I have been working on a couple of tracks inspired by the presence of interesting bugs. One of the ideas made it to the "Small Sounds" compilation previously blogged about but I managed to flesh out a couple that I ended up fairly happy with.
And so with a couple of other bits I have been working on, I decided to put this out as a digital only EP with "Pay what you want" enabled - please just ask if you want a free download code because I can easily generate some.
So aside from the little bugs I have been looking at... I suffer from pretty bad hay fever. Some days it is completely crippling and I just want to hide inside under the duvet while I cry, sneeze and generally dehydrate into a withered husk. It is so dependant on the weather. I liken it to turning a tap on and off. Occasionally it gets left running at the worst time. Today however... it is ok and I just have a mild fuzzy headache.
Gritonometry is a concept I came up with whilst languishing in allergy induced hibernation recently. The sun was shining! But my eyes and nose were streaming with snotulus and I wept in the shower.. A complete bastardization of the fleeting visit of high summer we experience in the UK. The track is fairly simple, dense, and noisy. It does not do much. I was feeling pretty down when I wrote it.
The Black Ash Slug can be found on Dartmoor, it is the largest land slug in the world. They are pretty rare and are only found in ancient woodlands, of which there are sadly dwindling examples of in the UK. There are a couple up on Dartmoor where these slugs like to hang out.
The Broad Bodied Chaser is a type of dragonfly that occasionally visits our pond. The one I saw looked like a huge hornet with menacing black and white stripes, until it landed and I figured out what it was. These two tracks have a strong percussive element and are swamped in bass and static. They are the most dynamic of the tracks I present here but I believe still retain the Tump sound.
The closing track Intrusive Signals is named after my zine project of the same name. The original piano was supplied by Arachnopus who I have worked with a few times now (she did the amazing video earlier this year for my set on Wonder Valley Experimental 14, as well as providing some excellent intrusive artwork for my zine). I took her original improvised piano recording (with some very light trimming) and added a large amount of filth. I loved making this and she supplied some great material to work with. Thank you!
1. Gritonometry 04:23
2. Black Ash Slug 05:36
3. Broad Bodied Chaser 05:52
4. Intrusive Signals 06:40
Note on mastering:
I find that the hayfever also effects my hearing - I am generally blocked. Bass sounds can hurt as they whistle through my ears, everything is muffled and dense. These recordings are probably heavily saturated with that sort of sound. A document to this moment in time through my senses. Best listened to loud on some big speakers. If the sun is shining outside, maybe shut the curtains and snort some ground black pepper to try and replicate my situation (actually, dont do that).
All tracks recorded April - June 2022.
releases July 1, 2022
STUMP010
Piano on "Intrusive Signals" by Arachnopus.
All field recordings from Dartmoor by Soloman Tump
All other sounds by Soloman Tump and my machines.
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