Field Rotation’s ‘Acoustic Tales’, Hessien’s ‘Obelisk/Stelea’ and a track from Christoph Berg’s project yet to be titled. Also worth noting on the track selection is a sublime remix of ‘Uncertainty in Copenhagen’ by Hummingbird.

<em>”From my tattered walls, an infinite reflection corrupts me. The light striking my eye congeals into an opaque silence and, irremediably, I listen. All the words are falling, enveloped</em><em> by the astral noise of your eyes. In the inclination of your gaze, I see a white hole coming back at me: an interstice of light, a sound tattered by the tongues of the wind”</em>

<strong>Track List:</strong>

Antonymes – Endlessly
The Colossal Ithaca Trio &amp; The Deus Ex Machina Arkestra – My Mind To Your Mind
Hummingbird – Uncertainty in Copenhagen
Sophie Hutchings – Sunlight Zone
Christoph Berg – Poems Written By An Old (prepared) Piano
Ólafur Arnalds – Kjurrt
Gary Jules/Michael Andrews – Mad World
Machinefabriek and Peter Broderick  -  Extract from In Session
Anna Rose Carter – My Piano Is Broken
Peter Broderick – Intake Part 2
Max Richter – Journey 5
Max Richter – Journey 3
Louisville – Forest
Adam Williams and Leonardo Rosado – What Has Gone is Lost Forever
Fieldhead – Planks of Wood
Hummingbird – Uncertainty in Copenhagen (Unreleased Edit)
Hessien – A Letter from Engels (Japser TX Remix)
Foxes in Fiction – Basement Window
Male – House of Ride
Field Rotation – Never Build A Bridge Into Nothingness
Evan Caminiti – Westward Sun
Damian Valles – Ground Truth
Clem Leek – The Burnt Home
Nest – Trans Siberian
Mains de Givre – Un Choeur Dames en Detresse
Scott Tuma &amp; Mike Weis – Rubadub
Noveller – Fades
Aaron Martin – Kept Ashes
Field Rotation – Acoustic Tale 4

In capable hands, music is never just about sound, it is also about ideas. So even if Hummingbird’s debut album on Fluid Audio sold out its strictly limited 100-copy-print-run in less than 24 hours, with no digital release to compensate those missing out, it still makes sense to talk about it…

Far from representing another predictable foray into the realms of Modern Classical, “Our Fearful Symmetry”, after all, combines the minimal melodicism and chambermusical settings of the genre with deep structures, dense textures and dreamy tonalities, intriguingly hinting at Drones, Ambient and Micronoise. It is a combination which clearly extends beyond tentative previous engagements of the genre with beats and Electronica and yet feels entirely natural and organic.

A coherent entity of luxurious packaging and music (“Knowing each one has been hand-stamped makes it all the more special”, according to the artist), “Our Fearful Symmetry” however doesn’t want to be understood as headline-grabbing and “progressive”, but as a private and intimate work. This, for one, explains, why Hummingbird has decided to remain anonymous and let the music do the talking. And it also points to why it may be interesting to read this interview, despite the music no longer being available: Even though the actual sounds will only be audible for a lucky few, the ideas behind them have remained almost universally relevant.

“Our Fearful Symmetry“ embeds elements from the realms of Sound Art into the Modern Classical genre. How did the idea come up?

It evolved from existing work and sketches of sound and field recordings that I’d collated over the course of this year and also the approach from Fluid Audio for a possible release. Working within guidelines for this project was something I didn’t want to be constrained by. Ultimately the sound encompasses the “modern classical” sound but there’s enough digression on the album to single it out and subsequently spread it over sub-genres. I set out planning this album by making adjustments for a totally different situation from the usual musical environment I work in with a variation of granular, texture and live instrumentation – the end result is a combination of the above. There wasn’t a real emphasis on the arrangements but there was a focus to create sound, depth and consciousness with instrumentation.

