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the planets (album in various formats)

by Spectral Bazaar

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Tris T
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Tris T Sounds great in the shower, sounds great in the car. Even sounds great preparing a nourishing evening meal.
josh
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josh i love it i love it i love it i love it i love it Favorite track: Earth (Bonus Track 1).
101er
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101er Absolutely superb. A beautifully crafted album right down to the packaging.
I have listened to it several times now and each time there is something new to discover.
I would recommend that you buy this terrific musical suite. Favorite track: Jupiter.
Charles Pridgeon
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Charles Pridgeon Strange and often exquisite music, with, here, a flute hovering birdlike over the choppy murk of electronics; or there, a cello humming behind a veil of electronics. l really like it.
Simon "Psymon" Ring
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Simon "Psymon" Ring I fell in love with this album within the 1st few minutes of streaming. The electronics and traditional instruments weave in and out of each other with subtle melodies drifting throughout. A very satisfying and relaxing album, beautifully packaged in a portholed tin. I'd love to see this release on vinyl in the future ! Favorite track: Mercury.
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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Standard CD Edition. Quality glass mastered compact disc in clear casing with clear window to the universe and metallic labels.

    Includes unlimited streaming of the planets (album in various formats) via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • Limited Edition Compact Disc in Tin Box
    Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Floating in a tin can.....limited edition (100 copies) glass mastered compact disc in tin box. Housed within a tin spaceship box with clear window to the universe and metallic labels. Each copy is hand numbered and includes digital download key. Every copy represents a year passed since the original Holst Planets suite in 1918. Following sales of the initial limited edition, CD is available in a standard foil slip case.

    Includes unlimited streaming of the planets (album in various formats) via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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1.
Neptune 04:01
2.
Saturn 07:40
3.
Venus 04:05
4.
Jupiter 05:16
5.
Mars 07:52
6.
Uranus 03:41
7.
Mercury 04:52
8.
9.

about

From its premiere in 1918 to the present day, the Holst Planet suite has been enduringly popular, influential, widely performed and frequently recorded. The work was not heard in a complete public performance until some years after it was completed - with four performances between September 1918 and October 1920. The concept of the Holst work is astrological rather than astronomical (which is why Earth is not included). Each movement is intended to convey ideas and emotions associated with the influence of the planets on the psyche.

100 years later whilst listening to the Holst suite, Spectral Bazaar decided to embark on recreating the Holst psyche within new electro acoustic pieces based on the original concepts but different track order. The result is seven unique compositions collectively titled The Planets:
1 Neptune, the Mystic
2 Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age
3 Venus, the Bringer of Peace
4 Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity
5 Mars, the Bringer of War
6 Uranus, the Magician
7 Mercury, the Winged Messenger

REVIEWS:

"Manchester duo Spectral Bazaar features Dave Clarkson (synths) and Ruth Davies (cello, oboe, flute) and their album The Planets is an immersive electro-acoustic voyage, a barrage of drones and treated noises that can be dreamlike (Venus, Neptune) or nightmarish (Saturn, Mars)."
(John Lewis / The Guardian, 19 Jul 2019)

“So far we have encountered Dave Clarkson mostly on solo releases, dealing with field recordings. His work with, for instance, Alan Hempsall of Crispy Ambulance has not reached these shores. Come to think of it, Spectral bazaar might be the first release where we see Clarkson working with someone else. As a duo, they have been going since 2015. Clarkson is on synths and electronics but also arrangements and production and Ruth Davies on cello, oboe, flute, treatments and pedals. 'The Planets' is their first release, and while it's not a cover or re-interpretation of Gustav Holst's piece of the same name, it uses the names of the same seven planets as in the original. The Holst premiered in 1918 and is still widely regarded as one of the most popular pieces of classical music. It helped that the subject are the planets and it can easily be used in any documentary about the moon landing. This is an edition of 100 copies; each for a year passed since the premiere of the Holst composition. "Each movement is intended to convey ideas and emotions associated with the influence of the planets on the psyche", said Holst, so Neptune is the mystic, Saturn, the bringer of old age, Venus the bringer of peace, etc. These nine pieces ('Earth' is a bonus track, and 'Saturn Return' too) show an excellent display of musicianship. Both Clarkson and Davies have an excellent command of their instruments and bring out some dramatic music. This is not your usual drone exercise here, some space is the place drone, but a work in which the instruments of Davies are playful, melodic and orchestral, but set against the electronics of Clarkson it all makes even more sense. He's, of course, putting on delay and reverb effects to create that cosmic touch that is also indebted to the world of modern electronics; say the original score for 'The Planet of The Apes'. But that melodic touch that Davies brings in is what gives this a vibrant edge; I would think it is perhaps partly improvised. And the music follows the score closely; 'Jupiter: The Bringer Of Jollity' is an almost acid techno experience but then laced with flutes and treatments. This is lovely stuff; weird, musical and well produced. A different cosmic trip!”
(FdW / VitalWeekly, 4 Aug 2019)

