Picking up where Part 1 left off, Liminal Space EP (Part 2) progresses the journey this record launched in the sunny climbs of pre-pandemic Portugal and delves deep into the winter that followed at the end of 2020 in the UK.
Liminal Space is a three part EP series I started writing during UK Lockdown 1 in 2020. Based on a series of field recordings captured in Cascais, Lisbon, East London and Switzerland, it charts a series of reflections of living in an unfamiliar place - in a place that's not the world we left behind when the pandemic started, and not the one we'll have on the other side. Much like the Israelites in the wilderness for 40 years or Jesus and countless others in scripture who had to journey into a place that's not 'home' - so we have all been forced to inhabit the desert. Barren and hard as this space has been - it's not without hope - the liminal spaces in those times were always marked by encounters with the Living God - be it Moses and his burning bush moment, pillars of cloud and fire for navigation and heat, or even audible voices affirming the identity of Jesus, these times are opportunities to allow God to speak if we are ready to listen.
Part 2 resumes service with the deep and emotive 'Embers', a reflection on winter in pandemic life written around Christmas 2020 and layered with choirs, tremolo'd string sections and warping bass arrangements subjugated by thick breaks and percussion. An ode to life in the dark where we come to terms with loss and cling to hope that even from the smallest flame, the greatest of fires may yet live again. Shifting gears out of the back garden and back into the forests in East London, 'Missed Connection' features a trip to the local nature reserve with my (then) 4-month-old son with the sound of planes flying overhead. A pertinent reminder of the struggles we had during this season uniting him with family in Switzerland (5 failed attempts over the best part of a year and a bit). Part 2 closes out with a lament of sorts. 'Life As We Knew It' is based around a field recording of a rainstorm taken during lockdown as my wife and I waited for our son to arrive, and while the excitement for his arrival was no less than it ever would have been, we were acutely aware of how life would be different for him starting out (albeit in ways we still yet don't know fully) and of course, stuff like play dates and time out of the house, through to other things we love such as live music and getting actual face time with friends, family and loved ones had been put definitively on hold during this time. Not without hope, grateful for what we've had and yet not without sorrow, the second chapter of Liminal Space lives in that in between place.
The EP is written as a segway, with each track blending one into the next. The same goes for between the parts too, so check out Part 1 if you haven't already and keep you eyes and ears open for part 3 scheduled for release in the early autumn!
Amazing funk and soul, heartily played and will make any seasoned listener or keen newbie wanna get up and dance! Among my top albums of 2010, no mistake! Dr. J
All proceeds from this album of richly textured, politically charged electronic music will benefit Ireland’s Community Action Tenants Union. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 13, 2021