embodying formlessness
by xu
anotherlowresident
anotherlowresident
Gentle acoustic elements blend into electronic warbles, creating a beautiful lullaby of ambience. What a lovely thing to behold
Favorite track: no mud no lotus.
colin simpson
this will be on my videotape
Glyn Morton
JoeH
Frederick Key Smith, Ph.D.
sunburnt landlord
R L Raymond
Cameron Campbell
mjnova
steve roden
snowyweston
jcd
Wes Morgenthaler
DarkZenith
glenna
Rands
Jeremy Dye
RY_ZYZT
Mac
Robert van Riel
s24par
In.Visible.Generator
Joel Cuthbert
Justin Snow
Lost Tribe Sound
German Leton
genepk
Belaqua Shua
Paul King
eviljoke
Ourovoro
rustedsatellites
Joerg-Peter Saigge
arn_j
Thomas Groß
Radio 1 Late Night Lounge
Space Mountain
Sam Meints
smu
Henry Da Hoova
aixemm
Perchance Music & Digital Media (SM)
knowmad soundz
joalla
Fredrik Oestroem
Fade To Yellow
Music Won't Save You
Michael McGarrity
Halftribe
Tatti Persson
peppe trotta
Drifting, Almost Falling / Adrift, At Sea
Dave Michuda
Alex Ruder / Hush Hush Records
Mariusz Kedra
Franetta McMillian
Ian Roylance
Rubio50
Samuel McKahey
Jeffrey Capshew
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Compact Disc (CD) + Digital AlbumThis special limited edition release is in a run of 100 copies, modelled around the classic gatefold vinyl LP. It includes printed front, rear and inner sleeves featuring photography from Peter Nejedly, along with a card sleeve which houses a printed vinyl-effect CDr.
Includes unlimited streaming of embodying formlessness via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.ships out within 5 daysPurchasable with gift card£9 GBP or more
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Streaming + DownloadIncludes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.Purchasable with gift card
£7 GBP or more
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Full Digital Discography
Get all 126 Whitelabrecs releases available on Bandcamp and save 80%.
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1. |
cloud hands (in)
03:55
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2. |
rain and leaves
05:24
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3. |
equipoise
06:13
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4. |
i plead birds
04:10
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5. |
no mud no lotus
06:35
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6. |
cloud hands (out)
05:08
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about
With our next release we welcome back Nicola Fornasari who is one half of La Petite Vague, a project which we’ve almost exclusively supported across Whitelabrecs and our sister label Audio Gourmet. Nicola also records solo work as Xu, with material released through labels such as Eilean, Cathedral Transmissions and most recently, Manyfeetunder.
The next album in the Xu catalog is ‘Embodying Formlessness’, which Nicola created by recording improvisations performed on his daughter Nina’s toy ukulele and then setting these into non-synchronised loops. These were made by using various pedals by experimenting with ‘blind looping’, a technique used to create unpredictable variations of a certain loop. Additional sounds were layered into the compositions by adding minibrute parts which were also fed into effects pedals and these provide an array of high and low frequencies.
The resulting sound throughout the six tracks that encompass this album is one of a tactile minimalism and the sound itself is a representation of the concept.
In the period during which Embodying Formlessness was created, Nicola was studying the Two Truths, fundamental points developed by Buddhist philosopher Nāgārjuna. These consist of Relative Truth, which is the conventional way in which we perceive reality and Absolute Truth, which is the theory that objects and events have no intrinsic existence and no individual identity, except in our thoughts. Both perspectives are true and neither intellectual position is the correct one. So in summary, phenomena are both real and not real; things exist, yet nothing exists.
There is a sentence in the Heart Sutra which inspired the title for this album:
Form is no other than emptiness; emptiness no other than form. Form is exactly emptiness; emptiness exactly form.
Embodying Formlessness sets out a short collection of existential pieces, crafted from the random placement of melodic source material, adorned with subtle electronics. This provides an ideal backdrop to contemplate the theme of the Two Truths, as you try to separate the difference of what is real and what is perceived.
The next album in the Xu catalog is ‘Embodying Formlessness’, which Nicola created by recording improvisations performed on his daughter Nina’s toy ukulele and then setting these into non-synchronised loops. These were made by using various pedals by experimenting with ‘blind looping’, a technique used to create unpredictable variations of a certain loop. Additional sounds were layered into the compositions by adding minibrute parts which were also fed into effects pedals and these provide an array of high and low frequencies.
The resulting sound throughout the six tracks that encompass this album is one of a tactile minimalism and the sound itself is a representation of the concept.
In the period during which Embodying Formlessness was created, Nicola was studying the Two Truths, fundamental points developed by Buddhist philosopher Nāgārjuna. These consist of Relative Truth, which is the conventional way in which we perceive reality and Absolute Truth, which is the theory that objects and events have no intrinsic existence and no individual identity, except in our thoughts. Both perspectives are true and neither intellectual position is the correct one. So in summary, phenomena are both real and not real; things exist, yet nothing exists.
There is a sentence in the Heart Sutra which inspired the title for this album:
Form is no other than emptiness; emptiness no other than form. Form is exactly emptiness; emptiness exactly form.
Embodying Formlessness sets out a short collection of existential pieces, crafted from the random placement of melodic source material, adorned with subtle electronics. This provides an ideal backdrop to contemplate the theme of the Two Truths, as you try to separate the difference of what is real and what is perceived.
credits
released September 14, 2019
Written and produced by Nicola Fornasari
Mastered by Tim Diagram
Photography by Peter Nejedly
Packaging design by Harry Towell
Written and produced by Nicola Fornasari
Mastered by Tim Diagram
Photography by Peter Nejedly
Packaging design by Harry Towell
license
all rights reserved
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about
Whitelabrecs England, UK
Whitelabrecs is a UK based experimental record label established in 2016, specialising in highly limited runs of vinyl-
effect CDrs. We specialise in Ambient, Modern Classical and Electro Acoustic music.
Named one of A Closer Listen's best labels of 2020: bit.ly/3i68VOc
... more
discography
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Apr 2021 -
Apr 2021 -
Mar 2021 -
Mar 2021
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