EL Heath - Reflecting EP
[My Formica Table]

Shropshire based artist Eric Heath is a busy fellow indeed. Not only does he record as Loveland, EL Heath and, simply, as Eric Heath, he also finds the time to help out The Hungry I (as a live band member) and records with visual/art/ improv project Scaly Hand.. If that is not enough, he has recently joined the ranks of crazy Krautrock collective, Strap The Button.

This review, however, concerns his "Reflecting Ep". Some label issues has frustratingly delayed this record’s release, but it is now finally seeing light of day thanks to the experimental My Formica Table CD-R label. In the interests of fairness, this one will only set you back a mere £2 and comes with a variety of unique photographs.

Recorded using his EL Heath moniker, the "Reflecting Ep" is a collection of ambient and loop based movements, but with a few crucial differences. First off, Heath is in the possession of one of the scarcest instruments on the planet, the Ondes Martenot. The eerie sounds emitted from this vintage instrument give his compositions and air of individuality. Secondly, each of the 5 movements are recorded using a 20 year old tape recorder. Each track sounds as of it is slowly decomposing by the second, the melodies seem to disintegrate before your very ears, leaving a very mysterious impression overall.

Much of the music seems improvised, with Heath building walls of sound, using the out-dated recorder to his advantage. It enables him to completely modify the sounds from his ondes, piano, guitar and his voice. On occasions, such as "Ambiance D'Organe de Corde", his music resembles a warped version of Eluvium or Stars of the Lid. "Ambiance...” is a woozy and unsettling passage of drones and organ-like textures that seem to slowly drip into one another.

"Macau" makes use of a shadowy melody from a muffled guitar arrangement, overlaying it with some haunting ondes martenot sounds. It lasts for two alluring minutes. On "Dragons Chasing Their Tails" you can actually hear the old tape recorder clicking on. The tape hiss and static almost dominate the overall sound of this passage, sounding as if it was recorded hundreds of years ago, and not in the 21st century.

"Epick", meanwhile, recalls some of the more heavenly moments on Vangelis' "Bladerunner". It has a real cavernous quality about it, with cascading drones merging and overlapping with obscured voices and chants. It provides a monumental ending to this unique Ep.

It is refreshing to hear music recorded using vintage equipment and instruments, especially in these days of constant digital manipulation. Using such techniques allows Heath to create these unique compositions that are, in parts, mysterious and chilling, but always captivating.

Track Listing:

1. Shadows On The Carpet
2. Ambiance D'Orange de Corde
3. Macau
4. Dragons Chasing Their Tails
5. Epick