After eight months in the studio Richard Durrant has finally completed work on his forthcoming album: Rewilding…
Now renamed Rewilding, this single album will be available on vinyl as a limited edition gatefold with artwork by the English “unrealist’ artist, Jon Everitt. Although there are no plans for a CD release, the album will be widely available to stream or download including hi-rez audio formats (included in the vinyl price).
Unsurprisingly, this is a very different outcome to what was originally planned back in 2019.
“The enormity of what we are all living through has, of course, deeply affected my work. Lockdown came at a time when I should have been finishing and launching an album followed by a busy and exciting tour.
“Instead the entire year was cancelled and what I had begun to record became all that was left. The music was immediately under intense scrutiny and the soul searching began.“
Richard
The album’s focus on ecological issues are unchanged as is the sense of place with the Sussex countryside centre stage.
The internationally famous re-wilding project taking place at the Knepp estate just outside Horsham has proved a particular inspiration.
This was where Richard was invited to play a gig with folk musician Sam Lee and one of the virtuoso Knepp nightingales back in 2018.
“Knepp allows us to see how nature can rebalance, realign and refresh; if we stand back to allow the process to unfold then this can happen fairly swiftly both above and below ground.
“These results have proved surprising even to those in specialised areas and the benefits offered provide an incentive to reassess and change for the better. This is not just nature quietly offering to teach those who care to look, it is also a beacon of hope for humankind.“
Richard
Rewilding the album is a musical fantasy led by guitars, ukuleles and cello. These instruments and many others are played by Richard himself. He is also joined by the incredible Brian Gulland from Gryphon on bassoons, recorders, organ and crumhorns.
Old friend and percussionist Stephen Hiscock plays various exotic percussion instruments and the Durrant family not only play but have helped out by engineering on some fairly intense recording sessions!
Side one takes place above ground with four tracks:
Aurochs, Forr All Mannkinne Nede, Knepp and Leaf.
Side two is set below ground with three tracks:
Step Gently, Triskelion and Big Fat Earth Worm.
And coming up…
Don’t forget Richard has live performances coming up soon. This will be his first gig since February. See his diary for details.
