Shattered by John Mingay And Adam Sykes

Following a “throne room eureka moment”, John Mingay asked Adam Sykes to provide twelve 15 second sound clips for a collaboration (12x15s being the standard length of a 3min pop song). Adam produced these and the project was born, with John manipulating the clips individually into twelve tracks amounting to just under 80mins, all the while consciously structuring the pieces to open up opportunities for Adam in the next phase. As each was completed by John, they were sent to Adam for over-dubbing and production tweaks. To round off the collaboration, the titles are lines of poems by Adam “adjusted” by John, and the cover photo is by John “adjusted” by Adam.


Review from Vital Weekly (no.:1472) :
JOHN MINGAY & ADAM SYKES - SHATTERED (CDR by Iris Light)

It is a surprise to see a new release on Iris Light, which ceased being a physical label a long time ago, in 2007. This latest release is mainly digital, but there are also physical copies, as in 30 copies in card wallets. Former label Iris Light boss Adam Sykes, a musician and poet, teamed up with "acclaimed poet and publisher" John Mingay, whom I had not heard before. Sykes started with recording sounds, which John "collapsed and broke these sounds down" and back at Adam's reworked with "drones, sounds, noises and industrial elements" into the 12 pieces on 'Shattered'. None of this becomes very specific, so what these sounds are, we're not told. Maybe it's within the nature of the various processes applied by these two musicians that anything and everything is altered to such an extent
that we no longer recognise the origins. There are many deep rumbles, the dark ambient, isolationist cave sound, and eerie high-pitched tones (windchimes, temple bells? That's where my thinking went). They take their time to explore their material fully, turning it inside out and upside down, reversing and slowing down, with creating lengthy sustaining material as the primary goal. It all buzzes and drones, and there's an occasional drum beat (more like a slowed down timpani) to alternate some of the material. Dark, ominous and atmospheric- all the keywords once applied to the Iris Light catalogue- also apply to this one. The most extended tracks may be too long, but overall, the length works pretty well in setting the scene. Perfect seasonal soundtrack. (FdW)

International Times (12/24)
NOT FOR DANCING
Following a ‘Eureka moment’, poet, publisher and musician John Mingay asked Adam Sykes to provide twelve 15 second sound clips for a collaboration (12x15s being the standard length of a 3 minute pop song). Adam produced these and the project was born, with John manipulating the clips individually into twelve tracks totalling just under 80mins, all the while consciously structuring the pieces to open up opportunities for Adam in the next phase. As each was completed by John, they were sent to Adam for over-dubbing and production tweaks. To round off the collaboration, the titles are lines of poems by Adam ‘adjusted’ by John, and the cover photo is by John ‘adjusted’ by Adam.

This is music to listen to, to facilitate the wandering mind and provoke uneasy daydreams. It is music from ‘the unspoken shadow’, echoing into distance and desire, it is the sound of sounds curling in on themselves and chasing its own tail, blossoming into surprising beauty and regeneration.

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