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order below and remember to indicate which discs you'd like:
options inc. worldwide postage

mp3 extracts from engraved glass releases

Saturday, March 2, 2013

now available for free / donate download:

a quiet position - wired lab






this collection of pieces stems from a workshop delivered at the Wired Lab by Jez riley French in September 2012. Those who attended (+ a few other artists with connections to the site) were invited to submit tracks representing discoveries made. 

In addition, Jez created one of his ‘scores for listening’ for the Wired Lab and this is reproduced in the pdf artwork.

Chris Watson kindly also submitted a track capturing aspects of ‘rolling stock’, one of the projects that Sarah Last & Dave Burraston of The Wired Lab curate away from the main Wired Lab site.



Monday, January 28, 2013


available from february 2013
(shipping around 18th Feb)

'In the Field - the art of field recording'
by Cathy Lane and Angus Carlyle.

240 page book, hand sewn with flaps.

conversations with Manuela Barile, Angus Carlyle, Budhaditya Chattopadhyay, Viv Corringham, Peter Cusack, Steven Feld, Felicity Ford, Jez riley French, Antye Greie, Christina Kubisch, Cathy Lane, Francisco López, Annea Lockwood, Andrea Polli, Ian Rawes, Lasse-Marc Riek, Hiroki Sasajima, Davide Tidoni, Hildegard Westerkamp and Jana Winderen. 

cover photo by my daughter (proud dad moment !) Pheobe riley Law

£12 + postage and packing



book + postage options

Wednesday, January 23, 2013


new release: 

egcd043


movere (estonia)  |  jez riley french


a residency at Moks in rural Estonia during spring 2009 came at a time where my thoughts about improvising with field recordings and methods of composition where in flux. they always are of course, but it’s fair to say that during 2009 my work was moving in a series of different directions.


. the simplicity and clarity of placing unprocessed single recordings within durational frames 
. the continuing power of hidden sonic elements to create their own compositions 
. the energy of textural intuitive playing . the quietude of audible silence
 . the stillness of movement contained with photography, for scores and more


some recordings, like those in my ‘instamatic’ series, are immediate and work as documents of listening. others take time and drift in and out of ones view. it is some of these later recordings that form the basis of this new release. they have taken time to appear, time to ‘fit’ and time to be fully formed.

motet: from the latin movere, ("to move"), describing the movement of different voices against one another

movere (estonia) begins a new series of works, centered around the word ‘movere’, that focus on ways that field recordings, including those of in-situ responses, act as choral musics - voices of places, objects and actions working with and against one another towards a, still intuitive, compositional line.

movere (estonia) is released on february 11th as a limited edition taiyo yudon professional cd-r, mounted on A5 recycled card.

3 short extracts from the three 'motets' on the disc can be heard here:


 


extract from a longer interview by Sabine Verdely:

SV: I read your words about this release and new series of works and I hear in the pieces that they are not as subtle, in a normal meaning of the word, as I expected. There is more density and impact. Can you talk about this ?

JrF: yes, I understand what you mean. I'm working on some more 'movere' works that are very subtle - a step closer to quietude than, say, the 'audible silence' pieces. However the pieces on this release are a kind of cleansing, a way to say that something from the time of their origin was started and has a kind of trailing light that is still visible in the present.

SV: Is it music of a kind that you don't perform now ?

JrF: hmmm, well, live I always perform intuitively so its impossible really to say what is going to happen. I think though that some of the grain in these pieces, especially the third motet which is the earliest, represents an approach to intuitive composition that I was questioning and, in some ways, I have other questions now. 

SV: I think I am not alone when saying that I think of your work as always being quiet. I am not talking about volume with this. This release is more like the cd you made with Hankil Ryu, yes ?

JrF: well, both that cd (birdcage wallpaper) and the pieces on this one are quite close in terms of when they were recorded or begun, so yes, i'm sure there are some connections, though on the cd with Hankil I am actually playing very quiet sounds.

SV: I know when you are playing concerts you have used the salt a lot for a long time and also paper, but here you make with them a different type of sounds. 

JrF: yes, I think I agree with that. Oddly, I was in rural Estonia and it was very quiet and secluded there. It was unusual for louder sounds or approaches to appear when I was recording. On the second motet though there is a very quiet sound, of fingers, which whilst quite loud volume wise, is actually a very subtle sound. I had the microphones very close to my fingers and so this is perhaps one place where its possible to hear quietness even in something close to the ears so to speak.

