Soundonation

Live At The Bombed Out Church 5/5 review at Norman Records

2011-02-26T04:53:00.000-08:00

Clutter - Live At The Bombed Out Church has had a really lovely review by Norman Records who have given it 5/5 - I'm really chuffed about this as you can imagine. The review said:

'Ha ha I've been given a CD and i've opened it and there's no information, played it a bit, got a bit distressed, amused & scared, eventually found out what it was then realised Phil had already battled encroaching insanity on a valiant quest to throw digital words across a piece of virtual paper about it. 5 minutes wasted, he scores. I could have eaten an ice cream or had an "Armley Massage" in that time. Tsk.

What do I do now? Ooooohh! There's a CD here by Clutter instead. It HAS information and everything!! Also, not only does it have a simultaneously sinister & wildly intriguing title, it doesn't feature gleeful gibbering & aural mentalism stacking up against my fragile mind! More along a kind of dark, swirling chamber kosmiche/ambient tangent, Clutter has created something organic & cerebral from contributed noises & sounds which he has re-arranged & processed to create something quite wonderful.

I don't particularly want to rattle on too much about this as the music is of a rich, fascinating quality, 'Live at the Bombed Out Church' takes you right off on a dream-like astral plain. Does this church exist? If so, I want to go. This recording sounds like it features the dense acoustics of such a dilapidated building.'

http://www.normanrecords.com/cd/123505-clutter-live-at-the-bombed-out-church

Or buy directly from Sonic Oyster Records

http://sonicoysterrecords.blogspot.com/2011/02/clutter-live-at-bombed-out-church-sor46.html

I will be doing another soundonation album with the donated sounds later in the year, I have been a little side tracked by a similar project Cumbria Remixed, which sees me as artist in residence at Lanternhouse in Cumbria - http://cumbriaremixed.blogspot.com/ for more details.

To find out about other Clutter related stuff visit http://www.cluttermusic.com/ the home of Clutter.

Live At The Bombed Out Church - Coming in February on Sonic Oyster Records

2011-01-25T13:15:00.000-08:00

The second live version of Soundonation is being released as a limited edition CDr by the ever marvelous Sonic Oyster Records in February.

It is a recording of Clutter playing live at The Bombed Out Church in Liverpool in September 2011 as part of the Frakture alldayer.

It features the whole performance plus 2 bonus tracks from my technical rehearsal of the material. Going to be super limited and most tracks will only feature on this release so get in quick. I will let you know when it comes out so you can snag a copy.

Here's a couple of preview tracks:

Clutter - 9th April 1811 by Clutter

26th September 2010 by Clutter

Soundonation on Phantomn Circuit

2010-11-05T08:01:00.000-07:00

Phantom Circuit #52 online now featuring an atmospheric set of live electronic music by Clutter recorded at Lanternhouse Ulverston.

The musician behind Clutter, Shaun Blezard, talks about some of his many current projects, the Open Circuit evenings, the creation of Soundonation and why it was time to retire his prolific netlabel Earth Monkey Productions.

http://phantomcircuit.wordpress.com/2010/11/05/phantom-circuit-52/

also for your Clutter related listening pleasure on Phantom Circuit:

Phantom Circuit #29 Show #29 features the entire live set by Clutter, recorded at the Wagon and Horses pub in Digbeth, Birmingham, in a night of music organised by Radio Black Forest.

http://phantomcircuit.wordpress.com/2009/08/25/phantom-circuit-29/

Phantom Circuit #18 Phantom Circuit visits Earth Monkey Productions, a prolific and highly regarded net-label based in Cumbria.

“Capt. Earth Monkey” himself, Shaun Blezard, talks about his solo project Clutter and other work, and, with additional contribution from Janice Benson, about some of EMP’s educational and community projects.

