Bouvetøya
Cinematic Berlin School Electronic Music
News
08 September 2020
Bouvetøya will be releasing a new album, The Fiction Makers in October on SynGate Wave.
Just as a teaser here's a sample of the artwork which will accompany the album; the theme is resistance and resilience - in the current climate we all need that.
Final release date in October TBA
30 July 2020
Bouvetøya will be releasing a new album, no release date has been announced yet but hoping within the next two months.
The Fiction Makers has been a four month project, on and off as the effects of the current climate of lockdowns and restrictions took hold, cancelled performances and projects only part of the tale.
Expect seven tracks of ambient and experimental EM intertwined with Bouvetøya's trademark sound.
It seemed a good opportunity to try out some new equipment which had been acquired during the year, this seemed to spark a new level of creativity which is prevalent on the first half of the album.
Tracklist:
Moog Zero Two
Constellations and Oscillations
It's All Done With Mirrors
Late Night Resonance
Fallout (Nice Weather for Synths)
The LFO Where Your Heart Should Be
In Modular We Trust
Currently finalising the artwork which may get a sneak preview on this page once published.
If you came here using the facebook link, many thanks for your support, I keep postings to the minimum as a kickback against the poor ratio of page likes (600) to newsfeed views (less than 50) which is poor value.
09 April 2020
Bouvetøya has released a new album aquarius which is available now as a download on the Bouvetøya Music bandcamp page.
aquarius is a selection of tracks previously unreleased, a mixture of live tracks, commissions, and project submissions.
Included in the download is an 8 page PDF booklet with track notes, personal anecdotes, and pictures.
A bonus track is also included in the download, a live set from Awakenings 2018.
07 October 2019
Bouvetøya is delighted to announce that he will performing at this year's Z E I T concert which takes place in Clonmel, Ireland, on the 25th October.
The set will be an improvised Berlin School arrangement and accompanying him on piano on the night will be musical director and chorus master Eamon O'Malley.
Eamon is the founder of the UpRoar Rock Chorus and co-founder of the Clonmel Laptop Ensemble, and Bouvetøya is delighted to have Eamon join him on stage for Z E I T.
Also performing at Z E I T will be the Clonmel Laptop Ensemble for some live coding electronica, modular synthesist Dave O'Mahony, and spoken word collage artists O P E R A T O R.
Tickets available now from eventbrite.ie
10 August 2019
NEW ALBUM ANNOUNCEMENT
Bouvetøya will release his eighth album with SynGate Records next month.
Geometrium represents the latest chapter in Bouvetøya's sonic journey.
Each of the four tracks translates a theory which has been studied since the ancient Greece era that regards the movement on celestial bodies as a form of music, a concept first explored on the Timeslip album from 2015.
Bouvetøya:
"Recording started back in February of this year but only really started to form as a concept during May; there were two objectives I wanted to set; firstly, not to get carried away with the equipment around me, just home in on the what my instincts told me musically - this often just involved using one keyboard and getting various sonics and harmonics from say just using a tape echo. Organs and the 'Tron are very receptive to this type of sound manipulation.
Secondly, don't force it. I wasn't looking to maximise the 75 odd minutes you can squeeze on a CD; once it felt finished I was done.
It's the first album completed with my new (to me) 24 channel desk, and the clarity and warmth it delivers hopefully comes through on the finished album.
Recording the final track I used machine code programming to augment and provide the drone sounds then recorded the whole thing live on a reel to reel, it was a real lo-fi environment and something I have had the opportunity to explore this year with a side project collective called Laptop Ensemble.
There is always that exhalation of air when I send the masters off to the label, and usually a 'what's next' for a few weeks - getting involved with new projects and also the ZEIT live events will keep me more than occupied"
Geometrium will be released in September on SynGate Records
5 July 2019
Bouvetøya was recently part of the Clonmel Arts Festival performing as part of a collective Laptop Ensemble.
Performing in the town's main arts venue The Main Guard, the Laptop Ensemble performed an hour of improvised ambient electronic music utilising computer generated music and visuals machine code, analogue synthesizers and a 9ft grand piano!
Well attended and received by the audience and peers alike.
This project was a very enjoyable experience and hopefully Bouvetøya will be part of further planned performances to be announced soon.
