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CD
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CSR 334CD
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Step into the shadows of ancient mysticism as Llyn Y Cwn, the maestro of Welsh dark ambient, unveils the mesmerizing odyssey that is Megaliths. A profound exploration of the sacred resonance embedded within stone circles, capturing years of field recordings from the silent and enigmatic monuments that stand as timeless witnesses to the ebb and flow of existence. Ben Powell has crafted a sonic voyage that mirrors the sacred spaces marked by stoic pillars of rock, each track representing a specific site. Delving deep into the esoteric significance of stone circles, the album portrays these structures not merely as historical relics but as religious ceremonial sites where the veil between the world and the eternal realm becomes tantalizingly thin. Extracting ambient soundscapes from burial chambers, Ben has utilized convolution reverbs to replicate the ominous ambiance of these ancient spaces. A veteran of stone circle exploration, Ben's decades-long journey has yielded field recordings that capture the haunting whispers of wind and the solemn caws of crows, enveloping the listener in a ghostly atmosphere that transcends the ordinary. Guided by the wisdom found in Julian Cope's The Modern Antiquarian and Aurbrey Burl's A Guide to the Stone Circles of Britain, Llyn Y Cwn embarks on a sonic pilgrimage across the country, exploring the remote bleakness of these sites. The album transitions from the cramped, gloomy chambers of tombs to the unroofed, wide rings -- a journey from darkness to light, from the dead to the living, and from the grave to the sky. Megaliths is a ritual, a sonic séance that beckons listeners to commune with the ancient energies that saturate these sacred circles -- an atmospheric descent into the heart of mysterious realms, where the boundaries between the earthly and the spiritual blur into an indistinguishable, haunting atmosphere. Embrace the darkness, and let the stones speak. The journey begins now. Presented in a six-panel flood-printed digipak with breathtaking photography by the artist.
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CD
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CSR 302CD
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Du Y Moroedd (Welsh -- the black of the sea) is an album of abyssal dark ambient -- environmental soundscapes and atmospheres from above, below and beside the ocean; field recordings made onboard vessels at sea; sounds from submerged recording devices deep underwater; recordings from the coasts of North Wales to Greenland and the Arctic Ocean. File next to fellow Welshman Lustmord and Sleep Research Facility. Presented in a six-panel digipak with breathtaking photography by the artist.
"The tracks were created onboard the RV Prince Madog whilst conducting research using multibeam sonar to locate, survey and identify shipwrecks from WW1. The multibeam sonar creates images of the seabed using acoustic reflections. It is quite an experience to watch the sonar reveal an unsurveyed wreck and be the first person to 'see' the ship for over 100 years; the vessel sitting at the bottom of the ocean waiting in the dark to be discovered. Research into the history of each wreck uncovers stories of boats torn in half by torpedoes and mines, U- boats hunted by destroyers and pummeled with depth charges. Many of these sites aren't just wrecks; they are mass war graves. The vital shipping channel to Liverpool passes the North Wales coast, the U boats would sit and wait; listening. When heard from under the water, each ship has its own unique acoustic signature based on the size of the engine, shape of the propeller, curve of the hull, these acoustic tell-tales were used by the U-boats to identify targets. The shipping lane became a shooting gallery of easy pickings and the submarines were able to slip away undetected into the black of the sea. The album features recordings from the hull of RRS James Clark Ross whilst ploughing through ice fields off Greenland, from a 'sound trap' attached to an anchor as it descended through 80m of water to the seabed, and sounds from onboard the RV Prince Madog with its pitched engine drone. There is also a recording of the bell at Trwyn Du lighthouse, Anglesey, that was made in August 2020, days before the bell was removed to be replaced with a modern fog horn -- prior to this, the bell had rung every 30 seconds since 1922" --Benjamin Ian Powell.
"Ambient soundscapes that thrill and terrify in equal measure" --Electronic Sound Magazine.
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CD
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CSR 286CD
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Llyn Y Cwn conveys atmosphere and environment through deep ambient sounds. The sound of nature re-establishing itself in the post-industrial wilderness of a former quarry. A phantasm of echoes reflecting the bleak majesty and poetic melancholy of the hinterland of North Wales. A hole within a void, a place defined by absence in a world of negative space. The backdrop for this cavernous soundtrack is Dinorwic slate quarry. The field recordings were taken in this vast subterranean environment where an exposed scar of rock is carved out of the mountainside on the western slope of Elidir Fawr in Snowdonia, North Wales. Standing alone in the quarry, which covers 700 acres up to a height of 600m, it isn't difficult to imagine work going on around you with the abandoned industrial landscape juxtaposed against the backdrop of the majestic Snowdonia skyline. Each track is named after an area of the quarry, descending ever deeper through each rock gallery, with their acoustically unique echoes and sounds. The landscape is in a state of constant flux with small avalanches of rock and spoil slate tumbling over itself -- it was such a landslide that led to the eventual demise of the quarry. The hydroelectric power station, built deep underground inside the mountain, can be heard rumbling away through the various air shafts dotted around the quarry, adding to the overall ominous feel of the pieces. File next to fellow Welshman Lustmord. Six-panel digipak photography by the artist.
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CD
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CSR 254CD
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Llyn Y Cwn's Twll Du (Black Hole) is an ominous dark ambient journey through vast atmospheric landscapes. Each beautifully-crafted opus is based on a bespoke field recording and is named after an area of Cwm Idwal, home of the Twll Du. Swelling, monolithic drones reveal the majestic power of the mountains. The music conveys an immersive atmosphere and is intended to be played as the listener falls into a deep sleep. Llyn Y Cwn (Lake Of The Dogs) is a small lake at 715m in the Glyder mountain range of Snowdonia, North Wales. The Devil's Kitchen is the name given to the dark, black crack which splits the rock of Clogwyn y Geifr (Cliff Of The Goat) between Y Garn and Glyder Fawr. The Welsh name for Devil's Kitchen is Twll Du, meaning 'black hole', because of the plume of steam that is often seen rising from the crack resembling a chimney. It's said when steam can be seen rising from the chimney, the Devil is cooking. File next to fellow Welshman Lustmord.
Benjamin Ian Powell on the project's genesis: "I am an electronics technician for the School of Ocean Sciences at Bangor University; I spend a lot of time of time at sea on scientific research cruises which is where most of my music is written using a laptop and headphones. I have been on research trips to the Arctic several times on Russian, British and Canadian icebreakers, an experience that has been a large inspiration to my music. I have lived in North Wales all my life and spend as much time as I can in my camper van in the mountains."
Presented in a six-panel digipak with breathtaking photography by the artist.
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