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viewing 1 To 25 of 29 items
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HOMEN 112CD
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Following on from 2017's heralded Killing Ghosts (HOMEN 091CD), as well his most recent collaboration with Stijn Hüwels as Silent Vigils, Fieldem (HOMEN 111CD, 2018), James Murray presents the long-player Falling Backwards. With a focus on childhood memories and the literal act of letting go, Falling Backwards is his most personal release to date. With its warbled tones and fractured melodies, it makes you feel as if you are in the midst of experience a pure science fiction; happily, and playfully lost in some other world. Falling Backwards is an album of incredible strength and hope, of personal tribulation and yet also triumph. It is a natural arc to the work of Killing Ghosts as it breaks the barrier of things hidden and withdrawn, and shouts from the rooftops with its forceful awakening as the album evolves. It is an electronic masterpiece, yet you would be hard-pressed to use the term "ambient" here as it does not attempt to hide in the shadows.
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HOMEN 111CD
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Silent Vigils is the work of Stijn Hüwels and James Murray. James Murray will be well known to many for his highly celebrated works, including Killing Ghosts (HOMEN 091CD, 2017) as well the Slowcraft label which he curates. Stijn Hüwels is the curator of the Slaapwel label, and his work with James as Silent Vigils marks the first in a series of collaborations. Their work as Silent Vigils is so delicate, slow-burning and powerful in spirit that the very name they use for this project is just so fitting. The word "vigil" naturally leads to a concept of reflection and one of being quietly awake and on "watch" during the night. The music reflects this idea so perfectly, with its quietude, patience, and a feeling of nocturnal devotion. Such ambiguous terms could be used for almost any ambient works of course, but few records leave one with such a powerful sense of deep spiritual awareness and contemplative unknowing. This is reflected as well in the track titles; "Molenbrook", "Mossigwell", "Zwartewall", and "Fieldem". These are places neither here nor there, half in the world, half in the mind.
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HOMEN 105CD
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Stefano Guzzetti released his solo piano debut At Home. Piano Book Volume One on Home Normal in 2014. The release led to an unbridled love affair between Stefano and Japan, leading to a few tours since and a great affinity for his wondrous and sensitive compositions. Stefano has since blossomed into one of the most respected composers around, and his quartet has become very sought-after as they perform around the world. But Stefano himself hasn't release a solo piano album since his release on Home Normal in 2014, and that he finally sat down for some beautifully close-mic'd, late night piano pieces to follow on from his first Piano Book is a real privilege; reminding everyone of just what a magical talent he is and how powerful the music of one person behind such a simple instrument as the piano can truly be.
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HOMEN 102CD
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The first collaborative release by Ian Hawgood and Danny Norbury. Some might be very surprised that this is their first release as they've been friends and long-time collaborators for many years. Faintly Recollected is an original single long track (33 minutes) edited by Stefano Guzzetti thereafter. Danny played cello and Ian played and processed Hokema Sansula kalimba ambient tones as well as looping and editing on the recordings onto reels. The resulting album is minimal but so elegant. The graceful cello by Danny is epic as it slowly opens up the deep darkness as reflected through the perfectly matching imagery of the cover photo by Eirik Holmøyvik. This is the music for everyone who wants to enjoy the quietness and calm of hidden moments.
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HOMEN 094CD
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Consequence Shadows marks the first collaboration between Ian Hawgood and Giulio Aldinucci after years of development. Consequence Shadows was initially termed "snow sketches" as they shared files back and forth. This working name for each piece (each noted as parts one to five in their correspondence) has lent heavily to the overall feel, highlighting the imbued sense of fragility in the subtle melodies as they evolve through the field-recorded white noise frequencies throughout. Upon diving into these depths, you'll discover a world beyond; a world of calm surface but an unknown entity below. Whilst Consequence Shadows will no doubt be (rightly) marked as an ambient work, the pieces stretch genre definitions as they converse with submerged beats, freckled frequencies, guitar echoes, direct vocal studies, and sustained piano chords, among many other directions. The closing piece is the nearly twenty minute beautifully epic reworking of "Other Ashes" by Belgian artist Stijn Hüwels.