5 July 2019
Bouvetøya was recently part of the Clonmel Arts Festival performing as part of a collective Laptop Ensemble.
Performing in the town's main arts venue The Main Guard, the Laptop Ensemble performed an hour of improvised ambient electronic music utilising computer generated music and visuals machine code, analogue synthesizers and a 9ft grand piano!
Well attended and received by the audience and peers alike.
This project was a very enjoyable experience and hopefully Bouvetøya will be part of further planned performances to be announced soon.
5 July 2019
Bouvetøya was recently part of the Clonmel Arts Festival performing as part of a collective Laptop Ensemble.
Performing in the town's main arts venue The Main Guard, the Laptop Ensemble performed an hour of improvised ambient electronic music utilising computer generated music and visuals machine code, analogue synthesizers and a 9ft grand piano!
Well attended and received by the audience and peers alike.
This project was a very enjoyable experience and hopefully Bouvetøya will be part of further planned performances to be announced soon.
27 November 2018
Bouvetøya will be performing in Dublin on Saturday 1st December as part of ZEIT III : A Collective Improvisation of Live Electronic Music at the Smock Alley Theatre in Dublin.
Also appearing will be Analog On, Dave O' Mahony and Modular Creations.
Tickets are still available from the venue
27 October 2018
Bouvetøya announces the release of his latest album MOONQUAKE which is available from today on SynGate Wave at www.syngate.net or Syngate Bandcamp.
The album contains four tracks of expansive melodic cinematic EM which in the words of the recent review by Synths & Sequences:
“A soft, mostly ambient, album which intertwines the French and Berlin Schools with smooth sequencing patterns”
As stated earlier in the year, a moon-themed album was always on the radar, but without straying into the route of the obvious (NASA samples and full moon pics) even the artwork has a deceptive "jazz look" to it. Four months of composing and recording ensured that by the time it came to selecting the tracks the vision was complete.
MOONQUAKE represents where Bouvetøya is at in 2018.
27 October 2018
Bouvetøya announces the release of his latest album MOONQUAKE which is available from today on SynGate Wave at www.syngate.net or Syngate Bandcamp.
The album contains four tracks of expansive melodic cinematic EM which in the words of the recent review by Synths & Sequences:
“A soft, mostly ambient, album which intertwines the French and Berlin Schools with smooth sequencing patterns”
As stated earlier in the year, a moon-themed album was always on the radar, but without straying into the route of the obvious (NASA samples and full moon pics) even the artwork has a deceptive "jazz look" to it. Four months of composing and recording ensured that by the time it came to selecting the tracks the vision was complete.
MOONQUAKE represents where Bouvetøya is at in 2018.
27 October 2018
Bouvetøya announces the release of his latest album MOONQUAKE which is available from today on SynGate Wave at www.syngate.net or Syngate Bandcamp.
The album contains four tracks of expansive melodic cinematic EM which in the words of the recent review by Synths & Sequences:
“A soft, mostly ambient, album which intertwines the French and Berlin Schools with smooth sequencing patterns”
As stated earlier in the year, a moon-themed album was always on the radar, but without straying into the route of the obvious (NASA samples and full moon pics) even the artwork has a deceptive "jazz look" to it. Four months of composing and recording ensured that by the time it came to selecting the tracks the vision was complete.
MOONQUAKE represents where Bouvetøya is at in 2018.
29 December 2017
Bouvetøya will be the subject of Galactic Travels Special Focus for January 2018.
This will cover four albums released under the SynGate Records label
Machines for Collective Living
Many thanks to Bill Fox and WDIY 88.1
The first instalment will be on Jan 4th 2018
31 January 2018
Bouvetøya was the subject of a special focus on Bill Fox's Radio Show Galactic Travels on WDIY 88.1FM during January 2018.
Four albums were covered over four weeks, hear all four podcasts on Mixcloud:
Week 4 - Machines for Collective Living
10 Mar 2017
Bouvetøya is delighted to confirm the date of Z E I T electronic music event in Dublin, Ireland.
RUA RED South Dublin Arts Centre is the venue of the inaugural Z E I T event; its a really good performance space Bouvetøya is delighted to be performing there.
Keep 24th May free for what promises to be an evening of excellent live music at one of Dublin's premier venues.
