new album, Apparatus, out October 4th, 1999
Apparatus is the result of an intense nine month recording period in the
hermetic environment of the home studio. In the two years since the
release of Preparation, his Kranky debut, Gareth Mitchell left Amp to
concentrate on his own work as Philosopher's Stone. The ideas that became
Apparatus were explored, developed and implemented over that time.
The sonic materials used on this recording were originally created from
Gareth's own sound samples - mainly derived from his electric guitar -
which were then processed and reprocessed, edited and redited in his
studio over the next nine months. Each sound was chosen individually for
it's own specific identity. These sounds then developed into the
compositions finally selected for Apparatus. The pieces demanded time to
gestate, then to metamorphose (often several times) before eventually
revealing their, at times radically different, forms.
Apparatus is designed with many carefully placed details. Those details
form part of larger equally considered structures. It is hoped that the
listener will be drawn into the music by investigating it's minutiae or
experiencing an overall, more visceral, impression.
Two years after the release of the first Philosopher's Stone album, Gareth
Mitchell has made an entirely different follow-up utilizing the capacities
of digital sampling and editing. Apparatus will remind you of the
atmospheres Philosopher's Stone previously explored on Preparation. Its'
finer, more detailed sounds are reminiscent of Bernhard Gunter while the
use of incrementally sequenced beats brings to mind operators like Pan
Sonic or Pole. Gareth Mitchell has crafted an album that will leave you
puzzled but delighted, curious enough to lean in for a closer listen.