What’s your perspective on the recent surge in Modern Classical releases in general?

I’m not a believer in “branding” and if something can be achieved outside the usual confines and still have an impact, albeit positive then it must say something about the product. In relation to the recent surge in the “modern classical” style of release it would appear as in every genre of every category of music there’s been an abundance of music being created by people in general, not just “modern classical”. There’s a lot of able musicians out there producing this style which is understandable because technology progresses and makes it even more accessible to produce live sound with synthetic sound – unfortunately a lot of music gets left unnoticed and absorbed into an empty space.

How did you approach the album in practise?

I approached it from all angles, working out which ideas worked best was part of the process. A typical example would be on the song “The Little Green Box” where the melody was recorded live and layered several times to create the effect of simultaneous instruments being played together. Once the basic elements were present in the melodic layer, sounds were then created around that detail. It didn’t work in that way for every song, sometimes the opposite approach would be taken where the stripped-down piece would evolve from field recordings and static elements.

The instrumental pieces were recorded using mics and pickups and the signals were rendered and processed using a sequencing software. Some parts were played live, some recorded and processed as looped pieces to create a circular feeling of sound. Almost all the texture and layered parts have been rendered, resampled, processed and arranged using an electronic form to bring about the “modern” elements on the album.

Fore- and background seem very closely connected to the point of being impossible to separate. Was this a conscious decision?

I wanted to bring about an obscurity of sound on the album. When listening in-depth there’s fragments of detail inside the more obvious sounds, maybe subconsciously I wanted it to be equivocal, this is what it appears to have turned into. I prefer working with a dense, textured sound, I find more inspiration from the wide-open, immersive spaces in music rather than trying to find movement from a transparent, one-sided sound.

Individual tracks are mostly short and sweet and the album as a whole really connects – something a lot of comparable releases seem to be lacking. How did you balance and shape the work into a coherent, fluent journey?

Each song was created with a plan for it to appear on the album and each composition was made with continuity with a different theme for this reason. The track-lengths weren’t thought out as they evolved, the work just developed into what you hear on the album. The balance needed to be fluent but also recognised and separated by individual sound and feeling. There are quieter moments and slightly louder pieces on the album that are more foreboding than others. I guess this is what makes it all the more coherent.

I’m assuming the title is a direct reference to Blake. What’s the connection?

There’s no connection to Blake, the title is based on people’s fear and their symmetrical opinions which are sometimes viewed as perfection and/or faultlessness. People base their judgement on these things and not what’s within the innermost of the person. Quite shallow and concerning, but that’s people for you!

Fluid Audio have already expressed their desire for more material by Hummingbird. Are you already planning a follow-up?

I’d like very much to work on more Hummingbird compositions for Fluid Audio, there are other projects lined up for other people and labels which may take priority but this is a distinct possibility in the very near future, yes indeed.

Interview compiled by Tobias Fischer for Tokafi Magazine

Much sure to check out lot’s more great music content on the Tokafi web site here

www.tokafi.com
www.fluidaudio.co.uk

Over the last week or so we have received some wonderful reviews for Hummingbird’s ‘Our Fearful Symmetry’….

I’ll confess my curiosity is piqued when a release appears that’s credited to a “well-known composer who wishes to remain anonymous,” as the press info accompanying Hummingbird’s Our Fearful Symmetry declares. In a haunting collection predicated upon side-stepping the cult of personality, this latest release from the Fluid Audio imprint presents eleven meditative, absorbing set-pieces in the electronic-classical genre that paint their evocative pictures with concision. The material is by turns portentous, brooding, pensive, soothing, turbulent, and unsettling, not to mention atmospheric in the extreme, with all sounds, whether they’re piano, electronics, speaking voices, static, white noise, nature-based field recordings, or strings, steeped in reverb and rendered faded by the imagined passage of time.