Sharing the bill will be the wonderful downtempo melodies of Bocuma and what promises to be an exciting analogue heaven set from PolyDROID
Tickets are on sale now, but I reckon they will go very quickly
25 Nov
Bouvetøya is delighted to announce that it will be playing at next year's inaugural Z E I T electronic music event in Dublin, Ireland.
The date has yet to be announced but it promises to be an evening of excellent live music at one of Dublin's premier venues.
Can't say much more until the official promotion launch, but the format of the event hopes to attract some of the more established EM artists in the future as well.
1 July
Tomorrow sees the release of the new album from Bouvetøya - SUPER HIGH FREQUENCY - which will be available on the SynGate Records website from 2nd July.
This is fifth studio album released by SynGate Records and the second on the more chill genre sub-label SynGate Wave.
Bouvetøya is honoured by the pre-launch interest in this album and many thanks to the loyal listeners for your kind words of encouragement.
the album will be available at the following websites:
21 June
Today sees the announcement of the new album from Bouvetøya - SUPER HIGH FREQUENCY - which will be released on the SynGate Wave label (date TBA)
Concept
The theme of Super High Frequency is communication, i.e. with ourselves, with technology, with our surroundings, with nature, all driven by the fast pace we are expected to live by, where nothing can have an attention span of more than a minute, we can’t stop and take in our surroundings, the beauty of nature, study the clouds in sky, the stars at night; all the time we are consumed by this desire to stare at a screen to provide all of our social and psychological needs.
The cover artwork represents two things, the power of the sun that energises us as humans and the electrical energy that powers our everyday lives; the electrical energy becomes our focus and we are discouraged from energising ourselves in the sun. Maybe we sacrifice too much of our lives to consume electrical energy. In the event of a conflict between solar and electrical energy, there would only be one winner.
Track by track synopsis
The Apollo Question
Space exploration gave us amazing advances in technology, but ultimately as technology advanced, did we as humans become more advanced, or intellectually did we regress; as we replace books for boxsets, deep discussion for lightweight blogging, will humans ever advance enough to take us as a species beyond our own solar system?
Frequent Modulations
Radio communication opened up the world; it informed, it educated, it entertained us. Our formative years were guided by the music we listened to, the shows we watched on TV, now it’s been hijacked by global corporations telling us what to think, what to buy, and what to listen to.
Project A
The dark side of communication, where government agencies control the airwaves; a totalitarian nightmare
Bad Robot
An over reliance on technology to provide our communication and feed our minds is not going to end well
The Hobo of the Skies
Inspired by Blake James, a reluctant nine to fiver, who was never afraid to turn his back on the rat race to take to the skies without any communication or real navigation aids, his sole aim to be at one with the beauty of the Canadian wilderness.
Beyond the Visceral Labyrinth
Learning to communicate with ourselves, trusting our instincts, ignoring trends and media driven agendas; living life and just being who we are.
The Great Eastern at Heart’s Content
Where global communication began, the ship which laid a telegraphic cable across the Atlantic from Newfoundland to Co. Kerry, Ireland.
Valentia Calling
.....from the other end of the cable……
15 June
Today sees the countdown for the new album, which for now goes under the working title SHF.
The album will be officially launched by SynGate Records under the SynGate Wave label, which sees a continuation of the excellent support given by the German EM label for the work of Bouvetøya.
The album RT is approx 69 mins containing 8 tracks of varying EM genres and was alot of fun to make and explore new sounds. The general theme/concept is "communication", with ourselves, with technology, with the past; I will write a short synopsis of each track once the initial launch details has been made.
29 Mar
Thanks to Mick and the guys at Sequences Magazine for the inclusion of two tracks from the new album Blue Planet Talisman on the latest Sequences podcast no. 85.
You can find this in the following locations:
23 Mar 16
Studio Update
Work has started on a new album, as yet untitled, the plan is a follow up to BLUE PLANET TALISMAN which has received encouraging reviews so far.
As is customary with Bouvetøya releases expect the unexpected.
On the studio front, nothing in or out and I'm comfortable with the current setup and the only real change is the addition of an old 18 channel desk I picked up for peanuts, it is wonderfully warm in the lower frequencies and so far so good with what has been recorded.
Further updates to follow when I have something to show for my efforts!
