title:

shifting focus e.p.

label:

smallfish

format:

3" cd

release date:

08.12.06

cat. no.:

fish8cm-04

tracks:

blanchot

shutter

maple

gloaming

"we here at smallfish are lovers of electronica. we make no bones about it and we don't particularly care whether it's trendy or not. we like it because it's good to listen to and it's just plain good for the soul. cheju is an artist that's been putting out great electronica for some time now and as one half of the boltfsih outfit he's responsible for releasing great electronic music by other artists on a regular basis. so it's *extremely* pleasing to be able to announce this fab 3" cd in our limited smallfish series which sees wil giving us 4 soothing, delightful and downright excellent purist electronica tracks. everything you'd want is here, be it melody, downbeat grooves, luscious strings and a lovely attention to detail. from the very beginning you know you're in for a soothing ride with slightly classical sounding strings and a smashing beat. from there the tracks vary and flow beautifully with a vintage, warm and friendly sound that will appeal to fans of cactus island, expanding and, of course, boltfish. it's great to have cheju on board and we're thrilled to be able to offer this great little ep to you. remember, though, that it's a strictly one-off edition of 100 copies and we'll never be re-pressing it! buy with confidence!" - smallfish, 12.06

"it really has been too long since we had some groove signed, sealed and approved by those dudes at smallfish records - in fact we’d have to trawl back a couple of years to those two all important split releases from stasis / remote and sound tree / j junker to find the last slabs of vinyl bearing the smallfish label seal of approval. blimey we thought they’d given up the ghost - but it seems that between then and now the shop has been busy releasing limited quantity cd’s that have been the talk of the electronic scene - which much to our shock, sadness and grumbling have seemingly passed us by. to date releases by posthuman, languis and skye have passed into the public consciousness of the clicks and beats cognoscenti as well as recent outings for soundhacker, mikkel mayer and monostation. latest addition to the release roster features singled out regular and indeed favourite - cheju. for those not already familiar with cheju - he is better known to family and friends as wil bolton. along with fellow electronic whiz kid mint (murray fisher) he runs the collective workshop imprint boltfish records who in their three years existence have put out a formidable body of work that has extended to nearly 40 releases featuring not only their own work but providing an outlet for some of the most creative unsigned talents of the idm/ electronica underground. having first come to our attention via his ultra limited and now long deleted static caravan outing 'a rainy mile' we've been constantly engaged with each passing cheju release, his knack for culturing milky melodies that sumptuously bridge the polar divide between glacial electronica and lushly dipped wide screen cinematic backdrops has been, to say the least, exquisite - purposefully drawing a sense of humanity and vibrant texture to a genre that can at times appear bleak, remote and somehow alien. the 'shifting focus' ep exemplifies all this and more, limited to just 100 copies this four track 3" cd immediately draws you in from the word go. the beauty and spontaneity of the opening salvo 'blanchot' with its magnificently monumental sweeping tides sweetly cavorting with the seductive swells of lunatic carnival swirls is as alluring as it is beguiling. with a deliciously crafted down tempo soft centre decorated by the lightly tip toeing beats and lavishly sprinkled by a procession of slow drip ornate keys that themselves tinkle and tingle evoking an idyllic exotic warmth this sleepy eyed gem provides for a fanciful chocolate box trimmed affair. in marked contrast 'shutter' has a more stately awareness about it, milky string figurines pirouette amid spongy textures as though the more measured moments of new order’s 'power, corruption and lies' had been freed up to play in the bounteous folds of fortdax's brontean landscape. 'maple' is pure picture box, courting elements of faltermayer this seductively laid back and lilting nugget captures the refined glacial elegance of jarre c. 'oxygene' and 'equinoxe' and threads it through a breathlessly disarming silky myriad of intricately interlocked keys. 'gloaming' wraps up the set, bleakly beautiful, laced with crunchy beats and a frosty exterior it continues bolton's erstwhile fascination for crafting spectrally hazed brooding backdrops of the type that adorned the closing credits of 'wall street'. quite perfect if you ask me - to be filed alongside those crucial Manual releases." - losing today, 02.07

"cheju (boltfish co-owner wil bolton) spreads nine seamlessly crafted examples of melodic electronic music across ''shifting focus' and 'foil'., two 3-inch cds from smallfish and u-cover respectively. his material's soothing and jubilant mix of chiming keys, soothing strings, and blissful synth melodies goes down painlessly. some might criticize bolton's tracks for being overly pretty, perhaps too sanitized, yet there's no denying their quality. they're also minimal but more in the sense of eschewing excess; in any given cheju piece, each note counts and every layer matters. one could swim in the layers of synthesized strings coursing through 'blanchot,' they're so deep and lush. the song's ultra-pretty combination of strings and echoing keyboard chimes position it firmly within isan territory. 'shutter' perpetuates the mood by layering a jubilantly chiming theme overtop a swelling stream of bass synths and snappy patterns of rimshots and kickdrums. a tad slower and more stately by comparison, 'maple' nurtures a melancholic mood amidst a rippling stream of pitter-pattering beats and snare slaps. in all likelihood, the release is already unavailable, given that it was issued in a mere run of 100 copies." - textura, 04.07