The album begins on a deeply plaintive note with “Uncertainty in Copenhagen” wherein somber piano melodies appear amidst cellos and faint electronic flickering. “The Little Green Box” cultivates a mood of child-like reverie in its splashes of string plucks and music box-like sparkle; while the piece initially appears to meander, a general shape gradually begins to come into focus as its multiple elements cohere. In “Sketch of the Mythology,” droplets of piano appear alongside the vibrato of electronic cellos and silken exhalations of a choir, while the peaceful “Defining Space” opts for softly whistling ambient ripples of processed materials. Yes, it’s an album that seamlessly slots itself into the ambient soundscaping genre, and the material does suggest kinship with the works of Max Richter, Library Tapes, and Peter Broderick, but it’s no less engaging for doing so. Our Fearful Symmetry is available in a limited edition of 100 letter-pressed copies with each accompanied by a 1940s Polaroid slide. – Textura

……………………………………………………..

Hummingbird’s “Our Fearful Symmetry” is an album of incredible poise, precision and elegance. From the opening notes of piano-led ‘Uncertainty in Copenhagen’ to the final decaying haze of “Garden of Secrets” there is not a phrase, sound, or idea out of place. It is evident, even on a first listen, that the musical mind behind Hummingbird had an inordinately clear vision of what this album was to sound like – each track has been put together with a diamond cutter’s eye for detail.

The tracks that make up the album are pared back to bare bones but remain remarkably and resoundingly complete. “Sketch of the Mythology”, for example, over the course of its brief 3 ½ minute duration, is at once wistful and grand. A pensive cello carves out a quintessentially mournful phrase which, delicately accentuated by simple touches of piano, gives way in the middle of the track to lulling washes of voice. Gradually the cello returns with what could be the sound of crickets or the whirring of a broken tape player. The effect is oddly nostalgic and ghostly– like revisiting a, now abandoned, childhood home.

“The little green box”, another stand-out tune, takes a music-box melody slowly being unwound and carefully sets it against a subdued and diffuse arpeggio before allowing the delicate structure to break down and reform in a different guise, bathed in warm vinyl crackle. The unfurling melodies and depth of production on this track alone would make this an album worth owning – yet a similar level of quality can be found across all 11 pieces here.

On “Starfish Seastar”, the listener is carried along on echoing, widescreen piano notes and snatches of doleful strings within an enveloping cloud of reverb. This is music of an unhurriedly assured modesty – it is not pretending to grandeur but nor is it shying away from distinction. An imperturbable balance is struck.

Throughout “Our Fearful Symmetry” we hear pianos, cellos, undefined humming pads, snatches of conversation, vinyl pops – the elements are, no doubt, familiar to fans of electronically-tinged modern classical sounds, but there is something just right about their use here. Rarely are such commonly used ingredients put together so expertly in a single track – how much more rare to hear this level of expertise across an entire album?

Hummingbird’s marriage of restrained classicism and contemporary electronic atmospheric manipulation means that “Our Fearful Symmetry” is very much a record of the moment – the ambient/electro-acoustic scene abounds with artists mining the same vein of inspiration – however, while many acts aspire to the creation of reminiscence-evoking beauty it is an uncommon achievement. The artist behind Hummingbird accomplishes a startling ubiquity of grace throughout this album and though it is a debut outing for the project, the strength of the material and its connotative power betray the unmistakable hand of a master at work. – John McCaffrey

……………………………………………………..

Its been a while since I had a chance to review anything from the Fluid Audio label so the chance to check out ‘Our Fearful Symmetry’ by Hummingbird was something of a long overdue treat. Rather than give myself a dedicated listening session this album became my walking companion over the last day or so as I moved around a bright and sunny yet somewhat quiet Sheffield (the students have gone home and Glastonbury seems to have beckoned the rest).