The music is mostly taken from a handful of the experimental, ambient or just plain unusual releases on Earth Monkey, along with a few illustrative interlopers to spice the pot.

http://phantomcircuit.wordpress.com/2009/04/19/phantom-circuit-18/

Live debut of Soundonation

2010-10-08T04:26:00.000-07:00

Performing at the first gig of the Soundonation project at Lantenhouse in Ulverston on 24th September 2010 as part of an Open Circuit event. I also played at Alter Pieces on 26th September, an all day festival of improvisation at The Bombed Out Church in Liverpool organised by Frakture (A recording of this will be available in the new year)

Been quiet here....but not for long

2010-08-29T01:19:00.000-07:00

I've not been doing anything with the soundonation project for a while as my partner, Janice, has had both knees replaced and is currently getting back to full strength from that, so obviously it has taken my time and energy to help her. She is now well on the mend and I can start to look forward to a couple of exciting things for the soundonation project, both coming in the shape of gigs :-)

24th September I'm playing at an Open Circuit gig @ Lanternhouse in Ulverston, Cumbria alongside sets from Cheyenne, Shengi & Yantantethra

26th September I'm playing on the bill of a Frakture all dayer @ St Luke's Church - also known as the bombed out church - in Liverpool along with Joanne Tremarco:Fidding fools, Stephen Grew,Rob Harrison & the Missing Link , Fonik, Graham Clark, The Frakture Big Band, Noise Club, i:Object, The Gathering, Dave Birchall

Listening Differently

2010-07-09T02:18:00.000-07:00

I had a conversation with Wendy Cook last night at a Philip Jeck gig in Lancaster about Soundonation and about sound in general.

Wendy sent me a recording of herself ironing a shirt - 'I love the sound an iron makes when you stand it back up and it sighs as if it's exhausted' which is such a fantastic image in itself. We talked about the notion of why we filter out certain sounds above others and the emotional response to sound. I told her that the really interesting thing so far has been when donators have told me their emotional attachement to the sound they sent. It adds an extra depth to the sound and gives an implied narrative to the project as I make little artistic connections between sounds. It will be interesting to see what becomes of the 'story' as we progress.

Wendy told me about a brilliant book by the ever wonderful Machinefabriek that you maybe interested in.....

A self published book about the beauty of environmental sounds. 72 pages (A6) that will (hopefully) inspire you to listen differently...

This book costs 12 euro including worldwide postage - http://www.machinefabriek.nu/

reviews in FIELD MUZICK - A collection of short texts and suggestive phrases about listenting of everyday sounds, about to hear them different, as kind of music. One of the basic ideas of fieldmuzick as labels. The 72 pages of the book contains texts from over 40 authors. I only know Taylor Deupree and Ezekiel Honig. But it's not important. The writers describe feelings of listening to everyday sounds emmbedded between suggestive phrases and words. It's really inspiring.

PS Philip Jeck was brilliant btw

First arrivals

2010-07-08T07:03:00.000-07:00

So I've received my first dozen or so soundonations. A poem from Jim in Wales, some field recordings from Pat in Ireland, bits of music and a cat purring from Phill in Barrow, some great kaossilations from Alexx in Manchester, a song from Adi in Sheffield and the sound of ironing from Wendy in Lancashire

Why start Soundonation?

2010-07-08T05:18:00.000-07:00

After around 15 years of working with loops, field recordings, electroacoustics, doing remixes and the like and getting into improvisation more and more I've become increasingly aware and interested in the reasons we make the choices we do in creating music. Why do we choose a particular chord, why do those 2 sounds work together, why did I do that when they played that?

I improvise a lot in creating my music - improvise, edit, improvise around in circles, removing bits I don't like till I arrive at a piece I suddenly think is 'finished'. Repeat till you have something you feel is worth releasing. I wonder why I go down certain routes while others close themselves off. I find improvising a great way to getting tracks started. mmm starting points??

Starting points are always things of great interest, why does something jump out and evolve into a piece of music, it's a quick process, we select the sounds we like in an instant and disregard those we don't just as quickly. I often do a round of field recordings to start a project and edit out bits I like which become my building blocks. Do I have an aesthetic that makes me choose certain sounds? Probably...

And so I thought it would be interesting to try and bypass this starting point and throw it open to chance and ask people to donate sounds to me and build the album purely from donations. This in itself I find an interesting prospect - who will give me something for nothing? I'm asking for you to give me sounds so I can make an album to sell and keep the money for myself - why should you? Answers on a postcard to the usual address..... I'm hoping you will because the project is interesting, because you're kind, genorous, thought it might be fun to see what I do with it, you may even want to send a 'curve ball' and see if I will use it...

Well if it is of interest and you do want to send me something email me at info@shaunblezard.com - subject 'sound donation'

cheers

Shaun