Master craftsman James Welburn’s new LP, Sleeper in the Void, marks the 50th Miasmah release. The six years after his monumental debut have bred six tracks Welburn brings to fruition with the help of past co-conspirators from the Norwegian underground scene - Tomas Järmyr (Motorpsycho, Zu, Barchan), Hilde Marie Holsen (Hubro Records), and vocal artist Juliana Venter (W/V, Phil Winter).
On Sleeper in the Void, Welburn expands the domain of his sound, unveiling surprises until the very end of the album’s 36 minute playtime. While the character of the record is unmistakably his own, the tracks veer into many different territories, including a banging foray to the dancefloor.
The LP begins slowly with Raze, where Järmyr’s ritualistic cymbals introduce layers of Welburn’s signature sculpted bass drones and noise, building into a heart-wrenching epic of a track. This is perhaps the closest we ever get to Hold - Welburn’s previous LP. Falling from Time immediately surprises with it’s subdued mechanical techno beat, stark and cold as a glacier. Welburn’s texture-work is the star of the show, creating curious nooks and crannies of drone adorned with eerie melodies straight out of oblivion. This sense of wonder shines through to the album’s title track as well, where Welburn and Järmyr build another patient, echoing, and deeply cinematic piece, the drum patterns slowly shifting around a metallic hum that evokes the vision of church bells, ringing out under tonnes of seawater.
Sleeper in the Void feels like a story in two parts, rising lethargically, but with gargantuan power. The second begins with the momentous In and out of Blue, where Juliana Venter’s disembodied, spectral dirge takes center stage among the furious drums and bassy riffs, reaching a full crescendo with seconds to go. Parallel marks a release - Hilde Marie Holsen’s nostalgic soundscapes, pristine as glass, meeting the distant thunder of Welburn’s strings on the horizon. And finally, Fast Moon ends the record in a most surprising way - a tribal industrialized banger, complete with vile distorted beats and every other spice in demand on a blackened dancefloor.
Welburn’s Sleeper in the Void is a generous shapeshifter. Every inch of its soundwave breathes emotion and imagery
- an invitation to take a dive and linger.
“Welburn’s textures sit at the centre of the record’s all-powerful vortex. At every turn, tidal drones deliver shocks to the system and the drums kick with black belt accuracy and consistency.”
- Fluid Radio UK
Tracks:
1.Raze (Feat. Tomas Järmyr)
2.Falling From Time
3.Sleeper In The Void (Feat. Tomas Järmyr) 06:52
4.In And Out Of Blue (Feat. Tomas Järmyr And Juliana Venter) 05:00
5.Parallel (Feat. Hilde Marie Holsen)
6.Fast Moon (Feat. Juliana Venter)
Credits:
Produced, edited and arranged by James Welburn
Musicians:
James Welburn: Bass and electric guitars, granular synthesis, drum programming, sampling, objects
Tomas Järmyr: Drums and cymbals (1 - Raze , 3 - Sleeper in the Void, 4 - In and out of Blue)
Hilde Marie Holsen: Trumpet and electronics (5 - Parallel)
Juliana Venter: Voices (4 - In and out of Blue, 6 - Fast Moon)
Drums recorded by Karl Klaseie (1 & 3) and Kyrre Laastad (4) at Øra Studio, Trondheim
Drums for Track (3) re-amped by James Welburn at Black Box Teater Lille Scene, Oslo
Instruments & voices recorded at Fabrikken and The Cabin, Lillehammer, Notam and Øveriet, Oslo
Tracks (1, 3 & 4) Mixed by Boris Wilsdorf and James Welburn at andereBaustelle Tonstudio Berlin.
Track (5) Mixed by Hilde Marie Holsen and James Welburn at Notam studio, Oslo
Tracks (2 & 6) Mixed by James Welburn at Fabrikken & The Cabin, Lillehammer
Cover Photo by James Welburn
Photo manipulation and sleeve design by Erik Knive Skodvin
Mastered and cut by Lupo Lubich at Loop-O
On Sleeper in the Void, Welburn expands the domain of his sound, unveiling surprises until the very end of the album’s 36 minute playtime. While the character of the record is unmistakably his own, the tracks veer into many different territories, including a banging foray to the dancefloor.