Its a striking collection, sparse and slightly otherworldly. The arrangements are largely minimal consisting of spacious piano arrangements, strings and a disparate array of varied percussive elements. The overrall mood is one that is rooted in melancholy but in this instance that’s no bad thing. Right from the opening track “Uncertainty In Copenhagen” we have gentile arrangements that really seek to draw the attention of the listener, listening to this on headphones does have the effect of making the everyday world become somewhat secondary. A sun drenched day in a slightly underpopulated city suddenly becomes akin to being the last man on Earth. The skittish found sounds that fall into place behind the musical arrangements are the aural equivalent of something playing across the edge of your field of vision. Intriguing stuff indeed.

Its an unusual soundtrack for these balmy sunny days but trust me its a worthwhile one. – Adrian Carter 020 Magazine

……………………………………………………..

Sometimes, all it takes is one moment in music, a specific sound, a sliver of a piano note, a shimmer of guitar, where the listener is, at once, completely taken over…

An unassuming sound creates a moment of clarity for the listener and from that moment, the listener is transfixed on the music, a sense of bewilderment overwhelms them, and they are beholden to the album until it finally ends. Hummingbird, the nom de plume of an otherwise well-known composer, of whom very little is known, creates many of these moments throughout Our Fearful Symmetry, and at each, wonder abounds.

Upon pressing play, “Uncertainty in Copenhagen” lulls the listener into the minute intricacies of the sustained notes of piano, which find their way through the current of strings gliding fluidly around the piece. The listener continues to be drawn in further from the ominous plucks of “Seeds of Deception” to the sparse notes of “The Little Green Box”. Each sound emitted sends the listener off on tangents of introspection, allowing them to move effortlessly from place to place, in tune with one’s physical surroundings as well as the space surrounding the sounds.

Most of the pieces on Our Fearful Symmetry are built around subtle string arrangements that become entangled in a string of piano notes, odd field recordings, as on “Thoughts in the Head” where I could swear there was the sound of a clanging buoy gently rocking on the sea, and other minimal electronic textures that add to the wonderful use of space on each of the pieces presented here.

The listener is never overwhelmed, and instead, is given space to breathe and absorb, before returning to soak in the ever-expanding sea of sounds. On “Defining Space”, Hummingbird does just that for the listener, which is a microcosm of the album as a whole, creating a place in order for the listener to exist and giving that place meaning or definition.

This album is truly a wonder and as it is limited to 100 copies, those lucky enough to secure a copy will bask in its beauty for a long time. – Michael Vitrano

Aliases are not a new concept – but the increasing cult of personality surrounding modern music, and the Amway-esque need to tie recorded output to a brand or package has certainly seen a rise in the use of them in recent years…

Sold Out

Hummingbird (not to be confused with the 70’s band of the same name) is the non de plume of an otherwise well known composer behind the album “Our Fearful Symmetry”, which defines elements within the modern classical genre. It includes subtle string arrangements mixed with echoes of piano notes, fused with hallmarks of the electro-acoustic genre – waves of static, white noise and field recordings tangle with layers of fragmented texture that create both the foreground and background.

From the sparse nature of opening track “Uncertainty in Copenhagen”, the album leads into a myriad spectrum of haunting environments both soothing and unsettling — a reflection of the modern neurosis that albums like “OK Computer” documented, and the veins that artists Max Richter, Peter Broderick and Machinefabriek continue to mine.

Hummingbird treads carefully on the line of fact and fiction, creating a solace of sound by both live instrumentation and automated means. “Our Fearful Symmetry” reveals beautiful and thought-provoking music, dizzying and imaginative in detail which will impart a self-conscious resonance into any listener.

Listeners drawn to the mysterious nature of the project will soon find themselves rewarded with a cohesive journey through 11 tracks that reward repeated visits, with rich reverbed soundscapes that are both familiar and distant. One can only hope that the person behind the veil continues to toil in obscurity to bring more of such material to the surface (even if it remains unattributed).

