about the cassette
Conceived and composed in Almada, Portugal, in the makeshift studio space he shares with Casper Clausen of Efterklang, Harp Swells is both meditative and deliberately, consciously light. While Samson’s previous work has been steered by melancholy and a desire to heal himself through his music, here he strives for brightness—an antidote to the frustrations that had swelled within him over the past few years.
Will views this work as an "anti-algorithm" record. Consisting of six movements and fundamentally shaped by his use of a UHER 4200, a 1970s-era portable tape recorder that intricately ties the whole album together, Harp Swells is designed to be consumed in one sitting, front to back. While he’s aware that this could work against him in many ways, for the first time, Will is releasing an album free of inhibitions and, perhaps most importantly, any expectations.
Carrying that outlook through the entire project, Will made a pledge to himself that any time he began to feel frustrated with the creative process, he would step away from the music to watch the river outside his studio windows, reminding himself that the album should feel as easy and free-flowing as the water.
If ideas weren’t flowing, if instruments failed, Will would simply take a break and a breath, always allowing the environment and circumstances to dictate the album’s character and flow. When the noise of the construction work happening below him got too loud, he would record the same melody on a Rhodes piano instead. When his violinist wasn’t available, he sampled a bamboo flute he found in the studio to create something that resembled a string arrangement. The result is a sprawling, mesmerizing body of sound, a richly organic reflection on the world around him and the roots he had finally put in place.
Inspired by the concept of Indian devotional music, with a focus on the art of healing, Harp Swells glistens with quiet power, wrapping listeners within its illusory flow as it gently pours forward. It’s also a reaction to a shifting world, and an ode to the inner strength required to keep moving forward as the walls of the real world continually feel like they’re closing in.
- 1 - Beatrijs' Theremin 7:11
- 2 - For Rubi 7:25
- 3 - Always 5:02
- 4 - And Yet 3:03
- 5 - Double Bass 5:14
- 6 - Bamboo Uher 8:06
€18,00
in stock
- 1 - Beatrijs' Theremin 7:11
- 2 - For Rubi 7:25
- 3 - Always 5:02
- 4 - And Yet 3:03
- 5 - Double Bass 5:14
- 6 - Bamboo Uher 8:06
about the cassette
Conceived and composed in Almada, Portugal, in the makeshift studio space he shares with Casper Clausen of Efterklang, Harp Swells is both meditative and deliberately, consciously light. While Samson’s previous work has been steered by melancholy and a desire to heal himself through his music, here he strives for brightness—an antidote to the frustrations that had swelled within him over the past few years.
Will views this work as an "anti-algorithm" record. Consisting of six movements and fundamentally shaped by his use of a UHER 4200, a 1970s-era portable tape recorder that intricately ties the whole album together, Harp Swells is designed to be consumed in one sitting, front to back. While he’s aware that this could work against him in many ways, for the first time, Will is releasing an album free of inhibitions and, perhaps most importantly, any expectations.
Carrying that outlook through the entire project, Will made a pledge to himself that any time he began to feel frustrated with the creative process, he would step away from the music to watch the river outside his studio windows, reminding himself that the album should feel as easy and free-flowing as the water.
If ideas weren’t flowing, if instruments failed, Will would simply take a break and a breath, always allowing the environment and circumstances to dictate the album’s character and flow. When the noise of the construction work happening below him got too loud, he would record the same melody on a Rhodes piano instead. When his violinist wasn’t available, he sampled a bamboo flute he found in the studio to create something that resembled a string arrangement. The result is a sprawling, mesmerizing body of sound, a richly organic reflection on the world around him and the roots he had finally put in place.
Inspired by the concept of Indian devotional music, with a focus on the art of healing, Harp Swells glistens with quiet power, wrapping listeners within its illusory flow as it gently pours forward. It’s also a reaction to a shifting world, and an ode to the inner strength required to keep moving forward as the walls of the real world continually feel like they’re closing in.