23 Jan 16
New Album: Blue Planet Talisman
Label: SynGate Wave
Release Date: 20 Jan 2016
Bouvetøya is pleased to announce the official release of his latest album on the new SynGate Wave label, a more melodic EM outlet from Berlin School specialists SynGate Records
Here's the official description from SynGate Wave :
SynGate Wave CD-R MJ04
published in 2016
Blue Planet Talisman is a concept album, which was influenced by the work of graphic artist Martin Millar, whose design adorns Bouvetøya's new SynGate album.
Every single track on the album presents a live performance studio with minimal overdubs; the aspect of this is that every track rather reflects an immediate live performance than does a structured, planned studio track. On this basis, the entire project in a relatively short time, the addition of a remixed tracks from an artist who provided the impetus for the album was created, completes the concept.
The artwork was omnipresent in the studio during the recording and thus became a part of the whole.
Bouvetoya's current influences are more apparent in this publication, as previously, in relation to the previous albums, the usual analog sequences are more likely to be stressed in the background while melodic and rhythmic sound fields.
With this complex use of different genres Bouvetoya is pleased the first release on SynGate Wave , the sub-company of SynGate for melodic electronics outside the Berlin School to be.
Blue Planet Talisman at SynGate
Blue Planet Talisman at Bandcamp
Blue Planet Talisman at Music Zeit
Review from David Law at Music Zeit
"Since the first album I heard from Bouvetøya, just over two years ago, they are rapidly becoming one of my favorite SynGate acts. Inspired by the classic Berlin School Masters: such as Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze as well as resist influences he has matured wonderfully as an artist over the four albums he has released since then.
This is the best so far. It is actually quite subtle, little sequences, gentle rhythms and melodic motifs creating a blissed out atmos that has the ability to entice and draw you in and yet focus the imagination rather than letting your mind wander. A wonderful album did grabbed me instantly and got even better with each listen. I really can not recommend it highly enough."
26 Nov 15
New Album: Blue Planet Talisman
Label: SynGate Records
Release Date: Dec 15
Bouvetøya is pleased to announce the release of his latest album next month.
Blue Planet Talisman is a concept which was inspired by the artwork of graphic artist Martin Millar, whose work adorns Bouvetøya’s fourth SynGate release.
Each track on the album represents a particular mood which was translated into improvised studio live performances which were then replayed to allow further live overdubs; the result being that each track became an immediate live performance rather than a typically structured studio track. On that basis the whole project was completed relatively quickly. The artwork was omnipresent in the studio and became as much a part of the performance as the music.
Bouvetøya’s more contemporary influences rise to the surface on this release, as there is less reliance on the traditional analogue sequencing of previous releases and more emphasis on melodic and rhythmic soundscapes, which come to the fore.
More details to follow nearer the official release date.
12 Sept 15
Today is the official release date of the CD version of the new album Timeslip, it is available on the SynGate Records website.
Many thanks to Kilian who did a great job putting together a great CD design package, which translates the music on the album very well. The artwork and images were created by Breatnach Studio and convey a sense of time and space as to where we really are as a species in relation to the universe; we are existing 9 to 5 in our own private universes with no real concept of time and space, whereas to a species in another galaxy we may have existed thousands of years ago.
The recording of Timeslip took just over 7 months to complete, many old school effects and recording techniques were used including the use of reel to reel recorders to create long delay/echo/loops to accentuate passages in the tracks; similar to the Eno/Fripp techniques of the 1970s. The second track Celestial Spheres utilises this during the intro.
The final mix was recorded onto 1/4 inch master tape before transfer to DAT and final digital mastering at 24bit/48k sampling rate.
The main equipment used on the album were:
Doepfer A100 modular synth, Doepfer A155 and Dark Time sequencers, Manikin Memotron, Korg Delta analogue synth, DSI MoPho keyboard synth, Access Virus B, Roland JV1080 rack synth, Novation Supernova rack synth, various FX, 2 x Revox A77 tape machines, mastered to Revox B77.
02 Sept 15
New Album: Timeslip
Label: SynGate Records
Release Date: 12 Sep 15
Finally, the new album is ready for release; just been given a definite date in September.
Timeslip is nearly an hour of Cinematic Berlin School and is full of sequences and melodic noodling that will take the listener to yet another astral dimension.
