Impermanence by Ian Hawgood

Mono No Aware

Impermanence is a love letter to transience, fragility and the analogue machines Ian Hawgood persuades to articulate the poignantly brittle beauty of decay. After many years of in-demand mastering, label curation and collaborative focus Hawgood now offers us a definitive portrait of the technical expertise and personal integrity demanded by exemplary modern tape-based practice.

In studios between Tokyo and Warsaw walls of reel-to-reel tape recorders, analogue synthesisers, processed textures and degraded cassette recordings were all carefully coaxed into braiding together their hiss, wow, flutter and warmth into this beautifully flowing nine-chapter arc of delicately unpredictable sound. Impermanence is an understated, finely wrought work that honours process and outcome equally, exhibiting a rare tonal and conceptual elegance throughout and marking an assured return to solo composition from a true master of the analogue arts.

Impermanence is the fourth in the Slowcraft Presents series created and curated by James Murray: exceptional, unclassifiable music offered in carefully handcrafted limited editions for people who treasure beautiful audio artefacts.

Selected Press:

"Impermanence is a sublime document of sonic ephemerality and extraordinary filigree in terms of both texture and emotion."
- Stationary Travels

https://stationarytravels.wordpress.com/2019/04/04/premiere-whispers-from-impermanence-by-ian-hawgood/

"Technically located at an extremely high level... each of the 9 songs has stunning charm." - Gezeitenstrom

https://gezeitenstrom.weebly.com/reviews/ian-hawgood-impermanence-2019

"Music of significant value... along with enlightened levels of patience, Hawgood instils a deep calm into the fabric of the record."
- Fluid Radio

http://www.fluid-radio.co.uk/2019/04/ian-hawgood-impermanence/

"Admirers of everything hand-made, intimate, and intricately curated will be in love... highly recommended." - Headphone Commute

https://headphonecommute.com/2019/04/02/ian-hawgood-ever-loved/

"Mai come in “Impermanence”, la musica di Hawgood travalica il semplicismo degli schemi definitori, proiettando la propria mosaicale interpretazione dell’elettro-acustica ambientale verso una dimensione di pura percezione sonora, colta al volo nella preziosa caducità della sua dissolvenza.” - Music Won’t Save You

https://musicwontsaveyou.com/2019/04/18/ian-hawgood-impermanence/

“A highly personal statement, yet also appealing to a wide audience receptive enough to feel its intentions.” - Ambientblog

https://www.ambientblog.net/blog/2019-04-20/impermanence/

Tracklist

1.	Fire	3:57

2.	Loneliness	4:16

3.	Whispers	3:45

4.	Never Gone	5:53

5.	Impermanence	3:27

6.	Stories Fold	3:57

7.	Ever Loved	3:24

8.	Grace	5:04

9.	Never Alone	6:24

Credits

released April 18, 2019

Written, Produced and Mastered by Ian Hawgood
Artwork by Stijn Hüwels
Design by James Murray

Recording:
Studer A80 for mixdowns and mastering (acquired by British Library)
Studer A807 for mixdowns (acquired by British Library)
2 x Revox PR99 Mk I and II
2 x BBC modded Revox PR99 as mono-delay units
2 x Revox A77
Akai reel-to-reels (various) on loop

Transfer:
Nagra VII

Synths:
Korg MonoPoly
Korg LP-10
Korg Polysix
Korg Poly800 II
Roland Juno 106
Sequential Prophet Six
Sequential Circuits Six Trak
Roland JP8000

Fields Recording:
Sony Cassette Tape hanging from our apartment by the river in Nakajuku, Tokyo

No computers were used in these recordings.

folkreels.com
slowcraft.info

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