Anderhill’s eighth release is titled, Wandering, Not Lost. The music is a bit less minimalist than some of Anderhill’s previous EPs, but it still has that experimental/ambient vibe. Keep in mind that according to Brian Eno, and most experts on the topic, ambient music in it’s purest form does not generally include beats or drums.
This music does include some beats. In fact, this four-song EP might add a little bit of funkiness to the Anderhill palette. – dse
The seventh EP in the Anderhill discography marks a bit of a turning point. Although I’d already been using a lot of droning sounds in Anderhill’s music, Something Beyond Our Own Understanding includes two pure drone compositions. They will not be the last drone works from Anderhill.
There’s something both mysterious and alluring about drone music. Many folks find it boring, but good drone pieces have a lot more going on than first meets the ear. One must truly listen with intention, and even then there’s something so deep that it’s beyond understanding. Thus, the title of this EP.
There’s a spiritual element to drone music. It’s everything becoming one. It’s almost nothing at all. It can be warm and beautiful. It can be ominous and threatening. The drone pieces on Something Beyond Our Own Understanding are soft and meditative with hidden melodies within. – dse
This new site didn’t turn out exactly as I’d planned. I envisioned something more like Tom Waits’ or Nick Cave’s website. The goal was to promote my music, poetry, and songwriting. But that’s the way it is with creative endeavors. Things don’t always turn out as planned. Plus, I’m not Tom Waits or Nick Cave. It’s okay, because at it’s core, this new site is actually an exercise in letting go.
Everything else is secondary and will come in time.
Here are few of the things that I’m letting go:
I’m letting go.
Now that the initial excitement of this new venture is winding down a little, I can ease back and continue letting go. I started with a flurry of short essays. I may slow down the pace, or maybe I’ll write even more. Essays were not part of the original vision, but I do like how things have developed. Deep down, I’m a writer, and that will always come out in one way or another.
Maybe, it’s time to start experimenting with some of my own photography for the site? And of course, I’ll continue to work on music. Music was the original intention for this site: a musician’s page. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has put a damper on playing live gigs anytime in the near future.
Most of all, I’ll continue letting go and letting things develop as they will.
Peace. – dse
Yesterday, I went to a local vintage shop that has all sorts of cool old stuff, including a crapload of vinyl. I’d come to see if they had any Tom Waits or Nick Cave on vinyl. (Yes, I’ve been fixated on Waits and Cave lately.) Nothing. But I did find a copy of Bruce Springsteen’s, The River. I bought it and that was okay, but it wasn’t the cool find.
There was a record crate on the floor marked Spoken Word and Sound Effects. The records were cheap, just a few bucks each. I found poetry, sound effects, the sounds howling wolves, race cars, and a bunch of other oddities. I bought a handful of these weird records including spoken word from poets and authors such as Mark Twain, Edgar Allan Poe, and Dylan Thomas.
Here’s why this is such a cool find for me. Sure, I’ll listen to these records, but that’s not why I bought them. I’ve been composing experimental music as Anderhill for the past few years. Sampling a variety of sounds, words, and voices has become part of the Anderhill sound. You probably know where I’m going with this.
Look for some new Anderhill music in the near future; music that incorporates the sounds and voices of some cool finds from a vintage record store. – dse
Anderhill’s sixth release is 2019’s Tag This Music Anderhill. Take a listen.
By the time I composed this EP, it was clear that I had a definitive love for experimental electronic music production.
Tag is a little more spontaneous and playful than its predecessor, Fellow Travelers. The music on Tag probably has a bit more in common with Anderhill’s debut recording, The Beginning. Like that EP, the music is a bit more melodic and beat-driven while still having some hypnotic and minimalist qualities. – dse
As I reflect on my latest musical compositions, there’s a word that comes to the forefront: spontaneous. There’s a spontaneous nature to the music. However, it’s not just my music that’s spontaneous. That thread runs through all of my work.
A SoundCloud follower who listened to all of the tracks from Five Birds on a Wire pointed out that the music is different. I like that description, but I sought a reason. What makes it different? I think the aleatoric method of setting parameters lends to a spontaneous nature, but there’s something else going on.
When I’m composing and writing, I often make creative decisions quickly. This essay for instance: I just woke up and started writing. Tracks on Five Birds on a Wire include sampled vocals, percussion, and whistling. Each of those parts was completely spontaneous. I simply turned on the microphone and made sounds. I kept the first take and found a way to weave that sample into the song. I didn’t deliberate. I just did it.
I’ve been hard on myself because sometimes it feels like I produce material too fast, without enough care to detail. However, in working that way, a spontaneous element is introduced into my work.
It other words, I throw things at the wall to see of they stick. Then, more often than not, I say, “that’s interesting,” and keep those spontaneous parts in my work. And why not? Being spontaneous can make things different, weird, quirky, and as a creator. . .
fun. – dse