observatories (Ian Hawgood and Craig Tattersall) - frost forms (2023)

It gives me so much joy to announce that next in quiet details series is a collaboration from two of the finest musicians of our time, Ian Hawgood and Craig Tattersall, here as observatories.

This one is incredibly special to me for so many reasons - both of these artists have unparalleled bodies of work across disciplines - from Ian’s huge discography of music, his work as a mastering engineer and curating his ground-breaking label, Home Normal - to Craig’s equally stunning back catalogue of music and sound art as the humble bee, under his own name and in many collabs such as The Boats, The Remote Viewer and so many more, his seminal labels Cotton Goods, Moteer and Mobeer, and his stunning visual art.

These two are dear friends who are endlessly generous with their time and knowledge, it’s a true honour to know them and share their music.
It’s no exaggeration to say I’ve played their music more than anything else in recent years - both have taught me so much and quite literally changed the way I think about and listen to music.

This album, frost forms, is the next evolution after their first two observatories releases - their sensitivity and nuanced approach to every aspect of sound comes together here in the most beautiful way.

Both experts in the use of magnetic tape, wistful fraying piano loops combine with deeply textural field recordings and so many more harmonic fragments of unknown origin - melodic phrases fade in and out of view, microscopic elements appear from the ether and there is a mesmerising quality meaning you often find yourself in a beautiful and immersive new world without knowing quite how you got there.

Hypnotising and kaleidoscopic - the sense of space and depth is so organic, and gradual shifts in timbre and structure keep you entirely transfixed for the duration, and resonate long afterwards.

There’s a bravery and creativeness to their music constantly surprises - delicate, reflective and expertly crafted - everything in its right place and paced to perfection.

It’s my great pleasure to share this with you, so much respect and admiration for both of these artists - I’m sure you’ll love it as much as I do.

The artwork was made as always influenced by the music and idea behind the album - I hand-made paper sheets and dyed them with natural indigo, this was then collaged and captured using analogue photography. The resulting images were manipulated by hand and in various ways to arrive at the final artwork.

As usual, the album is presented on the physical edition, a custom 6-panel digipack with a separate fine art print too.