The LP begins slowly with Raze, where Järmyr’s ritualistic cymbals introduce layers of Welburn’s signature sculpted bass drones and noise, building into a heart-wrenching epic of a track. This is perhaps the closest we ever get to Hold - Welburn’s previous LP. Falling from Time immediately surprises with it’s subdued mechanical techno beat, stark and cold as a glacier. Welburn’s texture-work is the star of the show, creating curious nooks and crannies of drone adorned with eerie melodies straight out of oblivion. This sense of wonder shines through to the album’s title track as well, where Welburn and Järmyr build another patient, echoing, and deeply cinematic piece, the drum patterns slowly shifting around a metallic hum that evokes the vision of church bells, ringing out under tonnes of seawater.
Sleeper in the Void feels like a story in two parts, rising lethargically, but with gargantuan power. The second begins with the momentous In and out of Blue, where Juliana Venter’s disembodied, spectral dirge takes center stage among the furious drums and bassy riffs, reaching a full crescendo with seconds to go. Parallel marks a release - Hilde Marie Holsen’s nostalgic soundscapes, pristine as glass, meeting the distant thunder of Welburn’s strings on the horizon. And finally, Fast Moon ends the record in a most surprising way - a tribal industrialized banger, complete with vile distorted beats and every other spice in demand on a blackened dancefloor.
Welburn’s Sleeper in the Void is a generous shapeshifter. Every inch of its soundwave breathes emotion and imagery
- an invitation to take a dive and linger.
“Welburn’s textures sit at the centre of the record’s all-powerful vortex. At every turn, tidal drones deliver shocks to the system and the drums kick with black belt accuracy and consistency.”
- Fluid Radio UK
Tracks:
1.Raze (Feat. Tomas Järmyr)
2.Falling From Time
3.Sleeper In The Void (Feat. Tomas Järmyr) 06:52
4.In And Out Of Blue (Feat. Tomas Järmyr And Juliana Venter) 05:00
5.Parallel (Feat. Hilde Marie Holsen)
6.Fast Moon (Feat. Juliana Venter)
Credits:
Produced, edited and arranged by James Welburn
Musicians:
James Welburn: Bass and electric guitars, granular synthesis, drum programming, sampling, objects
Tomas Järmyr: Drums and cymbals (1 - Raze , 3 - Sleeper in the Void, 4 - In and out of Blue)
Hilde Marie Holsen: Trumpet and electronics (5 - Parallel)
Juliana Venter: Voices (4 - In and out of Blue, 6 - Fast Moon)
Drums recorded by Karl Klaseie (1 & 3) and Kyrre Laastad (4) at Øra Studio, Trondheim
Drums for Track (3) re-amped by James Welburn at Black Box Teater Lille Scene, Oslo
Instruments & voices recorded at Fabrikken and The Cabin, Lillehammer, Notam and Øveriet, Oslo
Tracks (1, 3 & 4) Mixed by Boris Wilsdorf and James Welburn at andereBaustelle Tonstudio Berlin.
Track (5) Mixed by Hilde Marie Holsen and James Welburn at Notam studio, Oslo
Tracks (2 & 6) Mixed by James Welburn at Fabrikken & The Cabin, Lillehammer
Cover Photo by James Welburn
Photo manipulation and sleeve design by Erik Knive Skodvin
Mastered and cut by Lupo Lubich at Loop-O
Order Sleeper in the Void:
Bandcamp:
jameswelburnmiasmah.bandcamp.com/album/sleeper-in-the-void
Norway:
https://www.tigernet.no/item/155433--james-welburn--sleeper-in-the-void--vinyl
Bandcamp:
jameswelburnmiasmah.bandcamp.com/album/sleeper-in-the-void
Norway:
https://www.tigernet.no/item/155433--james-welburn--sleeper-in-the-void--vinyl