“Our Fearful Symmetry” comes packaged in handmade, letter-pressed sleeves. Each issue is accompanied with an original photographic polaroid slide, dating back to the 1940’s. The release is limited to one hundred copies and will not be made available digitally.

Track List:

Uncertainty in Copenhagen
Seeds of Deception
The Little Green Box
Sketch of the Mythology
Eemina
Florian
Thoughts in the Head
Starfish Seastar
Defining Space
The Making of a Revolution
Garden of Secrets

Reviews:

Hummingbird’s “Our Fearful Symmetry” is an album of incredible poise, precision and elegance. From the opening notes of piano-led ‘Uncertainty in Copenhagen’ to the final decaying haze of “Garden of Secrets” there is not a phrase, sound, or idea out of place. It is evident, even on a first listen, that the musical mind behind Hummingbird had an inordinately clear vision of what this album was to sound like – each track has been put together with a diamond cutter’s eye for detail.

The tracks that make up the album are pared back to bare bones but remain remarkably and resoundingly complete. “Sketch of the Mythology”, for example, over the course of its brief 3 ½ minute duration, is at once wistful and grand. A pensive cello carves out a quintessentially mournful phrase which, delicately accentuated by simple touches of piano, gives way in the middle of the track to  lulling washes of  voice. Gradually the cello returns with what could be the sound of crickets or the whirring of a broken tape player. The effect is oddly nostalgic and ghostly– like revisiting a, now abandoned, childhood home.

“The little green box”, another stand-out tune, takes a music-box melody slowly being unwound and carefully sets it against a subdued and diffuse arpeggio before allowing the delicate structure to break down and reform in a different guise, bathed in warm vinyl crackle. The unfurling melodies and depth of production on this track alone would make this an album worth owning – yet a similar level of quality can be found across all 11 pieces here.

On “Starfish Seastar”, the listener is carried along on echoing, widescreen piano notes and snatches of doleful strings within an enveloping cloud of reverb.  This is music of an unhurriedly assured modesty – it is not pretending to grandeur but nor is it shying away from distinction. An imperturbable balance is struck.

Throughout “Our Fearful Symmetry” we hear pianos, cellos, undefined humming pads, snatches of conversation, vinyl pops – the elements are, no doubt, familiar to fans of electronically-tinged modern classical sounds, but there is something just right about their use here. Rarely are such commonly used ingredients put together so expertly in a single track – how much more rare to hear this level of expertise across an entire album?

Hummingbird’s marriage of restrained classicism and contemporary electronic atmospheric manipulation means that “Our Fearful Symmetry” is very much a record of the moment – the ambient/electro-acoustic scene abounds with artists mining the same vein of inspiration – however, while many acts aspire to the creation of reminiscence-evoking beauty it is an uncommon achievement. The artist behind Hummingbird accomplishes a startling ubiquity of grace throughout this album and though it is a debut outing for the project, the strength of the material and its connotative power betray the unmistakable hand of a master at work. – John McCaffrey

Its been a while since I had a chance to review anything from the Fluid Audio label so the chance to check out ‘Our Fearful Symmetry’ by Hummingbird was something of a long overdue treat. Rather than give myself a dedicated listening session this album became my walking companion over the last day or so as I moved around a bright and sunny yet somewhat quiet Sheffield (the students have gone home and Glastonbury seems to have beckoned the rest).

Its a striking collection, sparse and slightly otherworldly. The arrangements are largely minimal consisting of spacious piano arrangements, strings and a disparate array of varied percussive elements. The overrall mood is one that is rooted in melancholy but in this instance that’s no bad thing. Right from the opening track “Uncertainty In Copenhagen” we have gentile arrangements that really seek to draw the attention of the listener, listening to this on headphones does have the effect of making the everyday world become somewhat secondary. A sun drenched day in a slightly underpopulated city suddenly becomes akin to being the last man on Earth. The skittish found sounds that fall into place behind the musical arrangements are the aural equivalent of something playing across the edge of your field of vision. Intriguing stuff indeed.

