Chris Herbert & Felix - Split Single
[Low Point]

This little gem is lovingly packaged by Nottingham based imprint Low Point and recorded onto a 7” slab of heavy-duty vinyl. Barely a year old, Low Point has had a refreshing attitude when it comes to releasing ambient, drone and noise records. A quick glance at their sold-out back catalogue will reveal just how sought after these releases are.

Chris Herbert is the best known of the two artists featured here, having released “Mezzotint” through the revered Kranky label last year. “As Blue As Your Eyes Lover” finds Herbert on particularly fine form. It’s a lulling ambient passage spliced carefully with sound imperfections and glistening tones that are buried deep in the mix. This track will feature on his forth-coming 2nd LP (also due out on Kranky), it creates a soothing atmosphere and is full of distant wind chime sounds, tape hiss and industrial ambiance.

Felix (or Lucinda Chua to her friends), on the other hand, is a little less known, but this should all change as soon as the rest of the world becomes entranced by the heart-breaking beauty of “What I Learned From TV”. Her vocals are subdued throughout, barely raising above a murmur, but her distinct style recalls the mysterious poetic rhythm of “Maxinquaye” period Tricky. These vocals, however, don’t emerge until halfway through the song. Before that, we are treated to a gorgeous tapestry of sound featuring tranquil piano notes, immersive cello and melancholic guitar droning (courtesy of Chris Summerlin). Lucinda Chua is a name we will be hearing a lot of in the future.

A quite out-standing release that has seemingly came out of nowhere. Not only does it provide a platform for both gifted musicians, it also pushes a deserving label into the limelight. There are only 250 copies of this release, the question is; can you afford not to have this?. Meditative soundscaping at its finest.

Track Listing:

1. As Blue As Your Eyes Lover / Chris Herbert
2. What I Learned From TV / Felix