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“Humming fields” video on Youtube

Makino Takashi’s video for “Humming Fields”, which premiered in Tokyo last Saturday, is now visible on Youtube and just below here. Thank you so much Makino!

Live in Portugal and Dublin in May

I’m also finally able to announce the first gigs that will open my May-June small European tour: I’ve chosen one of my favourite countries, Portugal, as the place to do my first concerts after more than 4 years away from the stage. I’ve always felt really comfortable and welcome in Portugal, so I didn’t doubt for a second that this was where I would make my “comeback” ;-) So get ready Lisbon, Coimbra and Guimarães on May 23rd, 24th and 25th!

It is also with lots of excitement that I’m going back to Dublin, another place I love for its warm audiences, and I’m told that the Unitarian Church is stunning, so I hope that many of you will come to this show on May 31st!

All details in the Live Shows / Future Shows section. And there will be many more shows this autumn and dates will be posted over the summer.

Second Language preorder

Finally, Second Language, the label that is releasing The Weighing of the Heart, are now taking preorders on their website. Please know that if you buy the album directly from the label, both the label and myself greatly benefit from this, so if your idea by buying the album is to support us, then indeed their website is the best place to do this!

Many thanks for your support as always :-)))

The opening track of my new album The Weighing of the Heart, “Push The Boat Onto The Sand”, can now be heard exclusively on FACT magazine, here. I hope you will enjoy this first peek into the album’s sonic world!

Some of you will know Makino Takashi’s name from previous posts where I mentioned screenings of a short film he made in 2009 and for which I composed exclusive music, “While we are here”.
Makino was an apprentice of the Brothers Quay and has since gone on to pursue his own brand of “experimental” film, garnering much acclaim and including among his regular collaborators Jim O’Rourke.

Makino has made a beautiful video for “Humming fields”, one of the songs off my new album The Weighing of the Heart, and if you live in Tokyo you will be able to see the video for the first time at the film festival organized by Makino himself, Makino Takashi Film Festival at Uplink Factory, Tokyo, on April 13th 2013.

More on the video and many other news to be announced this month !

I’m extremely happy to announce that my fourth album “The Weighing of the Heart” will be released on May 13th 2013 on London-based label Second Language, in a deluxe CD version (book-sized format with full-colour artwork and 8-page black and white booklet)  and gatefold 180mg vinyl (with 8-page black and white booklet and download code).

Here is a further glimpse into the amazing artwork Iker Spozio created for it.

To celebrate this release which means so much to me, I will play live during the months of May and June, with more shows to be added throughout the year.

More details on the first shows will follow soon, but I can already announce the Glasgow and London dates which will be quite special for me: in Glasgow I’ll have the joy of sharing the stage with my friends from Electroscope and the talented Ceylan Hay, and in London it will actually be a Second Language night with Directorsound and Áine O’Dwyer.

You can also catch me in Paris at the truly beautiful auditorium of the Collège des Bernardins on June 13th.

5th June Glasgow, UK, Glasgow City Halls recital room – double bill with Electroscope, opening act Ceylan Hay

8th June London, UK, Cafe Oto – A Second Language night, opening acts Directorsound and Áine O’Dwyer  ; tickets available here

I hope to see you there !

It is with extreme excitement and happiness that I can finally announce that my new album will be released in may 2013!

After more than 2 years working on new music and trying to get to that elusive musical place which I could imagine so clearly but had trouble actually creating, things finally started to click into place over the summer and by October I had all the album songs ready for recording … but recording itself has proved rather difficult due to not having an adequate space. I’m not keen on the idea of recording in a studio, as it doesn’t really fit the way I work, which is very hands-on, so  I’ve had to make do with what’s available, and let’s say that what’s available is very noisy ;-))))

Still, 90% of the recording is now done, I’ll be mixing the album in the first half of January, then it will be sent for mastering, promos will be made, there will be the mandatory (and oh-so-long) 3-month period between promo availability and release, and if all goes according to plan, the album should be available in early May !

I’ve done absolutely everything on this album, from start to finish, so it’s been a mammoth undertaking, one which I’m glad to see the end of, if only to finally share it with an audience, and hopefully when hearing the music and the new elements in it you will understand why it’s taken me so long !

I’m also very excited at the idea of playing live again, so keep your eyes peeled for live show announcements and other record-related news!

I’ll leave you with a tiny preview of the wonderful artwork created by Iker Spozio for the album cover – and yes, those colours and shapes do reflect the music contained in the album!