Fortresses guides a pensive, ethereal meditation on the passage of time with his debut release, Eve, on Dragon’s Eye Recordings.
A day may be observed by exact moments, counted down by the hands on a clock; or, its progress might be witnessed through less immediate means—a shift in shadows, the sky’s hue, the air as it warms and cools.
In this sense, Fortresses both measures the day with exactitude, and honors its slower unfoldings. Each of Eve’s three carefully crafted compositions allow the listener to hone in on a singular element, or lean back into a wider gentle drone. One can pinpoint a hint of static, or drift with a melodic looping hum as it phases in and out again.
In his own words Fortresses offered us some insight into the making of Eve:
Eve formed slowly during a self-reflective and transformative period in my life. The songs stand as a personal document of the time they were made and the rituals that gave shape to them—watching the seasons change from my studio window, letting the colours and qualities of light inspire the compositions; and long walks in East London’s natural and urban areas where I would listen to rough edits of the tracks and record open-air sounds that blended well with the music.
With this music, the process is compositional and very deliberate, as opposed to improvised or open-ended. The tracks are manipulated guitar and synth lines, meshed with both raw and processed field recordings, and broken chords and melodies made with a Mellotron iPhone app.
credits
released October 1, 2021
All music composed, arranged, recorded and mixed by Sam Ashton.
Cover by Sam Ashton.
Mastered by Taylor Deupree @ 12k Mastering.
Thank you to all listeners and supporters of my work so far.
Extra special thanks to Yann Novak for the constant hard work, inspiration, support, patience, and belief in this project.
Fortresses is the Ambient Drone project of London-born/Portland-based multidisciplinary artist Sam Ashton
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Compositions of manipulated guitar, synthesiser, cassette hiss and found sounds
yann's approach to stasis and dynamic restraint have been referential points for me in my own artistic path - this release is no exception - and yet it feels a bit more open, wider, somehow carries a little more release and anguish - just superb. wndfrm
Woozy, gauzy, dreamlike electronic music fills “Salt Water Motifs,” its impossibly still songs creating beautifully eerie moods. Bandcamp New & Notable May 15, 2023
we're all beside a wooded creek, laying on this silken mossy chord, listening as leaves tumble down in succession. the pond nearby catches each leaf and we sync our thoughts using the chain of ripples in the water. thanks a lot for this one. recommended for relaxation or when it just gets to be too much out there Ews Nsj