Tag Archives: Wil Bolton

Switched On – Wil Bolton – 23 (Courier Sound)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Wil Bolton’s interpretation of Courier Sound’s ’23 musical ideas in 23 minutes’ takes its inspiration from a series of walks he made during the year 2023 in East London.

Bolton takes up the story in the press release for the album. “For these walks, I would follow the London Overground railway arches around Leyton, Walthamstow and Forest Gate, fascinated by the mixture and contrast of old and new businesses located beneath the train lines, from mechanics and scrap merchants to micro breweries and artisanal bakeries.

During these walks I also took a set of 23 photographs of these arches and made occasional field recordings on my iPhone. Back in my studio, I combined these lo-fi field recordings of forklift trucks, drilling, welding, pigeons, freight trains, traffic, muffled conversation and birdsong with modular synthesizer sequences and drones, looped Mellotron melodies and effects pedals.”

What’s the music like?

A thoroughly enjoyable listen. Bolton’s musical postcards are varied, colourful and very descriptive of the area in which he walks, and on headphones the listener can get a real sense of perspective – not just from the music but from a few ‘scene setters’ – the opening Freight, the sound of a reversing vehicle on Hazards, the outdoors of the city brought to life.

Elsewhere Bolton uses melodic nuggets or brightly voiced chords to portray his subjects, sometimes in dreamy interludes (Arches) or in fuzzy profiles (Bakers Arms, or the gorgeously voiced Overgrown) These are countered by cautionary asides, or busy electronic activity (Padlocks). There are brief interludes (Hazards, Unauthorised) or slightly extended thoughts such as Boarded Up, where distinctive mottos are introduced.

Does it all work?

It does. The only regret is that some of these pictures and moods are not extended further, as Bolton has a most appealing style, easy on the ear and always creating.

Is it recommended?

Yes. 23 is a colourful, meaningful portrait of an urban borough, but with the relief of natural beauty – all accurately painted in sound.

For fans of… Bibio, Boards of Canada, Future Sound of London, Biosphere

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Published post no.2,273 – Saturday 17 August 2024

On Record – Wil Bolton: Null Point (The Slow Music Movement)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Wil Bolton, a musician and artist based in East London, was persuaded by The Slow Music Movement to create a more beat-based, electronic approach to his ambient works. They set him this goal after a long period of successful ambient works written largely free of beats, but here he sets to work with rhythm tracks generated with the help of a vintage 7” of heart sounds.

What’s the music like?

Perhaps not surprisingly the pulse of the music here tends towards the slow side, unfolding with an easy manner and a charming sub-set of friendly bleeps, pockets of ambient wide noise and consonant harmonies that perform subtle shapeshifting moves in the foreground.

They proceed with an incredibly relaxed manner, the listener immediately put at ease while they are taken into a colourful area of textures that ripple gradually or move in and out of focus, the musical light dappled and refracted as part of an ongoing process.

With all of the tracks over five minutes in length there is time for the listener to dive deep into each of the six sound worlds, with soft nuggets of rhythm prompting and nudging at each turn. Patina is a great example, the subtle percussion complemented by long, held notes and pockets of synthesizer activity that sits on the edge of dub music. Sandalwood is a little sharper in tone while Rails Overhead is relatively dark.

Does it all work?

It does – but Null Point is definitely most effective as a continuous listen over 40 minutes, allowing the mind and aural responses to slow down in line with its workings.

Is it recommended?

Yes. Null Point is not a dead end, as its title suggests – rather it is a place to go where listeners can feel safe from musical harm! Slower heart rates and lower blood pressure are a given as a result.

For fans of… Marconi Union, Ultramarine, Brian Eno, Ulrich Schnauss

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Published post no.2,081 – Thursday 8 February 2024