Its an unusual soundtrack for these balmy sunny days but trust me its a worthwhile one. – Adrian Carter

Sometimes, all it takes is one moment in music, a specific sound, a sliver of a piano note, a shimmer of guitar, where the listener is, at once, completely taken over…

An unassuming sound creates a moment of clarity for the listener and from that moment, the listener is transfixed on the music, a sense of bewilderment overwhelms them, and they are beholden to the album until it finally ends. Hummingbird, the nom de plume of an otherwise well-known composer, of whom very little is known, creates many of these moments throughout Our Fearful Symmetry, and at each, wonder abounds.

Upon pressing play, “Uncertainty in Copenhagen” lulls the listener into the minute intricacies of the sustained notes of piano, which find their way through the current of strings gliding fluidly around the piece. The listener continues to be drawn in further from the ominous plucks of “Seeds of Deception” to the sparse notes of “The Little Green Box”. Each sound emitted sends the listener off on tangents of introspection, allowing them to move effortlessly from place to place, in tune with one’s physical surroundings as well as the space surrounding the sounds.

Most of the pieces on Our Fearful Symmetry are built around subtle string arrangements that become entangled in a string of piano notes, odd field recordings, as on “Thoughts in the Head” where I could swear there was the sound of a clanging buoy gently rocking on the sea, and other minimal electronic textures that add to the wonderful use of space on each of the pieces presented here.

The listener is never overwhelmed, and instead, is given space to breathe and absorb, before returning to soak in the ever-expanding sea of sounds. On “Defining Space”, Hummingbird does just that for the listener, which is a microcosm of the album as a whole, creating a place in order for the listener to exist and giving that place meaning or definition.

This album is truly a wonder and as it is limited to 100 copies, those lucky enough to secure a copy will bask in its beauty for a long time. – Michael Vitrano

This is the Second Edition of my “Gesammelte Werke” instalment, exclusively mixed for Fluid Radio/Audio…

Thanks to all the artists for their wonderful pieces of music (and thanks for the permission to use them in this mix) – I think
it is a wonderful mixture of up and coming experimental classical works of electroacoustic nature. – Christoph (Field Rotation)

Track List:

00:00 – 07:40
“Recuerdos” by Murcof
07:41 – 12:30
“Far From Land” by Nest
12:31 – 20:05
“Oraison” by Olivier Messiaen
20:06 – 24:17
“Heaven is violent” by Tanner Menard
24:18 – 31:37
“Poems written by an old (prepared) Piano” by Christoph Berg
31:38 – 35:30
“A Film by Danny Norbury” by Ian Hawgood
35:31 – 40:07
“Gayane” by Aram Khatchaturian
40:08 – 44:44
“Acoustic Tale 9 (dedicated to Sergei Rachmaninoff) by Field Rotation
44:45 – 53:54
“Gossan” by Clouwbeck
53:55 – 58:33
“For” by Tomasz Bednarczyk & Nejmano
58:34 – 1:03:33
“Bevegende Rytmer” by Biosphere
1:03:34 – 1:10:32
“Tides of gravity” by Tanner Menard
1:10:33 – 1:13:50
“La Fin De Tout” by Antonymes

www.myspace.com/fieldrotation
www.fieldrotation.de
www.electroacoustictales.wordpress.com

With the new Hessien release ‘Obelisk’ soon to be available on Fluid Audio we thought you may like to know that there recent project ‘Skurjn’ is now available in digital format….

Digital release of ‘Skurjn’ by Hessien — originally released on 29 January 2010 and available in limited edition 8cm cd packaged in cork sleeves and stitched by hand. The cork for the packaging was gathered from a sustainable source. The paper parts printed on recycled paper stock.

Grab the digital version here
Some physical copies of ‘Skurjn’ may still exist at Norman Records

www.hessien.net
www.handstitched.net
www.handstitched.bandcamp.com