hyacinth. – seasonal hits MC

Wilfried Hanrath is a German multi-genre multi-instrumentalist, Gordon Way has been a sound and visual artist in Canada for more than 40 years. Teamed up by mutual friend Neal D. Retke for this project, they soon found their way to work together. Wilfried selected 7 of his compositions he had performed and recorded over the past three years from 2018 – 21 he thought suitable for a collaboration and sent them to Gordon with the permission to treat them just like he wanted. The result is an amazing blend of structures and textures woven into Wilfried´s tracks, ranging from the psychotic ranting of the first track, through dreamlike ambient to free jazz.

“Once upon a time, we looked outward”…. The German Ocean formed in late 2020, a partnership between Darren j Holloway of SINNEN and Gavin Martin. It very quickly became apparent that the sounds and shapes coming out of this pairing were a significant departure from those of the SINNEN collective, harking back to Darren’s days as producer of filmic ambient mini-scores but with a fresh, harsher, darker edge. There was something timeless in the mix, something oceanic in the sound, moments and phases reminding the listener of a Great War era submarine chugging ghost-like just below periscope depth. The eight songs on this eponymous debut formed, floated, swam and dived through the cold waters of The North Lands, perhaps hinting at a reminder that things were not always so introspective as they seem now, and that maybe our better futures lie somewhere beyond renamed borders and sea masses. Welcome (back) to The German Ocean.