SV: I am thinking a lot when I am listening to this cd. I find that some parts are a surprise to me. Did you aim for this ?

JrF: no, not at all. I simply make the music that I like or that seems to arrive. I left these particular recordings alone for a long time. I didn't even have them waiting for a possible release. In fact I was working on another set of pieces and then I decided to listen again to the work from Estonia and I found that the first and third motet now felt 'right' for a release. The second motet was not complete - its actually two recordings and for a long time I didn't know how to connect them. I often find that things find their place in ways that simply just arrive. 


Tuesday, January 22, 2013

for more info + images please click on the catalogue number. to order please see the post at the top of the site:

forthcoming:

Jez riley French - 'audible silence # 2 - weaves'
Jez riley French - 'still on the littoral'
Jez riley French - 'celestine'
Jez riley French - 'still points'

Jez riley French - 'the bright work # 2'
Jez riley French - 'instamatic: japan | instamatic: korea'
Jez riley French - 'instamatic: from england'

and releases by:
Sabrina Verdely
Peter Toll
patrick franke

+

'....if you so wish' - scores for listening (book / pdf)

engraved glass releases:

egcd043: Jez riley French - 'movere (estonia);
ltd.ed. full size taiyo yuden cd on art card   *10 copies of the cd edition left - due to pre-orders*

eg042: Jez riley French - 'instamatic: czech republic'
digital download

egcd041: Jez riley French - 'instamatic: snowdonia' 
ltd.ed. full size taiyo yuden cd on art card / digital download

egcd040: Jez riley French - 'resonances di topolo / residences de lumiere'
ltd.ed. full size taiyo yuden cd on art card / digital download
*first edition of cd version sold out - 2nd edition now available*

egcd037: Jez riley French - 'four objects'
ltd. ed. full size taiyo yuden cd on art card / digital download
* cd edition sold out*

egcd036: Jez riley French - 'instamatic # 8 - portugal'
ltd. ed. full size taiyo yuden cd on art card

eg-sr002: Jez riley French - 'between gestures' free download

egcd035: jez riley french / joana silva / luis costa - 'sonata for clarinet & nodar'
ltd. ed. full size taiyo yuden cd on art card

egcd034: Jez riley French - 'dawn chorus - north & south banks'
ltd. ed. full size taiyo yuden cd on art card

egcd033: various artists - 'the isolde scores' *sold out*
ltd. ed. full size taiyo yuden cd on art card

egcd032: jez riley french - 'instamatic # 6 - prague'
ltd. ed. full size taiyo yuden cd on art card

egcd031: jez riley french - 'the bright work - hydrophone recordings'
ltd. ed. full size taiyo yuden cd + art cards / digital download  *cd edition sold out*

egcd030: jez riley french - 'as (urfaces)'
ltd. ed. full size taiyo yuden cd + art cards

egcd029: jez riley french - 'the view from the studio window'
3inch cd + card

egcd028: jez riley french - 'audible silence'
ltd. ed. full size taiyo yuden cd + art cards

egcd026: jez riley french - instamatic series 'ghent'
3inch cdr + print (*cd edition sold out) free / donate digital download reissue available 

egcd025: jez riley french - instamatic series 'vienna'
3inch cdr + print (*cd edition sold out) free / donate digital download reissue available 

egcd024: jez riley french - instamatic series 'bridlington harbour & thornwick bay'
3inch cdr + print *sold out*

egcd022: jez riley french - 'pocklington canal head / wansford canal and watton beck'
3inch cdr + card *sold out*

egcd021: jez riley french - 'field recordings vol.21'
full size taiyo yuden cd in 3 panel sleeve / digital download

egcdgp001: jez riley french - 'generator pieces 2727807'
full size taiyo yuden cd in 3 panel sleeve

egcd2007-2: jez riley french - 'two events'
full size taiyo yuden / digital download

egcdsb001: jez riley french & lee patterson - 'live at seeds & bridges'
full sized cdr - *sold out*

egcdr040: jez riley french - 'church flower stand'
3inch cdr

egcd020: jez riley french - 'field recordings volume 20'
full size cdr

all earlier editions are now out or print....


