title:

hutton

label:

october man recordings

format:

3" cd

release date:

28.01.08

cat. no.:

october man recordings [26]

tracks:

acorn

hutton

moiré

subside

"a rare but most satisfying event in our gaff is the occasional arrival of a spanking new release from the small but beautifully formed uk based october man recordings imprint. run by david newlyn this fledging label has been treading the micro minimalist cosmos of electronic ambience across over two dozen releases, each issued in ridiculously ultra limited (anything from between 30 to a 100) quantities with many barely making it out of the factory being sol on pre-order alone. to date featured acquaintances have seen outings for yellow 6, alkin engineering and of course october man (aka newlyn himself). first release of the year comes courtesy of cheju (wil bolton / boltfish) in the shape of the beautifully demurring and frail ‘hutton’. such is the prolific nature of bolton that we’ve spied several releases that have somehow passed us by - the most pressing ones being a split with shoosh for awkward silence along with a few quietly peppered appearances on compilations issued by the likes of interchill, gibbon envy and rednetic. as to ‘hutton’ - absolutely no idea how many of these are kicking about but based on previous october man releases its safe to say you better get off your backside sooner rather than later to avoid deep disappointment. four piano suites feature within ushering lonesome tides of introspection, stripped to a classically styled bare core these dainty night sky twinkling nuggets are delightfully uncomplicated, sparse maybe yet within that sparseness a rich fulsomeness delicately rises to the surface. sharing ground with inch time, bolton has excelled himself in crafting something truly touching with ‘hutton’ these igloo incantations softly flicker and pirouette within ether climes, all at once stark and spectral the set is touched with a unfailing sense of fragility and frailness with the parting nine minute ‘subside’ providing the releases centrepiece - a serenely meditative dream-scaping gem laced with the lull of ebbing and flowing looping drone montages. elsewhere there’s the softly snow trod tip toeing enchantment of the lilting canter like brontean glazed harpsichord follies of the porcelain title cut while the beguiling ‘moiré’ sounds for all the world like it should be back-dropping a pictures-esque artic scene by dawn break. endearing stuff indeed." - losing today, 01.08

"cheju: 'hutton' (october man) Is a 3" cd in an edition of 40. piano led electronica with clicking percussion and synthesized strings make up this encouraging 4 track collection of vigenettes. track three 'moire' is likened to aphex's 'selected ambient works' by mr phil, which i think is largely due to the reverbed key refrains and sustained tones and washes that make up these dubbed-out sketches. fans of modern classical will appreciate the held notes, purchasers of danny norbury's 'dusk' cd on static caravan will hover on the drifting, serial movements." - norman records, 01.08

"boltfish co-owner wil bolton humanizes his cheju sound to perhaps a greater degree than ever before on the three-inch ep hutton. the four pieces differ with respect to style and duration yet all exude a late-night, dreamscaping ambiance. the shortest track “acorn” sets the mood with a piano-based etude draped in subtle electronic effects. “hutton” follows, a slightly more uptempo setting gently kicked along by a simple drum machine beat and what sounds like the huff'n'puff of a harmonica; halfway through, the track moves seamlessly into classic boltfish electronica mode with the addition of harpsichord-like filigrees and soft synth tones. willowy textures drape themselves across gossamer piano melodies during “moiré,” making it sound like it's being heard through layers of gauze. the coup de grace is the heavily-processed closer “subside” which comprises half of the disc's nineteen-minute running time and whose starbursts and guitar-generated flickering ebb and flow produces a lulling serenity that's more than a little hypnotic. as is usually the case with october man releases, this one's available in a ridiculously small run of forty copies so don't wait too long if you're interested." - textura, 03.08