The full tracklist is:
1. On the Soul of the Universe
2. Celestial Spheres
3. Almagestum
4. Nihil Fit Ex Nihilo
More details and album samples will follow nearer the release date.
06 July 15
Awakenings
Burton on Trent, UK
4th July
A varied line up resulted in what was an excellent evening's entertainment in Burton on Trent at the Awakenings event. Opening act Concept Devices gave the audience a dreamy evolving ambient set, followed by yours truly with a variety of tracks off the last three albums as well as a new track to finish with. Topping the bill was the excellent Binar who treated us to an hour of mesmerising EM transcending many genres. Thanks to Phil Booth for the invite and great to finally meet and put faces to familiar names on FB in the EM community; and for those who took the trouble to give some very kind words about my set. Thanks to those who supported me by purchasing CDs and T-Shirts, it all helps to fund more adventures! Many thanks to Ellie and Ed in the crew who manned the merchandise desk and kept me fed and watered throughout the evening.
27 June 15
2015 // Live Music
One week to go until Awakenings in the UK.; tickets are still available online and early indications are that this event should be well attended.
Bouvetøya is looking forward to playing as there have been many memorable performances at this event since its conception. With Binar and Concept Devices on the bill it should be a great evening's entertainment.
For those attending, here's the setlist:
Intro/Flemish Cap
Kraterisen
Dawn of the Interplanetary Nation
The Pillars of Star Creation
Subtractivate
Celestial Spheres
15 Feb 15
2015 // Live Music
Bouvetøya is delighted to announce that it will be performing at one of this year's Awakenings series of events in the UK, on the 4th July; also on the bill are the excellent Binar (Andy Pickford and Paul Nagle) and Concept Devices (Martyn Greenwood).
Those unable to attend; the concert will be recorded and posted on the live sets page in due course.
Set-wise there will be approx 60 mins of interpretations of tracks from the back catalogue; since this is a live performance (i.e. no backing tracks or DAW) there may be a possibility of a live album later in the year if it all works out.
This will be Bouvetøya's first UK concert and the response so far has been very encouraging, so look forward to seeing you all in July.
09 Feb 15
2015 // Studio Update #1
Dark winter nights....means plenty of studio time.....
Four tracks planned for the new album which should be complete for mixing and mastering by the end of April.
A few clues there on Soundcloud but all will be revealed in a few months; getting some interesting sonics so far, but as usual no rush to complete tracks, when they're ready, they're ready, if you know what I mean.
I have the visuals and the theme, I just need to deliver the music.
Watch this space......
24 Dec 14
Wishing all the listeners, musicians, reviewers, DJs, promoters and supporters of the music of Bouvetøya that have made this a special year.
Merry Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous New Year to you all.
“If someone thinks that peace and love are just a cliche that must have been left behind in the 60s, that’s a problem. Peace and love are eternal.”
John Lennon
23 Dec 14
The annual Schallwelle Awards - German Awards for Electronic Music - will take place at Planetarium Bochum on 21st March 2015, to recognise the achievements of German and International electronic musicians during 2014.
Last year Bouvetøya was a top ten nomination for Best Newcomer (as "Boevetoya"!!) and this year is honoured to have once more made the voting list for nominations for Best International Artist and Best International Album with Interstellarphonic.
Voting has now begun and any support received for the final list of nominations would be greatly appreciated.
01 Dec 14
Mo Chroí is a collective of contemporary artists and musicians coming together to raise funds for the Irish Heart Foundation. Organised by Carlow graphic artist and electronic musician Martin Millar (Bocuma), this includes a 103 track compilation album available on Bandcamp and an also an art book due for release shortly.
Featuring over 100 musicians and 7.5hrs worth of music. The album showcases a world wide range of talent ranging from Acoustic, Down Tempo and Synthwave to Electronic, Experimental and Ambient. Guaranteed to have something for everyone; including an exclusive track from Bouvetøya, only available on this album.
All funds raised from the sale of this album are donated to the Irish Heart Foundation irishheart.ie so please support this worthy cause. €6 to download 103 tracks; thank you
20 Nov 14
Website launched
Bouvetøya is pleased to announce that it finally has its website up and running; for the time being it is on a wix domain name until I transfer bouvetoya.com to the host account.