new release: Kiyoshi Mizutani - 'Onoji'

I'm very pleased to announce a new release by Kiyoshi Mizutani - field recordings from Onoji, Japan.




Mizutani has released several fantastic works in his career including 'scenery of a border' (and/oar) & 'Yokosawa-iri' (cmr).


His work is always fascinating for it's simple ability to capture personal moments of exploration and progress through the environment in question & 'Onoji' is another great addition to his discography.

The simplicity and clarity of his journey through Onoji is not affected by his use of wind noise, an issue on which he states: 'Certainly, wind noise often ruins a recording. However, I occasionally feel it is effective.I will not reproduce the reality. It is greatly different from the actual sound and the sound recorded through the microphones. Moreover, it is different to hear the recorded sound, and to hear the sound actually. When considering it like that, there is no distinction between wind noise and other recorded sound. The wind noise is felt as one of the effects. How to feel it is different for each person. Moreover, it depends on ones feelings at that time. I leave it to the person who hears it'


highly limited edition taiyo-yuden cdr mounted on oversized art card + additional postcard. Shipping of this release will begin 1st week of November 2009 - it is likely to sell out very quickly so do please get your order in early if you want to make sure you get one.

postage options

UK £8.00rest of world £10.00

the following images were taken by Kiyoshi Mizutani in situ:

New release: Catherine Kontz - 'canvas'

CATHERINE KONTZ - 'CANVAS'

. point engraved edition eg.p02

8cm cdr on printed art card in plastic sleeve. Limited edition.

1. T-Tree for piano solo (2008).
composed and performed by Catherine Kontz. (11:11)

2. Cahiers Trouvés for electric guitars and effects (2008).
composed by Catherine Kontz. Performed by Henri Växby. (9:24)

Both T-Tree and Cahiers Trouvés are part of a series of large-format ‘canvas-scores’ in which I explore different types of notation that leave the player a certain amount
of freedom and scope for spontaneity and creativity whilst keeping to the idiosyncratic
techniques and sounds of the instrument.

The score for T-Tree was a gift for my father on his 65th birthday.

Cahiers Trouvés was commissioned by Rational Rec and written for Henri Växby.“ (C.K.)

Recorded at Masters Lodge, London in June/July 2009.

Photo & design by JrF

Further details and images coming soon on this site & here

postage options

UK £5.00 rest of world £6.00

Performance Notes for T-Tree for Piano Solo:

Duration 11-14 minutes.

The pianist may start anywhere and move free through the score. Every part and drawing may be played as many times as wanted and not all parts must be interpreted.

Performance Notes for Cahiers Trouvés:

First, the guitarist should assign a colour to each of the effect pedals he intends to use within the piece. He may note down his palette of choice at the bottom left of the score. At least three different effects should be used and prime or strong colours should be favoured. The performer can then mark his choice of sound for each ‘building’ alongside the ‘Avenue’ by colouring in doors, windows, rooftops, stars, squares and other geometric shapes found within these structures. Each such ‘building’ is independent of its neighbouring constructions. The guitarist may also write down settings, levels and other annotations on the score (in black pen, not colour). One or more electric guitars may be used. The score consists of a central line of pitches running down the ‘Champs Elysées’ framed by ‘buildings’ of musical structures. The performer starts the piece anywhere on this central line, moving forwards or backwards, then entering a building on either side of the street. He may stay as long as he likes within any building and also revisit the same buildings. To move from one building to another on the same side of the street, he briefly exits onto the central line again and follows the stave until he ‘stands’ outside the house he wishes to enter. To cross the street and enter a structure on the other side of the Parisian avenue, he needs to take the ‘ascenseur’, a lift that takes him across. The places to catch this lift are marked with a capital ‘A’ and the chordal sequence for the elevator music, which can be found towards the bottom right of the score, should be played each time. The player can transfer himself quickly from one side of the street to any ‘A’ sign anywhere on the opposite side via this process. Although the performer should at no point feel rushed in his playing, he should still aim for quick changes of sounds and settings, mimicking the jump cuts and rapid changes of scenes as seen and discussed in the French Nouvelle Vague films and the Cahiers du Cinéma of the 1950s and 60s, which have inspired this work.