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HOMEN 096CD
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Ghost And Tape's fourth studio album Vár is a beautiful organic electronic meditation on the power of nature. Following on from his albums for Akira Kosemura's superb Schole label, Vár was mastered by James Plotkin and features cover photography by Hitoshi Ishihara.
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HOMEN 106EP
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One-off collaboration between New York's live band Sontag Shogun and Japan's wistful minimal electronic songstress, Moskitoo. The double A side presents a unique take on post-classical, as piano and vocals are treated through various tape and electronic processing forms a remarkable minimal work of evocative beauty. Mastered by Lawrence English. Features cover art using the sculpture work of Stephen Somple.
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HOMEN 088CD
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Attachment, originally released as a CDr through Eilean Rec. in 2016, was Jason van Wyk's first foray into an ambient/post-classical piano cross-over, and it was met with acclaim, selling out of its limited edition immediately. Quite apart from being a breath of fresh air with its flowing and soulful piano elements, the sound design and lush melodious pads will have you absolutely hooked. After creating a very clean master of Attachment, Home Normal label head Ian Hawgood felt there was another layer to be told in the work, with its close recording techniques, dusty piano tones, and overall warmth. After inviting Jason to release his follow-up on Home Normal, they also agreed that a complete remaster using tapes would be a lovely way of approaching Attachment again.
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HOMEN 089CD
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Jason van Wyk is a South African artist who has been releasing electronic music since the tender age of just 14. Whilst he continues to be known for this work, his most recent output has seen him focus on his beautiful piano playing, intertwined with his subtle sound design and wide-open soundscapes. After having the great fortune to master 2016's Attachment originally released on Eilean Rec. (HOMEN 088CD, 2017), Home Normal have invited him to release a follow-up. After a year in careful development, the result is Opacity. It is hard to describe Jason's latest album in anything other than superlatives. It is an album of such incredible beauty, patience, openness, soul, and subtlety, that it's hard to think of a comparative album by anyone, on any label, that comes close to the calming serenity of Opacity. Whilst this might seem like hyperbole to some, just sit down, let go, and listen to this pure work of art. Jason has created an album that is timeless and bold; a freeing work of piano-focused tenderness, and huge luminous pads.
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HOMEN 101CD
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Dietro A Un Vetro is the debut album from Giulio Fagiolini. Giulio's calm and short piano sketches may easily take you to Japan; they instantly feel innocent, clean, pure, and wistful. Perhaps the most instant reference point would be Joe Hisaishi. For those that don't know, Joe Hisaishi is the composer for almost all of the Hayao Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli films. The music is so simple, so direct, and just so childlike; it imbues the films with a certain old-world (or at least, not of this modern world anyway) innocence. The line between sickly-sweet and this is very fine indeed, but Joe Hisaishi always matches the mood and gets just the right amount of innocence in such a beautifully restrained way. To say the music of Giulio Fagiolini might leave you with the same feeling as Hisaishi's music is all you need to know, hopefully. In an age of innate greediness and willingness to use an instrument or genre to soullessly pilfer, Dietro A Un Vetro is incredibly refreshing. It's simple, pure, direct, and innocent. The power of music to remind one that there is something so pure, despite all the grime, is a bit of a revelation really.
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HOMEN 104CD
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Ian Hawgood and Wil Bolton started collaborating almost eight years ago, yet Transparencies marks only their first full album release. Utilizing piano, guitar, glockenspiel, flute, vocals, and found sounds, the album contains the fragile yet melodious nature that both artists have become known for. Following on from Wil's own Bokeh release (2014), Transparencies features cover art by Hitoshi Ishihara and package design by Christian Roth.
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HOMEN 090CD
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David Toop's first album, New And Rediscovered Musical Instruments, was released on Eno's Obscure label in 1975; since 1995 he has released six solo albums and curated five acclaimed CD compilations for Virgin Records. Toop has recorded shamanistic ceremonies in Amazonas (SR 379CD/LP, 2015), appeared on Top Of The Pops with The Flying Lizards, worked with musicians including Brian Eno, John Zorn, Prince Far I, and Jon Hassell, and collaborated with artists from many other disciplines, including theater director/actor Steven Berkoff, Japanese Butoh dancer Mitsutaka Ishii, sound poet Bob Cobbing, visual artist John Latham, filmmaker Jaeeun Choi, and author Jeff Noon. Skin Tones is a recording of a collaborative live performance by Ken Ikeda and David Toop. Recorded at Iklectik Art Lab, London on May 22nd, 2016, Skin Tones is a 27 minute piece that features steel guitar, flutes, DX synthesizer, and a variety of objects.
