Ambient collage album from Autodidactic musicologist and sample collagist, U 

Autodidactic musicologist U has outdone himself with this wonderful, hermetic collection for Lex Records. Focused on the ancient segment of Herefordshire for which the album is titled, this is a deeply resonant ambient collage that conjures the ghost of an entire landscape. The whole thing is presented in an amazing package and is best experienced on vinyl. 

Autodidactic musicologist and sample collagist U turned his archival eye on the melting pot of ‘80s post-punk with his debut ‘Life Isn’t A Fountain?’ EP for Lex. He follows up with an experimental exploration of regional identity with ARCHENFIELD, a deeply personal collection of ambient music and found sound that examines the relationship between geographical space and aural histories.

To construct this record U mined a wealth of recorded material relevant to the area. With a nod to traditional music, he takes samples from these records and creates beautifully atmospheric sound pieces that are often mixed with painstakingly researched snippets to create a stirring reflection on local history and broader themes of how we interact, or even fail to interact, with English folklore today.

It’s on the Bandcamp thing.

Leave a comment