. point engraved editions:







eg.p021: Lauren Redhead - 'tactile figures'
ltd. ed. full size taiyo yuden cd on art card / digital download










eg.p020: Hankil Ryu & Jez riley French - 'bird cage wallpaper' 
ltd. ed. full size taiyo yuden cd on art card + postcard / digital download

eg.pcd019: Peter Toll - 'movement (holkham)'
ltd. ed. full size taiyo yuden cd on art card / digital download

eg.p018: John Grzinich - 'madal öö'
ltd ed. full size taiyo yuden cd on art card + postcard / digital download  *cd edition sold out*

eg.p017: Catherine Lamb - 'a remark'
ltd ed. full size taiyo yuden cd on art card + postcard / digital dowload

eg.p015: 









Bruno Duplant - 'deux trois choses ou presque' (

scores by manfred werder)










digital download only


eg.p014: Various - 'praha, favourite sounds of'
ltd ed full size taiyo yuden cd on art card + additional card

eg.p013: Richard Kamerman - 'CHANGES.txt'
ltd ed full size taiyo yuden cd on art card / digital download

eg.p012: Barry Chabala & Jez riley French - 'trammels' *cd edition sold out*
ltd ed full size taiyo yuden cd on art card / digital download

eg.p010: Bruno Duplant - 'one hour north'
ltd ed full size taiyo yuden cd on art card / digital download

eg.p09: Stefan Thut - 'an ort, 1-9'
ltd ed full size taiyo yuden cd on art card / digital download

eg.p08: Paul Khimasia Morgan - 'empty frame'
ltd ed full size taiyo yuden cd on art card / digital download

eg.p06: julia holter - 'celebration' *cd edition sold out*
ltd ed full size taiyo yuden cd on art card / digital download

eg.p05: michael pisaro / greg stuart - 'july mountain' *sold out*

eg.p04: anne guthrie - 'standing sitting' *4 copies of 2nd edition cd version left*
ltd ed full size taiyo yuden cd on art card / digital download

eg.p03: kiyoshi mizutani - 'onoji'
ltd ed full sized taiyo yuden cd on art card + postcard *4 copies of 2nd edition left*

eg.p02: catherine kontz - 'canvas'
ltd ed 3inch cd

eg.p01: Daniel Jones / Ivan Palacky / Jez riley French - 'tierce'
ltd ed 3inch cd

a quiet position editions:







a quiet position - traced edition (click here for information on submitting work)

a quiet position - sided edition (for notice recordings cassette label)

Jez riley French - 'instamatic: czech republic'

eg042



6 pieces, recorded during 2 different trips to the czech republic, featuring conventional and contact microphones & listening glasses.

available as a digital download only - free or donate if you would like to contribute - profits will go towards future releases by other artists. thanks.











digital download re-issue + previously unreleased tracks - free to download or make a small donation towards future releases by other artists if you feel the urge. thanks.



digital download re-issue of 2 out of print 8cm cd issues - free to download or make a small donation towards future releases by other artists if you feel the urge. thanks.

all engraved glass and . point engraved digital download releases have been re-priced to £4.99 (for standard releases) or free / donate (for archive and a quiet position releases). This decision comes as a result of extensive research and seeking the opinions of folks worldwide - thanks for the input ! all profits go towards future releases....

http://engravedglass.bandcamp.com/

Friday, August 24, 2012




hankil ryu & jez riley french - 'bird cage wallpaper'

eg.p020


to purchase the limited edition cd version see the header of this website

also available as a digital download:





Review by John McEnroe, from the Field Reporter blog:
What I care about when I listen to a sound work is how much I enjoy it, with this I mean how the piece transformed things before, during and after my experience with it. Successful sound composition can lead to experience emotional points that when connected in time build profound meaning and widens the full picture of things.
Sound art composition is one of the most open art forms I can think of, and this is probably because there is a potential abstract nature on every concrete sound we listen to -and even on some electronic and digital generated sounds- when isolated from its causality and temporal and spatial context. The sound art composition is like a wall where the listener projects the sounds he feels he is listening.
The open character of the sound art piece in terms of image doesn’t make it necessarily more easily inhabitable but instead more freely inhabitable by the spectator / listener like something close to a sonic version of a Rorschach’s test.
In this sense it’s about how much light you can find in the darkness and how much darkness you can find in the light. Like if what matters is not what we can sense or understand but what we can’t actually sense or understand but still be aware of.
In regard of’ ’Bird cage wallpaper’ I could say that the relation between music and time is similar to the relation between sculpture and space -Music understood as the result of the reduced hearing-.
When we walk while being fully aware of the formal aspects of the structures around us, we somehow build sculptural perceptions. When we listen reducibly, we listen music.
Rhythm as an aspect that was successfully taken care of on ‘Bird cage wallpaper’.
Rhythm is often described  as ‘movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak element’.
I found this definition interesting because in rhythm we are dealing with magnitude and scales. The musical scale is often described as ‘any sequence of musical notes in an ascending or descending order’.
All of these aspects (rhythm, movements, scales, magnitudes, ascension, descension) have been greatly and successfully dealt with on ‘Bird cage wallpaper’.
The emotional potence found in ‘Bird cage wallpaper’ is enormous, the actions, exercises and considerations that lead to the final two pieces were very fortunate: each sound presented on this work seems to have its own temporality and materiality, its own color, and these aspects and relations find on the rhythmical emphasis the best scenario in a quest for meaning. Rhythm considered as pulsating magnitudes of time, space, mass and color.