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HOMEN 091CD
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In 2012, James Murray released what was to become a bit of a seminal work in the highly praised Floods. He has since released superb records on a number of labels such as Hibernate, Eilean, VoxxoV, as well as a recent return to the Ultimae label. On Killing Ghosts, James presents a truly perfect melding of exquisite sub-bass melodies under a surface of playful tones and fractured rhythms. The album itself has a feel of slow change and evolution as it journeys from the melodiously open electronica of "Footsteps" and slowly down the rabbit hole as it waves you out with tracks such as "Allways" and "Living Ghosts". The work embodies everything that is great about the work of this enormously talented artist, as beyond its catchy entrance points, it is possibly one of the best examples of pure sound design Home Normal have released. Such a combination of melody and careful design takes a huge amount of skill, care, and patience - a genuine highlight in Home Normal's eight years as a label.
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HOMEN 100CD
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Home Normal label head Ian Hawgood describes recording Love Retained: "Love Retained is a series of mostly piano sketches I made which I had intended for collaboration. The recordings are simply tracked to cassette, and contain no editing or mastering, so you know, filled with 'mistakes'. They are pieces I found really enjoyable to make, and I have increasingly enjoyed looping on low levels at night, or when the mind wonders/wanders. They are incomplete and yet it feels right for me to give this to friends, family, and anyone else that this connects to in some way. The incompletion is a beautiful and freeing thing. This release marks my first and last solo release on the label I founded with my friend Ben [Jones] many moons ago, and also marks me fully stepping down from the label after returning for a bit in 2016."
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HOMEN 076CD
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Kaskelot is one of Tobias Hellkvist's little known releases which first appeared on Home Normal's sub-label Tokyo Droning back in 2011. Being a Japan-exclusive, it was incredibly limited and has long been sold out. After many years of discussing a reissue of Kaskelot, Home Normal decided to expand on the original, and developed a list of remixers to expand on the original pieces which have since been remastered. In Offthesky and Segue, are two dear friends of the label and also the two artists that opened the Tokyo Droning label. Many will know of the work of Chihei Hatakeyama. Other great artists such as Steve Pacheco, Simon Bainton, Porya Hatami, and Chris Herbert also provide remixes. The original EP was a departure for Tobias with a more direct melodic approach. Being improvised and recorded during one late night at Sundlaugin in Reykjavik, Iceland in 2011, Tobias directly recorded piano, vibraphone, pump organ, guitar, pedal steel, loops, and percussion for a more natural and open sound. These original four pieces have been remastered in conjunction with the remixes.
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HOMEN 093CD
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Vesterhavet was the first proper full-length album from Swedish electro-acoustic composer Tobias Hellkvist since his two landmark releases on Home Normal - 2010's Evolutions and 2012's Everything Is Connected. Vesterhavet, in many ways, picks up where his last full-length left off almost four years ago. After self-releasing a five track version of the album in March 2016, Home Normal came together with Tobias and decided to provide a physical release of the album. This extended issue of Verterhavet partners the reissue of Kaskelot (HOMEN 076CD) perfectly as it highlights the breadth of his work, from the beautifully direct melodies of Kaskelot, to the massive sounding layers of subtle melody that lie in Vesterhavet.
