This is my first solo release since 2018’s Plays The Music Of Driekops on UK imprint Strange Rules and was originally intended as a tape for Not Not Fun before being shelved away until now. The title track of Seabreeze Salute was recorded around the same period as Driekops in Melbourne. It’s other tracks were added in 2019 in my home-base, Newcastle using the same approach and recording style. Speaking of, this was all recorded live to tape with no overdubs using samplers and synthesizers, sounding suitably dusted and thick as a result. I debated whether it was worth releasing, but I don’t think there is any harm in sharing something that still holds its charm after patiently waiting its turn. It still rings true enough to my ears, hopefully someone else out there feels the same way.
The sound of Seabreeze itself is the kind of liminal, experimental ambience that I regularly find myself situated in, whatever my company (or lack thereof). Listening now, I can sense some of the same vibrations that resonate in dusty, looped faves like Robert Turman (Flux, Beyond Painting, et al eras), Zoviet France and Nurse With Wound.
There is a narrative flow at work, but it may not be immediately apparent to an outsider (ie anyone outside of myself) the last track in particular holding a special kind of magic. Despite the obvious recording hiss in ‘Nortia’s Whisper’, it represents a spontaneous, planet-aligning moment. Amelia Besseny (my partner in Troth) came home to me jamming the track and added her vocals while I played, resulting in something eerily beautiful and, hopefully, a transcendence that is communicable more widely.