lauren redhead - 'tactile figures'

eg.p021

to purchase the limited edition cd see the header of this website.

also available as a digital download:










  1. the enigma machine 1: hendecaptych of hans memling
Here the word painting may refer to interpreting and is to be distinguished from that by Francis Bacon which is on oil and linen. That is: to be an album or a rock band is not the same as being attached to the bow of a boat. Covering, for instance, is creating but is on the surface. Many interpreters are painters but fewer are representative.

Performed by Trio Atem
Trio Atem: Nina Whiteman - voice, Gavin Osborn - flute, Alice Purton – cello

2. as a name i am a myth
An historical description of musical 'development' and the realities of chamber music are juxtaposed in a way which does not make clear which is the more absurd. The metal pubic address loudspeaker, more commonly seen at music festivals and train stations, acts as a commentator on the action of the performers as well as the arbiter of the situation in which the performers find themselves. Despite the commentary, they continue to play.

Performed by Trio Labyrinth
Heather Roche – Bass Clarinet, Elena Jáuregui – Violin, Sophia Russell - Harpsichord

3. in the back there was a pigeon (c)
A setting, and at the same time not at all a setting, of the tantum ergo. 
The invitation for the performers and the listener is to explore liturgy and the liturgical nature of musical canon and practice.

Performed by Edges Ensemble, directed by Philip Thomas. recording produced by Tom Riley.

4. then it became its own darkness
Veins are strung outward, cables swing slow to the floor, as then it became its own darkness: something thrums, hums, the grind of the axle, the wheel turns, the crow is clamouring,  the turn is quickening, and all the while there's the empty storm, dragging itself belly-up over dust dust and dirt and dust. It spasms, that thought, probing and nosing to hurry itself in, to drag itself into the earth’s rind, crumbling and crippling and sinking and stuttering, all the way down the rabbit hole, flailing, folding, into that finite space, it teases down the dirty riggings, the angles and towers that prop up the fever sky, helpless yellow stomach, it flares, corrodes; tumbling, scattering, tearing, vaudevillian in its delight and destruction, it scalpels and draws back the skin, probing and poking, dissection without discretion, the spine flaps open, and all the while, one shrunken cell is eaten by another, returning to the bone pile, and all the while there is a crash of concrete and metal heaped across the land, as one white pulse crackles in a cold corpus callosum, sparking one last shiver through  the synapses, it is sniffing out the last spore, the last piece of sugar, pleasure is in that, gazing on new shatterings, and the old stones, already broken, no need to taste, already such things merely echoes, and all the while it sees constellations that are neon and perfect, strings and precise stars, it clouds and obscures and swallows them all, and all the while the mouth gapes open, waiting to beget with the grind of the axle, the wheel turns, the crow is clamouring, it is clawing, hunting, digging, feasting, the turn is quickening, spinning on its side, that empty storm, crawling, dragging itself belly-up,  yet, concealed, ribbons of green and blue wind around, threads through the water, weaving and waiting and nesting, sparrow legs drawing little lines in the lime green air, and all the while, crumbling and crippling and sinking and stuttering, into the fractal it squanders itself, searching for that cessation and emptiness burning at the core, fearing it and feasting on it, graceless and boundless, consuming it and digesting it, disintegration, degeneration and absence its only assertion, and yet, concealed ribbons are winding, green is weaving, unseen, unsmelt, unheard, and all the while, it is clawing, hunting, digging, feasting, a shadow of a pleasure in that, seeing that place scratched,  bitten, wrecked, the remnants non-stirring, all sleeping, all in perpetual coma, and now, as it becomes what it was and had begotten, it is cessation, it can rest. and yet, and yet, weavings and windings, some strange itch, a heat snaps at the skull of it, but what of those spoilt things, all things were equally eaten, were they not? It cannot raise itself out of its own darkness, it howls back, spilling out the storm, but it cannot find that dread thing: for there are seeds in the rock, the sign bursts, around the ruin of the old sanctuary: for held there are the stones that will begin to hatch.
© Anna Clarke

