This special limited edition release is in a run of 100 copies, modeled around the classic gatefold vinyl LP. It includes printed front, rear and inner sleeves featuring photography by the artist, art/design by Andrew Heath and a card sleeve housing a printed vinyl-effect CDr.
*Please note, the physical copies show the artist name as 'Tum Tum' - this artist name has been changed to Tum Sun, as there are other artists operating under the previous name.
Includes unlimited streaming of A Tree Hollow
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
ships out within 5 days
Purchasable with gift card
£9GBPor more
Streaming + Download
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
Purchasable with gift card
£7GBP or more
T-Shirt/Shirt
Gildan Ultra Cotton Unisex T-Shirt:
'Ultra' describes the entire experience of wearing a Gildan Ultra Cotton t-shirt. The first thing you'll notice is the impressive heft of the fabric, at 200gsm. It also features taped neck and shoulders, for added detail and durability.
Washing Instructions: Machine wash 30°. Do not bleach. Tumble dry low heat. Iron at low temp and inside out. Don't iron print. Do not dry clean.
Tum Sun is the project of composer John Paul Thompson, who is based in Texas, United States. He is from a family of musicians and began his own journey with the violin at the age of 8 before moving on to guitar, piano, and eventually synthesis and sound design. John Paul also previously ran an independent record label called Pandarosa Records, producing multiple albums and performing alongside several acts in the label’s roster.
Wider artistic initiatives also play a key part in John Paul’s work, with his enthusiasm for photography and his work in music licensing with Chicago-based Comma Music. He is also co-founder of Easyside, an arts + food non-profit working in East Fort Worth. This wider creative lens transforms the series of compositions in this album ‘A Tree Hollow’, into a conceptual album in which there are three movements and nine tracks.
The backstory of this record is told by John Paul in the following album introduction:
“I heard the term ‘a tree hollow’ described in a radio story memorializing the death of Dr. Li Wenliang one year after he passed due to COVID-19. Dr. Li had been the first to sound the alarm and he died of the virus in the nascent days of the global pandemic. “You find a tree hollow in the forest and seal your written secret in there so you can feel better,” Huang Zhisheng, a professor and researcher at the Free University Amsterdam explained of the Chinese tradition. Since his death Dr Li’s lingering social media presence had posthumously transformed, and people were sealing messages on his unattended page - ‘Will I pass my graduate exams tomorrow, Dr. Li?’ - ‘Dr. Li, I pet a cute orange cat today! I’m happy!’ - ‘I can’t’ - ‘I don’t understand.’
In 2018, as I prepared to move away from Chicago with my wife and daughter to rejoin family in Texas, we received news of a friend’s disappearance, then of their death. We pushed the move date forward to make it to the funeral and made a hasty goodbye to our home. Two months later we learned of our niece’s death, stillborn within weeks of her due date. Shortly after that funeral, a family fracture emerged that cast a dark shadow of doubt over our decision to leave Chicago.
In the oppressive Texas rains of late 2018, I began rebuilding a studio in the spare bedroom. As we emerged from grief, as family bonds were slowly restored, as trust in others and ourselves was replenished, and as we found focus and budding purpose in our Fort Worth community, I began writing these pieces – for myself. I eventually decided to share a few of the tracks in early 2019 but ended up sitting on the work for over two years, first delayed by my own self-doubt and then by the cataclysms of 2020. In the face of such global and systemic tragedies, what could I say?
It wasn’t until I heard the story of Dr. Li in February of 2021 that I found a renewed interest in this project. These pieces had been a tree hollow in the forest, into which I had sealed my secrets so that I could feel better. That was enough for me, but moreover, I found hope that there might be enough room in them into which an audience might place their own secrets.”
credits
released May 13, 2023
Written, produced and mastered by John Paul Thompson
Cover artwork by John Paul Thompson - john-paul.xyz
Art and design by Andrew Heath
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digital-only editions. The discography focuses on contemporary Ambient music, including Drone, Modern Classical and Electro Acoustic....more
A wonderful musical collection that shows the unity of the whole world and the support of Ukraine during the long war, which will undoubtedly end with the victory of Ukraine. And now the terrible numbers... Only according to official data as of today #russiaisaterroriststate killed 510 children in Ukraine, injured another 1141 children, kidnapped 19546 children. There are many more unofficial victims. And russia remains a member of the UN... desynkro303
another gorgeous set from this artist that I cannot get enough of... contributions from fields we found take this to the next level... a lovely package all around... Ur Trommler
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