The duration of the piece may vary between 9 and 23 minutes.

review by Richard Pinnell can be found here

4 new releases !

Jez riley French - '....the bright work' - hydrophone recordings

1) East Yorkshire waters: Thornwick Bay # 2

2) Czech waters: Dolni Pocernice lake

3) English waters: River Cherwell

4) Estonian waters: Mooste jarvi, Apnajarve, Palojarv & Vohandu river

recorded 2008 / 2009 with JrF hydrophones & others.

egcd031

taiyo yuden cdr mounted on oversized photo card + additional photo card.

postage options

UK £8.00rest or world £10.00

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a few copies of the 'as (urfaces)' cd & print set to accompany an exhibition of work completed during my time as artist in residence at Hull School of Art & Design are now available. There are only a handful of these left though.

details of the pieces included on the cd can be found by clicking here.

prices

UK postage £8.00rest of world £10.00

review from 'just outside' (Brian Olewnick):

'a more purely field recording-oriented release (though French bows or otherwise touches various surfaces on three of the six tracks). Here, one's reaction I find often depends "simply" on how intriguing one finds the given sound-field in play. Even there, you're almost compelled to give a deeper listen if, initially, you're not so fascinated; often there's more at hand than you thought. The one unenhanced cut that I immediately loved was the fourth, "as030", which features a motor of some kind (I think), it's strong, subtle and varies hugely within a narrow focus. The lengthy final track, the one on which bowing can most clearly be discerned, works pretty well also, a rich range of rubbing-induced groans....one can easily imagine wallowing it it with pleasure in an actual installation. It's a good disc....'

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3inch split cd on 'compost & height':

Jez riley French - 'pelure # 6'

A composition of untreated field recordings capturing the seating fabric and floor surfaces of Peel Hall, Salford, prior to giving a performance there later the same day. I enjoy the simple pleasure of spending some time quietly exploring like this - listening to the audible silence of objects and environments that surround me. Recorded November 2008

Rob Curgenven - 'largo affettuso'

Field recordings + Transparence resonating dubplate (feedback, surface noise and room harmonics) performance recorded live at Extrapool, Nijmegen, Netherlands, 8th March, 2009 by Martin Luitenremixed and mastered at B52, Berlin, Germany, 12th & 13th March, 2009additional overdub - Fender guitar feedback, recorded 1st February, 2009 at the Cloud Factory, Amsterdam,

Limited edition of 50 copies mounted on wooden square.

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Free MP3 & PDF download:

Jez riley French - 'four approaches to quietude - bruxelles, June 2009'

a limited 3inch photo card mounted version of this release is also available:

postage options

UK £5.00rest of world £6.00

new release: Jez riley French - 'audible silence'

egcd028 - Jez riley French - 'audible silence'

*69min + taiyo yuden cdr with photo prints etc / limited edition of 280 copies*

after several months of living with these recordings & waiting for them to feel 'ready' this new release if now completed. As some of you aleady know these recordings capture sounds gathered in Kettle's Yard - Cambridge, the JdP building - Oxford & several sites in the Czech republic (Skolska 28 gallery, Josef Sudek attelier etc).

The three resulting tracks represent, as far as i'm concerned, the music of these spaces using elements such as the sound of vibrating tables / surfaces, floors, empty rooms & heating systems filtered through various surfaces & objects.

more details can be found here: audible silence edition

mp3 audio extract: click here

(more info & writings to be added over the coming weeks)

postage options

UK £8.00rest of world £10.00

>* review of '....audible silence' on Brian Olewnick blog can be found here (nb. one small thing to point out - an answer to Brian's pondering in the first sentance: none of the recordings are processed at all - I never process my recordings as i'm always fascinated by the sounds I explore as they are).

Jez riley French - 'the view from the studio window'

'the view from the studio window'

egcd029

3 inch cd attached to photo postcard & plastic sleeve.