Performed by rarescale
rarescale: Carla Rees – Kingma system bass flute, Michael Oliva – electronics

5. robin and marian 
Member of genus Erithacus, an outlaw, a sidekick, with stewed peas, a small child in the woods, killed with a bow and arrow, a three-wheeled car, including everyone, in education, Christianity, and elsewhere, nationalist or perhaps Jacobite, informally gentrified, ho, varlet.

Perfomed by Ian Pace

6. the enigma machine 4; the historicity of cartography
Tulse Henry Purcell Luper was born in Newport, Wales, in 1911, and was in Moab, Utah in 1928 when Uranium was discovered there. He may also have been to Burford although this is unconfirmed, and probably erroneous.
This piece, which has its roots in Luper's discoveries, is in sonata form. One might note that the quizzical character of the second subject in the development section finds its irrepressable apotheosis in the deconstruction of the climax found during the coda of the coda. However in this case it is the journey itself, rather than the destination, which becomes most important.

Performed by cat•er•waul
Edward Caine - Piano, Chris Leedham - Clarinets, Enrico Bertelli – Percussion 



peter toll - 'movement (holkham)'

eg.p019


to purchase the limited edition cd see the header of this blog.

also available as a digital download:








movement (holkham) peter toll

On the North Norfolk coast sits the village & estate of Holkham. A large Hall & park to the South and to the North a Nature Reserve, owned by the Earl of Leicester who still resides with his family at Holkham Hall. The reserve is managed by Natural England covering around 4,000 hectares, consisting of a whole range of habitats, from green pastures, marshes, pinewoods, sand dunes, and the beach.

It’s a very popular location for dog walkers, Bird watchers, horse riding and holidaymakers heading for the beach.
For this album I tried to record the natural, wildlife setting of some of these habitats with as little interference from humankind as possible. I wanted the listener to feel that he/she is floating in time & space. Pausing at each different location, quietly listening to the wildlife and energy of each position, before gently moving on to the next.

It was an interesting and at times magical experience making these recordings. I hope this album conveys some of that magic and atmosphere of this beautiful place, to you the listener.

Recorded at different times during the winter months over a period of two years.

movement (holkam) # 1

a) Fallow Deer At Holkham Hall (00:00 -14:02) recorded October 2010 between 22:00-4:00am

A cold winter night, inside the hall grounds at Holkham. It’s a new moon, so there is very little natural light. Owls are calling and a group of female Fallow deer approach under the chestnut trees. Every hour or so the doe call to each other (Sometimes calling continuously for around ten minuets.). Eating sweet chestnuts, which are falling from the trees above, one of the doe approaches my pair of DPA microphones, gives them a good sniff before retreating for a short while.

With the rutting season just beginning, it’s time for the buck to make an appearance, making his deep calls (very close to me at one point!) and shaking a few trees.

A few coughs and a sneeze from a doe and back to the owls & cries from waterfowl on the lake nearby, before heading a mile or so north. In the direction of the sea, where the marsh meets the woods.

b) Edge Of Marsh & Woods: dead of night (14:02 - 21:33) recorded September 2011.

Another cold, still night, cries from a Muntjac deer and Tawny owls are out hunting. The wood & marsh becomes a hive of activity at night time for Shrews & other small mammals. All kinds of splashes and vocal sounds on the edge of the marshes, from these small creatures. The distant sound of waves crashing increases as the tide comes in. Then louder sounds from a Muntjac deer, walking through the reeds and water, pausing to chew on a branch of a tree.

A call from a Tawny Owl almost seems like a wake up call for the Ducks, Cows, distant Robin and the Geese to air there voices and signal the beginning of dawn.

c) Geese At Dawn (21:33-28:25) recorded December 2011.

