Hustle here, hustle there

Tunng recently made the stubs of their song “Hustle” available via Soundcloud, so I decided to join in the fun and do a mix. I first saw Tunng at one of the excellent “Fistful of Folk” twisted folk festivals 2 or 3 years ago, and like many people was immediately grabbed by their harmonies, acoustic/classical guitar duets and electronic percussive backings. At times they created something of a wall of sound that you don’t normally associate with that genre, and they were without doubt the standout act.

Hustle (Mulberry Harbour remix) by mulberryharbour

.. and here’s the real deal in action, with the video for the single.

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Zoetrope Dancer

This one’s something of an enigmatic piece with spiralling violins building measured, almost nonchalant crescendos over a bed of electronica that drifts in and out - until all are swept up in the climax. This is the second track on The Drift EP released last year, which is available as a creative commons free download. I was aiming for something hypnotic, with gradual transformations maintaining interest while also giving a sense of something elusive and always just-out-of-reach - much like a zoetrope.

Oddly enough, the synth lines in Jay-Z’s new track On to the Next One remind me of the repeated chords at the start of Zoetrope Dancer - though he’ll be relieved to hear I’m not planning on taking him to court.

Photo by lasimi

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Roads

Wrapped up in your own thoughts, walking alone at night, wondering where you’re really going. Thoughts and memories that haunt and comfort.

Photo by Devangshah

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The Drift

“Whats, what’s your, er, plan?”
“My plan? I haven’t got one”

Title track of my latest EP, this is an overtly symphonic piece in which I had a lot of fun working with the Miroslav orchestra brass and choir samples, and slipped in a snippet of dialogue recorded on a mobile phone while out and about.

A couple of people have commented that this track reminds them of Phillip Glass’s soundtrack to Koyaanisqatsi, which wasn’t the original intent but I’m not complaining about the comparison. It’s got some of that rousing feeling and was in fact party inspired by a film in the first place, though primarily for the piano playing - The Beat That My Heart Skipped / De battre mon cœur s’est arrêté

You can download this track for free here, along with the rest of The Drift EP

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Small Pleasures

“Think big thoughts but relish small pleasures.”
- H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

I sampled the fragment of electric guitar on this instrumental from a song by Cuzco, a band I played in many moons ago. I cut short the opening riff, then slowed it down at a couple of points further on in the piece. That riff and the double bass rhythm became the basis for building up the rest of the track. This instrumental is the opening track of the Drift EP which you can download for free.

Photo by Sakura

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Wisp

This piece is based on some morphing textures on an electric guitar, a simple looped acoustic guitar motif, and viola. This is the longer version of what was originally a 40 seconds intro track

Photo by cayusa

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About this blog

I'll be posting mp3s and streams of new and old tracks on this blog from time to time, with a bit of commentary.

The name Mulberry Harbour comes from the invention used in the Normandy landings, and to me - taken in a more optimistic light beyond its history - represents the freedom of sailing anywhere, the excitement of exploration, and the unknown possibilities of creating links between different cultures. Musically speaking, it's all about the freedom to set up in electronica one day, folk another, or minimalism the next - and no more scurvy from the restricted diet of a band.

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