Description
01 / A Cosmic Storm – 08:49
02 / Ashralike – 08:10
03 / The Vortex – 14:55
04 / The Black Swirl – 11:06
05 / Outerrim – 20:13
Total CD – 1:03:18
Release date 10 October
Stephan Whitlan – Norfolk – Sept 2026
My journeys to visit Ron always involve taking a car-full of electronics to play with. This summer visit was supposed to be more social, but it didn’t stop me
arriving with a significant stack of mostly Modular gear. I don’t always find time at home to fully research new modules, and like to use these holiday
outings to discover more about how the more esoteric stuff I’ve collected can be coaxed into producing something (musically) useful.
Eurorack has long been my format of choice -traditional 5U is just too big! I can cram a seriously capable system into a small box and not need a truck & 3
roadies to shift it. The market for modules is now huge and varied, ranging from vital utilities to the oddly unusual. I also like to make DIY kits (thank you
Befaco & Thonk), rather than buy ready made, but sometimes there is no option. I can also waste inordinate amounts of time shuffling modules around in their
cases -otherwise known as Modular Tetris.
Two modules which were extensively used on this project had to be bought complete -one from Spain, and other locally in Eindhoven. The Trilling T=3x.2y is
a real Rosetta stone for translating Midi clock into all manner of clock divisions/triggers, and makes sychronization with computers etc. much more simple
than it used to be. I had seen the Laniakea module from Magarit (Spain) in Skoulaman’s set up and was curious to see what I could do with it. Despite having the
manual to hand, it proved to be more cyptic than I expected, and several times had me utterly lost. When I finally did get it to produce noises, Ron asked me if
I could do them again. The answer to which was “no! I’ve no idea what its doing, or how to get it to do what we want”. Eventually it did start to make some really
unusual sonics, which we found fascinating. Ron was so impressed he bought one too -and he hates patch cables!
Brian Eno suggests a valid method of music production is the setting up of a ‘system’ and then seeing what comes out when you press the GO button. As a
musician your task is to evaluate if the result is actually useful, or if you should modify the system to produce something different. I certainly subscribe
to this theory, and modular presents almost infinite possibility.
Ron Boots – Pelt – Sept 2026
Stephan is perhaps the most versatile electronic musician I know. Stephan is like a chameleon, blending in with every act and band he plays with, be it
David Wright, John Dyson, Wavestar, Jez Creek, or myself. Stephan brings energy wherever he goes.
When we make music in the studio , Stephan is the driving force who lays down the first tracks. I am the technician following Stephan’s musical moves, and
after a while, I start adding my own musical parts.
It is like a symbiosis that always comes together in the end. Stephan’s visits are always a joy, whether we talk, watch a movie, or simply walk around the
mill. The Cosmic Mill always blends our thoughts and feelings together.
Ron Boots – Pelt – Sept 2026
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