Every winter, thousands of Pink Footed and Brent Geese come to stay in this area. Amongst the sound of Pink Footed Geese calling and the ruffling of there feathers, there’s the tick, tick of a Robin in a near by hedgerow as the sun starts to rise. Geese are very easily startled, if one fly’s off they all follow. Suddenly there off, thousands of them taking to the sky, calling.
As they fly in to the distance, other bird sounds take their place, before heading back to listen to dawn at the woods edge.

d) Edge Of Marsh & Woods: dawn (28:25-33:37) recorded September 2011.

As the sun rises, the sounds of Owl, mammals and Deer heard earlier in this position have been replaced with calls from Pheasants, Wren, other birds and Cows. A few distant Squirrel calls from a pine tree and it’s a good time to enter the woods and make them the next location.

movement (holkam) # 2

e) Pinewoods (00:-09:37) recorded January 2012 10:30am.

The Pinewoods at Holkham contain three types of pine tree, Corsican, Scots and Maritime. It’s usually a quite, still area, but on this overcast day there’s a fairly strong South East wind blowing. The sounds of a Squirrel climbing up a tree, is taken over by hundreds of pine trees blowing in the wind, creating an amazing sense of space, which I tried to capture on this recording.
The wind calms a little and a beam of light pierces through the clouds, bathing the trees around me in warm sunlight. Maybe because of a change in temperature or pressure, a new sound begins amongst the wind, pigeon and squirrels. Popping & cracking sounds, as Scots pine begin to discharge there winged seeds. Gently showering down, catching the sunlight as they fall, landing all around me.
A truly magical moment!

A small flock of Herring Gulls fly high, calling overhead and lead me towards the woods edge and the vast open space that is the dunes, beach and sea ahead.

f) Beach & Sea (09:37-17:15) recorded January 2012 11:00am

A bird (possibly a Firecrest) calls on the very edge of the wood, next to the dunes. Straight ahead lies the beach, which at this moment in time is deserted. The roar from the north sea brings me ever closer to the sea; finally listening under the waves.


EQUIPMENT USED:
SENNHEISER MKH30/40 MICHROPHONES (M/S SET UP) 
SENNHEISER MKH70 SHOTGUN MICROPHONE 
2X DPA 4060 OMNI MICROPHONES 
2X JrF HYDROPHONES
2X JrF C SERIES HYDROPHONES 
EDIROL R4-PRO RECORDER 
LARGE FLASK OF COFFEE!

my thanks to: Glyn Ingram and Holkham Hall Estate. Jez riley French, Chris Watson and Piers Warren for all the
knowledge I gained on the Wildeye location field recording courses.

special thanks: Jez, for giving me the opportunity & vision for making this album happen.
Katya & my son Ewan, for being so patient with me leaving the house at all hours!


Peter Toll is a composer, musician and wildlife sound recordist. Fascinated with the sounds & rhythms of the natural world, a long interest in sound recording and a great lover of nature, he releases wildlife field recordings in there own right, as well as incorporating them into his music.
Peter has composed music for film, TV, installations, theatre and the dance scene. Other artists have also used his field recordings, in their own films, documentaries and installations.
For over ten years he was a member of the audiovisual group Addictive TV, composing and performing all over the world, including the roof of the National Theatre London, Centre Georges Pompidou Paris and an installation & performance at The Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai China.
website: www.tollymusic.com facebook: www.facebook.com/petertollmusic field recordings & music: http://soundcloud.com/tolly-music email: p.toll@tollymusic.com




review from 'the field reporter' blog:

