Lamorna by Matthew Shaw

Matthew Shaw’s travels continue. His wanderings have led him to Seatown, Sandbanks, the woods of Zeist, and the inner city of Vancouver. Now he documents a week-long trip to Lamorna, Cornwall, in the summer of 2012.

Shaw writes: “The recordings were made in the Lamorna valley, the cove, the woods and also within the Iron Age Boleigh Fogou which is an underground structure over 2,000 years old. The Fogou derives from the Cornish for Fou or Vou, meaning cave.”

“In terms of the sound of the finished music, it was recorded largely on location using acoustic guitar, bowed guitars, Moog Prodigy, my voice and a sprinkling of effects where required. It relied on the sounds of the places themselves, the trees, river and Fogou in particular. The mixing process was based on taking these raw ingredients and sculpting them into a finished whole, with the place as the focus.”

The result is a slow tide of strings, ambient vistas, and delirious harmonies that echo, then dissipate into the eponymous landscape. From the inner triumph of “Rosemerrynwood” to the tense and pulse-quickening modern composition “Bo-Lech” and the buoyant, living title track, Lamorna is a remembered call from an ancient place.

Fluid Audio presents Lamorna in a limited edition run of 100 hand made letter pressed CD’s, along with 6 large format (150mm x 150mm) double sided photographic prints taken by the artist on his journey. The package also includes a natural Larch wood slice, pressed Viola flower, rare poem by Ithell Colquhoun, download code and scent. All of the above rests inside hand typed/numbered/sealed Manilla envelopes.

fluidaudio.co.uk