Still by Hidden Orchestra

“You could just listen to that forevermore, couldn’t you?” – MARY ANNE HOBBS (BBC 6MUSIC)

“Still” single brings the next glimpse of Hidden Orchestra's eagerly awaited third album

The 'Dawn Chorus' LP, a highly personal yet expansive work from producer and composer Joe Acheson, is built around a collection of birdsong and other field recordings captured across many years in diverse locations around the UK and abroad. Rich in detail and character, these sonic snapshots intertwine with layers of bass, drums, percussion and eclectic instruments - including piano, electro-harp, glockenspiel, Turkish mey, clarinet and cello - for an emotive and transporting listen.

Opening with a percussive loop made from the sound of a fisherman weaving a traditional lobster pot in Cornwall, and building into a dramatic and dynamic, beat-laden sounscape, “Still” is formed around a musical sketch contributed by Czech quartet Clarinet Factory (Jindřich Pavliš, Luděk Boura, Vojtěch Nýdl and Petr Valášek). Among excerpts of this atmospheric recording, Acheson added layers of drums, strings, brass, piano and field recordings. Flitting in and out of earshot – its effects both percussive and melodic - is a dawn chorus, recorded in a park near Acheson's current home in Brighton on International Dawn Chorus Day (May 1st) 2016.

Bonus track “Still (No Drums Version)” brings an alternate take, with certain elements stripped away to place the delicate drama of the clarinet composition centre-stage. This track brings echoes of the “Wingbeats EP”, on which Acheson presented six of his original source compositions that fed into the creation of the lead track, offering up a fresh and intriguing musical experience and illuminating the fascinating intricacy of his creative process, to the delight of fans and tastemakers alike.

A lifelong sonic experimenter and nature enthusiast, Joe Acheson has always captured field recordings and found sounds to incorporate in his Hidden Orchestra music, as well as using them in his award-winning work as a radio producer and soundtrack composer. Last year saw him developing this with “Marconi & The Lizard” – an EP born of an artist residency at Cornwall’s Lizard Point, commissioned by The National Trust and British Library. Released under the Joe Acheson solo name, this project was greeted with features in The Guardian and The Independent and radio support from Tom Ravenscroft (BBC 6Music) and Late Junction (BBC R3), creating even more interest in his exciting musical explorations as the new Hidden Orchestra album took shape in his studio.

Tracklist

1.	Still	6:56

2.	Still (Edit)	4:01

3.	Still (No Drums Version)	4:44

Credits

released May 19, 2017

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