Review by Cheryl Tipp
Listening to a publication for the first time always comes with a sense of anticipation. How will it sound? What form will it take? Will it match my preconceived ideas or will it surprise? Will I like it? Right from the start I knew that Peter Toll’s ‘Movement (Holkham)’ would not disappoint. This lovely release from Jez riley French’s Engraved Glass label comprises two compositions which have been built from a series of field recordings made in the Norfolk village of Holkham, England. These recordings, made during the winter months of two consecutive years, introduce some of the habitats that make up the Holkham Estate which include grazing marshes, a country hall, pinewoods and even a beach. Toll writes:
“For this album I tried to record the natural, wildlife setting of some of these habitats with as little interference from humankind as possible. I wanted the listener to feel that he/she is floating in time & space. Pausing at each different location, quietly listening to the wildlife and energy of each position, before gently moving on to the next”
This short paragraph perfectly sums up the spirit of ‘Movement (Holkham)’. Feeling more like a relaxed ramble than a whistlestop tour, the listener is not rushed through each habitat; enough time is given to immerse oneself in the soundscape, pay attention to the variety of sounds found within it, enjoy the act of listening and then move forward to the next segment. The pace is relaxed and the whole journey is a seamless transition from one habitat to the next.
‘Movement (Holkham)#1’ is the longer of the two compositions and includes some really brilliant field recordings. Beginning with a cold autumn night in the grounds of Holkham Hall, the crisp air is filled with hooting Tawny Owls alongside the movements and calls of Fallow Deer. The detail here is fantastic, with delicate rustlings through the leaf litter sitting effortlessly next to the deep resonating calls of Fallow bucks. Quiet descends as we then move into that undefined space: Edgelands. Somewhere between a marsh and a wood we are able to eavesdrop on the comings and goings of the nocturnal inhabitants of this area. Distant Muntjac, squeaking shrews, a calling Tawny Owl and vocalising geese all contribute. ‘Geese at Dawn’, the third section of this piece, summons images of an awakening landscape. The brash calls of Pink-footed Geese gradually swell into an overwhelming cacophony as the flock takes to the sky. Finally, as night becomes day, the sonic landscape shifts. Calling tits, a crowing pheasant, mooing cattle and a strident Wren come together to create this final scene.
The second movement, ‘Movement (Holkham)#2’ comprises just two recordings, both of which covey a sense of expansiveness. A strong, gusting wind through lofty pine trees is accompanied by gentle creaks and crisp flecks of sound as the trees begin to lose their seeds. Then we are enveloped by the sounds of the North Sea crashing onto the Norfolk coast, both above and beneath the surface.
Aside from admiring the technical quality and compositional structure of this publication, I feel a real fondness for ‘Movement (Holkham)’, probably because it represents the sounds of home. I’m not from Norfolk, nor do I reside there, but these recordings speak of the natural England which I and many others cherish.


review from 'a closer listen' blog:

http://acloserlisten.com/2012/11/01/peter-toll-movement-holkham/

When listening to pure, unadulterated field recordings, the conscious mind is aware that it is hearing history rather than composition.  The fallow deer steps and honking mating calls of “movement (holkham) #1″ are no studio creation; they unfold in real time, on a cold winter night in October 2010.  And yet the unconscious mind sketches musical narratives: this is the buildup, and the crescendo will follow.  When it does, in the fifth section of the extended opening montage, the unconscious mind then exclaims, “Yes!  This rocks!”  But in this case the “rock” is the cumulative presence of thousands of geese.  While listening to this piece, one muses about the distance that lies between sounds; in person, a couple sounds at a time may be adequate, but in a recording, the greater density draws the greater attention.  In person, a paucity of sound may mean safety, while overload means danger; but in a recording, an overload means excitement.  A snuffing single buck has nothing on the sound of a rising flock.  Tawny owls, ducks, robins and the previously mentioned geese welcome the dawn with a cacophony of pleasant agitation, and at 26:31, whoosh.
Peter Toll is well aware of natural human expectation, and thankfully caters to such expectation by sequencing his latest collection of field recordings from thin and distinct to thick and multi-faceted.  While it may have been difficult to resist the urge to catalog his recordings in chronological order, the layering by loudness works to the recording’s advantage.  A love for the nature reserve (owned by the Earl of Leicester!) shines through in Toll’s keen attention to individual sounds, his detailed liner notes and the tenacity of his recording sessions.  Toll’s repeated, extended visits to Holkham were necessary in order to capture the varied sounds of its disparate habitats.
While the first piece travels from the hall grounds to the marsh and woods, it also contains a subtle foreshadowing: the cries of cattle, the scuttling of squirrels, the sound of distant waves.  The second piece melds the whistling of pine winds to the shuffling of the shore; the challenge is to identify the moment in which the sources shift.  Toll was especially fortunate to catch the launching of seedlings, which has rarely been captured by microphone.  ”movement (holkham) #2″ is the fieldwork mirror of a band’s crowd-pleasing set closer, active from start to finish, bursting at the seams with untethered sound.  In a (very) alternate universe, one might imagine concert attendees yelling “Trees!” or “Seas!” as the artist emerged from the curtains for an encore.
Yes, it’s rock: wild, untamed, and closer than we might imagine.  These are the sort of sounds that led our ancestors to imitation, and eventually to music.  For those in tune with the natural world, there’s no substitute for the real thing.  (Richard Allen)