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HOMEN 095CD
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"I don't like work - no man does - but I like what is in the work - the chance to find yourself. Your own reality - for yourself not for others - what no other man can ever know. They can only see the mere show, and never can tell what it really means." Home Normal label curator Ian Hawgood discusses the Mere trilogy: "In 2012, Mere very kindly asked me to master their debut album Mere for Gizeh Records (GZH 038CD). Made up of Gareth Davis (bass clarinet), Thomas Cruijsen (guitar), and Leo Fabriek (drums), I was given due notice that the album was a live recording of improvised free jazz, so basically pretty wild in every facet. As a long term friend and collaborator, I thought I knew what to expect from a Gareth Davis related project: namely, the unexpected! As the first of a three part live recording, I was desperate to hear the full works in all their glory. Gareth, Thomas, and Leo duly sent over the two remaining parts - Mere II and III (HOMEN 079CD) - and alongside cover art by Frederic D. Oberland, they complete the Mere trilogy to beautiful effect. To say this is a privilege for Home Normal to be releasing them would be a huge understatement. It has taken almost three years to get to the point of release. Beyond the intricacies of the interplay, and subtleties of incredible musicianship, the albums as a whole represent a unique long-form experience which is both deep within and far beyond our selves; the perfect antithesis to the diagnosis of modern-day apathy." Obi credit strip; Hand-embossed printing; unique vintage large format negative; Includes download code.
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HOMEN 079CD
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"I don't like work - no man does - but I like what is in the work - the chance to find yourself. Your own reality - for yourself not for others - what no other man can ever know. They can only see the mere show, and never can tell what it really means." Home Normal label curator Ian Hawgood discusses the Mere trilogy: "In 2012, Mere very kindly asked me to master their debut album Mere for Gizeh Records (GZH 038CD). Made up of Gareth Davis (bass clarinet), Thomas Cruijsen (guitar), and Leo Fabriek (drums), I was given due notice that the album was a live recording of improvised free jazz, so basically pretty wild in every facet. As a long term friend and collaborator, I thought I knew what to expect from a Gareth Davis related project: namely, the unexpected! As the first of a three part live recording, I was desperate to hear the full works in all their glory. Gareth, Thomas, and Leo duly sent over the two remaining parts - Mere II (HOMEN 095CD) and III - and alongside cover art by Frederic D. Oberland, they complete the Mere trilogy to beautiful effect. To say this is a privilege for Home Normal to be releasing them would be a huge understatement. It has taken almost three years to get to the point of release. Beyond the intricacies of the interplay, and subtleties of incredible musicianship, the albums as a whole represent a unique long-form experience which is both deep within and far beyond our selves; the perfect antithesis to the diagnosis of modern-day apathy." Obi credit strip; Hand-embossed printing; unique vintage large format negative; Includes download code.
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HOMEN 078CD
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Moritz Leppers, the man behind the Altars Altars moniker, makes music using a variety of instruments running through his faithful, old reel-to-reel machine. Much has been made of reel-to-reel in recent years, but when you come across an artist who uses its limitations and beautiful randomness to such effect, it's deeply stirring. It is very refreshing to hear someone who makes simple, melodic, and inherently soulful ambient music, and it is a reminder of how rare it is to listen to such music and really feel connected when people play around far too much with computers, software, and plug-ins. Taking a few steps back and letting the music breath in such an organic way really has a truly deep meaning. Mastered by Ian Hawgood. Photography by Dominic Kreutzer. Design by Christian Roth and Ian Hawgood. Edition of 500.
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HOMEN 067CD
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In 2012, Giulio Aldinucci released Tarsia on Nomadic Kids Republic to critical acclaim. Follow-up Goccia takes a rather thunderous step in the direction of a bang-on classic with one of the most complete, catchy, and ambitious albums heard in a long time. Balancing organic layers with some fantastic melodic synth hooks, flying straight through a maze of frequencies from drones, bleeps, bloops, background music, jingles, jangles, gut-punching subs, and whatever else he can. Features vocals by Nadia Bredice. Mastering and design by Ian Hawgood. Cover art by Peter Nejedly. Comes in a portrait style matte card digipak with hand-embossed printing. Edition of 500.
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HOMEN 086CD
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Asuna's Tide Ripples is a completely different beast than anything else on Home Normal. In collaboration with the beautiful vocals of Rima Kato, Tide Ripples is melodic and shows a playful use of guitar with minimal effects. It is a very direct album, retaining a tender purity which doesn't happen often given the recent output of over-produced records. This is probably the purest and most accessible, soulful album Home Normal have ever had the fortune of releasing.
