I am releasing my first album, Reaching for Andromeda, under the new performing name of Flooded Access. It comprises two short pieces, Deneb Kaitos and BL Ceti, which were originally recorded for The Hello Goodbye Show on Resonance FM and the Linear Obsessional label’s Self-Isolating Compilation respectively, as well as the 28-minute title track, recorded for an on&off streaming performance in October for Sonic Electronics presented by IKLECTIK Art Lab.
The shorter pieces are named after the brightest and dimmest stars in the constellation Cetus, and are accidental companion pieces. Whilst I have generally been creating my improvised works from scratch with no prepared material, a lingering percussive element that had not been deleted found its way from Deneb Kaitos to BL Ceti. In the Greek legend of Perseus, Cetus is a sea monster sent by Poseidon to destroy the princess Andromeda as punishment for her mother Cassiopeia’s boasts of her beauty surpassing that of Poseidon’s sea nymphs. As my sound work attempts to connect with an expansiveness as evoked by both outer space and deep sea, these images came to mind readily.
The cover is taken from my photomontage of a whale’s vertebra found in the Hastings Fishermen’s Museum, which brought to mind the fate of Cetus, vanquished by Perseus through no fault of its own, combined with elements from fishing huts near that location.
I am timing the release just ahead of the Bandcamp Friday promotion on 3rd December, where that platform’s fees are waived so that artists receive the full revenue from their sales on that day.
Find Reaching from Andromeda here.
Hopefully an end to this pandemic is in sight, albeit some time down the line. In the meantime please continue to take care.
Best wishes for the festive season,
Martin
Martin Lau 