*recordings of the widows at Sudek Atelier in Prague during 2008*

Josef Sudek made a series of photographs of the view from his studio window & so, given the opportunity to spend time alone in the Sudek Atelier, I made recordings of several of the windows.

prices inc p&p

UK £5.00 Overseas £6.00

instamatic series editions

the first editions in the 'instamatic' series. Releases feature mainly one take recordings capturing simple moments in each location. The recordings were made on days when recording was initiated for my own pleasure & without any advance preparation or pre-concieved aim. It's often the case that one ventures out with ones equipment & spends several hours recording only to return without any recordings that hold the attention. The instamatic series was concieved to present recordings that were pleasant, simple suprises.

Each release comes in a folded card outer sleeve containing the cd & an original, limited digital photographic print.

3 new releases by Jez riley French:

instamatic # 1 - Bridlington harbour & Thornwick Bay
hydrophone recordings made in June 2008 egcd024
3inch cdr - folded photo print sleeve + photographic digital print

click here to listen to extract

prices

UK inc p&p £5.00overseas inc p&p £6.00

instamatic # 2 - Vienna
binaural recording made sitting by the Danube waiting for a train, September 2008 egcd025
3inch cdr - folded photo print sleeve + photographic digital print

click here to listen to an extract

prices

UK inc p&p £5.00overseas inc p&p £6.00

instamatic # 3 & 4 - Ghent

# 3 - Ghent bird market

# 4 - Ghent beguinage
recorded with binaural, contact & stereo microphones in Ghent, October 2008 egcd026
3inch cdr - folded photo print sleeve + photographic digital print

click here to listen to an extract

prices

UK inc p&p £5.00overseas inc p&p £6.00

custom-made hydrophones & contact mics for sale

after a few years making my own hydrophones, this design is the one I still find produces the best results in a variety of situations.

As an experienced field recordist / artist / composer I have used this design to make recordings, in gallery installations & when performing live.



They come pre-dipped & sealed (including a unique marine coating), internally coated to provide a totally waterproof finish & are weighted.

You can hear recordings made with these hydrophones by clicking:

here
here
&
here


Any questions please email me at: tempjez@hotmail.com

They are available with either a standard jack or a mini-jack (please specify which you require at the time of purchase).

They come with 5m of cable as standard - longer lengths are available upon request.

They are piezo based hydrophones, with the piezo's sealed into plastic caps (chosen for their particular qualities) with three layers of waterproof coatings.

Pairs (for true stereo) are also available.

prices / cable options are:

hydrophone options

one hydrophone with 5m cable (UK) £30.00 one hydrophones with 5m cable (rest of world) £33.00 stereo pair hydrophones with 5m cables (UK) £60.00 stereo hydrophones with 5m cables (rest of world) £66.00 one hydrophone with 10m cable (UK) £35.00 one hydrophone with 10m cable (rest of world) £38.00 stereo pair hydrophones with 10m cables (UK) £70.00 stereo pair hydrophones with 10m cables (rest of world) £76.00

(if you require different cable lengths do please email me at tempjez@hotmail.com)

some recent comments from fellow artists / recordists using these hp's:

From renowned recordist John Grzinich: 'The hydrophone is made by the avid field recordist Jez riley French who spent a few weeks in the MoKS residency. I can reccomend these hydrophones for those who want to try out under water recordings and are on a budget (yes, this is a small but honest advertisement for Jez’s product which he sells to help fund concet events he organizes)'

- to read the full post & listen to an mp3 of John's recording with my hydrophones click here

‘the best hydrophone on the market for the price without doubt’ (January 2009)
‘quality sound, design and construction. A+’ (January 2009)
‘better than the dolphinear hydrophones I have & they cost me over $350 !’ (Nov 2008)
'amazing ! couldn't believe the results I got' (August 2008)
'great value' (Sept 2008)
'thanks Jez, i'm finding some amazing sounds with these' (Nov 2008)
'just been to a workshop led by Chris Watson & loads of people thought these were great' (Nov 2008)

a+
The Hydrophone works great, fast delivery. Thanks!
Fantastic item - I've bought 2 now. Thoroughly recommend. A+++++++++++++++++++++
Excellent Item. If you need one of these BUY ONE HERE. Bravo.
Wonderful product and seller, thank you very much.
fast and perfect. Very good seller and excellent communication!
excellent product!!!
Excellent in every way! Great product!
Excellent product - highly recommended. Thanks for your help with the item also.