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HOMEN 085CD
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Home Normal present this collective work with artists who have inspired the label since their earliest days, spent wandering record stores in Tokyo, to the present, as rough-and-ready supporters of new and imaginative artists. Rough Imaginary features tracks from ISAN, Paco Sala, R Elizabeth and A New Line (Related). It's a summation of everything Home Normal have tried to do since 2009, as well as a playful dance into the future.
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HOMEN 071CD
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Tiny Birds is the new work by Marc Ostermeier, the co-founder of Words On Music and the Tench record label. He defines much of his music as being "skeletal piano melodies" which seems pretty accurate given the sparse nature of Tiny Birds. Yet, amongst the gorgeous little melodies at play here, there is a careful depth of sound design from a variety of found sounds and field recordings. Apart from the simplicity of his piano structures, there is a tellingly beautiful contribution from violinist Christoph Berg.
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HOMEN 047CD
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Edition of 500. Four-panel recycled card package with additional eight-page inlay featuring photography by Juan A. Romero and unique artwork and design by Sr. Gómez and Srta. Swallow.
"Each piece of this album unfolds his wander through the Spanish coast where the musician meticulously recorded the unique and familiar sound of the water -- sometimes in a bright, evanescent way; others as a hypnotic spell -- which he completed once in the studio with pianos and guitars in a delicate interpretation. During the field recordings by the sea, wandering the shores of his country, David Cordero was surely searching for the healing of contemplation and that's the reason why every piece has crystallized in its title the name and image of a place, like a snapshot of the moment when he pressed play and rec. Perhaps, the last sunshine on the rocks of Bermeo, on the sands of San Sebastián and Mundaka have dictated him these beautiful, delicate strokes of instrumentation to match with the waves. This album is an invitation to travel to the seashores and start the adventure of looking at the sea as if it were for the first time, surrendered to a lonely and magical fascination." --Federico Durand
"The record emerges as a wish of wellness, the feeling of being at peace with myself and isolation. All of us confront the sea in different ways, being that not all the waves are the same. That is the starting point of this work; to render through these songs the healing impact the waves have on me when I face them. That's why I went on board with my friend Juan A. Romero on a trip through different beaches between Bizkaia and Cadiz, searching water sounds that would broadcast the emotions and memories to immerse in them. These recordings have dates, hours, and specific tides. Each song is a beach, a story, a different wave. El Rumor del Oleaje is what you hear when you close your eyes and you can submerge in yourself. I hope you like it." --David Cordero
Nacho García: piano (1, 2, 3) and keyboards (4, 6); Niño de Elche: voice (1); Gustavo Domínguez: bass clarinet (2, 3, 5); Moisés Alcántara: French horn (2, 3, 5); Marco Serrato: double bass (2); Rafael Femiano: electric guitar (4).
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HOMEN 070CD
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"The two go hand in hand like a dance: chance flirts with necessity, randomness with determinism. To be sure, it is from this interchange that novelty and creativity arise in Nature, thereby yielding unique forms and novel structures." --Eric Chaisson
"Random occurrences. Sunlight bursting through treetops. Accidental beauty. These things are not just confined to nature and landscape. Le Berger is Montreal native Samuel Landry. Deeply moved and inspired by Ithaca Trio's Music for Piano & Patience (Home Normal, 2013), he sought out to make new material, choosing to work with methods that he felt were similar. Unused guitar samples from fifteen years ago became the sole source material, providing the album with a wistful, folky kind of ambience. While ambient textures provide a blissfully drowsy background, the guitar evokes and mirrors the calm feeling of leaves rustling in the breeze, or light on the ocean exploding into millions of individual flecks as the waves come in to shore. As random as they may be, it never startles the listener. It is music mirroring life. A work born from a marriage of chance, randomness and composed elements, it results in Le Berger's most evocative and poetic work to date." --Fuzz Lee
Acoustic guitar and patience by Le Berger with the electric guitar help of Stefan Christoff on "sgfoj;dfsgoj;bdgafe." Mastered by Ian Hawgood. Cover photograph found by Samm Bennett; source and subject unknown. Glass-mastered CD in vintage-style leather matte case with litho-print recycled inlay and handmade washi insert. Edition of 500.
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