"In a major departure from his recent albums of processed field recordings, Spectral Bazaar finds sound sculptor Dave Clarkson paired with multi-instrumentalist and fellow Mancunian Ruth Davies for a reinterpretation of Gustav Holst's 'The Planets'. If you grew up daydreaming about boarding a rocket ship bound for the outer reaches of our galaxy, this may well have been the soundtrack playing in your imagination. From the eddying electronics of 'Neptune' and Davies' almost astral jazz reimagining of Holst's melodies, to the high-velocity pulses and dubbed-up oboes of 'Uranus', Spectral Bazaar approach these pieces with a sense of vast wonder and a constant search for forward motion. There's a violent quality to the synths on 'Saturn', almost like intense waves of radiation, or trying to traverse the planet's ring system, while 'Jupiter' is bleepy acid house music for travellers bound for the Orb's Ultraworld, a cluster of joyfully noisy reeds infiltrating the track's unstoppable trajectory. Upwards and onwards".
(Mat Smith / Electronic Sound magazine / September 2019)


BROADCASTS:

‘Neptune’ on Rádio Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal, 28 Jun 19
‘Neptune’ on BBC Radio Merseyside, PMS, 22 Jul 19
‘Mars’ on WFMU, Marcel M show, New Jersey, 23 Jul 19
‘Earth’ on WFMU, Mark Hurst show, New Jersey, 29 Jul 19
‘Jupiter’ on WFMU, Scott Williams show, New Jersey, 29 Jul 19
‘Earth’ on WFMU, Daniel Blumin show, New Jersey, 02 Aug 19
'Venus' on WGXC Radio, New York, 05 Aug 19
‘Earth’ on WFMU, Jesse Dorris show, New Jersey, 06 Aug 19
‘Mercury’ on Anticipating Nowhere 11, UK 13 Aug 19
‘Earth’ on WFMU, Moonlight Sonatas show, New Jersey, 18 Aug 19
‘Venus’ on WFMU, Tom Dash show, New Jersey, 18 Aug 19
‘Jupiter’ on WFMU, New Jersey, 26 Aug 19
'Uranus' on Space is the Place show, Shaun Blezard, UK, 02 Sep 19
'Neptune' on WFMU, Gaylord Fields show, New Jersey, 22 Sep 19
'Neptune' on Radio Portland, Ricardo Wang, US, 12 Oct 19
'Neptune' on BBC 6 Music, Stuart Maconie's Freak Zone, 12 Jan 20
'Uranus' on Radio Matlock Electronic Music Show, 04 Feb 20

credits

released July 10, 2019

Dave Clarkson - synths, electronics, arrangements and production.
Ruth Davies - cello, oboe, flute, treatments and pedals.
Recorded during 2018. Production and mastering at Cavendish House studio Jan - May 2019.

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Spectral Bazaar Manchester, UK

Spectral Bazaar are a duo based in Manchester (UK) who unite digital music with treated classical instruments to produce unique electronic music. They comprise of Dave Clarkson on synths, electronics and mixing and Ruth Davies on cello, flute and oboe. Their debut ‘The Planets’ is an alternative audio trip through the seven planets originally chosen for the Holst suite over a hundred years ago. ... more

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