also a 3inch cd I released in 2008 ( recorded with these hp's) was recently given a great review in 'The Wire' magazine:

review from 'The Wire' (December 2008 issue):

'two pieces comprising untreated field recordings of Yorkshire waterways, recorded with the composer's self built hydrophones. He insists that it's not the technical perfection of a location recording that he's after, but a sense of emotional interaction with the landscape. That's not to say that he's slapdash with his methods - both tracks have a fabulously evocative tactile quality that clearly demonstrates the composer's attention to, and delight in the most minute details of sound. The result of such open-hearted diligence is a brief, captivating mini-cd, beautifully packaged (Richard Skelton's work comes to mind), and which reminds us that listening is the most important part of composition' - Keith Moline

I’ve been recording sounds via contact mics for years – from self-made piezo ones to high cost pro models & I always come back to this design.

I’m well known for my work with this method of field recording & sound capture so you can trust that these mics are able to deliver !

Just like the hydrophones I sell (& which have a 100% satisfied customer result) these products are made to not only deliver great results at a reasonable cost but also to be durable.

. 27mm quality piezo element.

. triple dipped in a unique semi-flexible rubber coating.

. 2 metres of screened high quality cable (other lengths are available on request)

. can be supplied with standard ¼ inch jacks or 3.5mm mini-jacks (please specify at time of purchase)

Ideal for use on instruments and in field recording.

Email me by clicking here for any further info & mp3 examples.

price options

1 mic with 2 metre cable (UK) £18.001 mic with 2 metre cable (rest of world) £20.002 mics / for stereo (UK) £36.002 mics / for stereo (rest of world) £40.00

pocklington canal head (extract)

mp3 extract (please note: this track has been reduced in quality for mp3 format)

pocklington canal head (hphone) 2 mp3.mp3

Jez riley French - 'pocklington canal head / wansford canal and watton beck'

. pocklington canal head (early afternoon)



.. wansford canal and watton beck (early afternoon)



these waterways, close to my home in east yorkshire, have been a source of many days pleasure over the years. I have always had a fondness for small rivers and canals - thier banks to walk, thier unique hold on local wildlife and of course the varied and constantly fascinating, evolving sounds that exist due to thier pressence.



here are two pieces created from recordings made with hand-made and other hydrophones.



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review from 'The Wire' (December 2008 issue):

'two pieces comprising untreated field recordings of Yorkshire waterways, recorded with the composer's self built hydrophones. He insists that it's not the technical perfection of a location recording that he's after, but a sense of emotional interaction with the landscape. That's not to say that he's slapdash with his methods - both tracks have a fabulously evocative tactile quality that clearly demonstrates the composer's attention to, and delight in the most minute details of sound. The result of such open-hearted diligence is a brief, captivating mini-cd, beautifully packaged (Richard Skelton's work comes to mind), and which reminds us that listening is the most important part of composition' - Keith Moline



. limited edition release (46 copies)

. photo print and paper folded cover

. vintage postcard mounted cd

. 'in place' art card

£4 inc p&p

Jez riley French - 'field recordings vol.21' (egcdfr021)

'elleker river' extract

elleker river - fr021 extract.mp3

Jez riley French - 'field recordings volume 21' (egcdfr021)

1) elleker stream (hydrophone) - east yorkshire

2) aldeburgh sluice gate (hydrophone) - suffolk

3) heating pipes - dolni pocernice - prague

4) marina jetty - east yorkshire

5) table surface - vienna

6) faxfleet pond fence wires - east yorkshire

7) fence wires - wensleydale

8) fence plate - wensleydale

9) semerwater lake fence - wensleydale

10) fence wires #2 - wensleydale

.

click here to read review

£7.99 inc p&p - limited edition, high quality pressed cdr in full colour, 3 panel card sleeve

Jez riley French - 'generator pieces 2727807' (egcd-gp001)

'onsite one' extract

onsite one master.mp3