06/08/22

modular sleep patterns is the duo of long-term collaborators Stijn Hüwels and Ian Hawgood. Their latest work comes under a new moniker with a focus on modular sourced music recorded onto old and slightly broken reel to reel machines.

The base of these 'patterns' was processing loops from an OP-1 synth through a Ciat Lonbarde modular set-up and recording straight onto old tape we needed to use up before it snapped due to age and decay. Using vocals and synths going into the simple OP-1 sampler engine, the (slightly uncontrollable) reels would create pitch-shifting patterns of deep drone music which we layered with guitars. Mixed into a single long-form work despite the clear track changes, the album was created over a number of late night - early morning sessions, and lightly mastered in the analog domain before final transfer.

This marks a new way of working for us, and one in which we can never recover the work again due to the state of the old reels used in this case. The use of these reels have led to a recording that is deeply textured with numerous layers (and deeply hidden old recordings in the tape itself), gently seeping through as a mark of all the recording/s done to get to this point. Whilst the process itself has been inherently fun as a late night set of experiments, the music has shone through as a warm, fuzzy and multi-layered minimalist work we are incredibly proud of.

The album has intentionally been made in a quiet form, in the hope you find these patterns a gentle persuasion to sleep and/or rest easy.


Thank you

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