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In October 2017, ex-Hurricane Ophelia and Storm Brian hit the British Isles. These weather systems had formed separately over the Atlantic before moving north-east and converging. In addition to 100mph winds and widespread damage and disruption, the storms brought dust from the Sahara Desert that turned the skies orange over much of the UK. This otherworldly meteorological phenomenon serves as a fitting backdrop to Chimet.
Chimet charts the progress of the two storms over the course of a week, utilising data from Chichester West Pole Beacon a weather stanon in the Solent which stands in some of the most treacherous waters in the UK.
The album was created using 2,016 sampled data streams, translating seven days of
information into 67 minutes and 12 seconds of detailed and evolving music. With
mother nature orchestrating the piece, she is joined by intuitive and powerful
improvisations on piano, cello and synthesiser. The recording captures the sense of
building expectation and tension, the dropping air pressure, the rising winds, the
interlocking storm systems and the serene aftermath. The shifts are seamless,
monumental and open to the elements.
Chimet is a record to lose yourself in. Like the sea itself, it doesn’t give up its secrets
easily. The listening experience seems to change depending on your state of mind,
and resonates on a primal level which belies its data led compositonal approach. For
generations, artists and musicians have been drawn to the sea for their inspiration.
That emotional response to the vastness of the ocean is a powerful force. While the
origins of Chimet lie in the numbers, the resultant record sits proudly in that artistic
tradition. Music to watch the horizon to.
Craig Kirkpatrick-Whitby: project concept, artistic direction, data sourcing, analytics & programming PJ Davy: sound design & programming Matthew Bourne: piano, cello & Lintronics Advanced Memorymoog (LAMM) synthesiser.
The debut release from MINING - a collective of sound designers, programmers, improvisational musicians, graphic designers and photographers.
Graphic designer Oli Bentley and generative artist Sock Baeus Redding took
the storm data used in the composition of the music to produce an edition of 504
double vinyl LP.
Each record is packaged in a unique, digitally printed sleeve, time-stamped to
correspond to a specific 20-minute segment of the storm sequence.
It will be accompanied by a series of generative videos, again taking the data as their basis.
Tracklist
2LP
A1. Ophelia (14:40)
A2. Petrichor (5:58)
B1. Latent (4:40)
B2. Chimet 50º 45’.45 N, 00º 56'.59 W (7:59)
C1. Arise (12:20)
C2. Force 10 Pt. 1 (2:19)
D1. Force 10 Pt. 2 (15:00)
D2. Debris (6.29)
CD
1. Ophelia (14:40)
2. Petrichor (5:48)
3. Latent (4:12)
4. Chimet 50º 45’.45 N, 00º 56'.59 W (7:40)
5. Arise (12:00)
6. Force 10 Pts. 1 & 2 (16:40)
7. Debris (6:29)