Simon Belshaw
Music Machines Volume 1

contemporary classical / string quartet / minimalist / experimental / ambient

Belshaw has released a four track cd and digital downloads of some Music Machine recordings. The four pieces are Music Machine 26, Music Machine 28, Music Machine 29 and Music Machine 34. They are performed by Julie Hill (violin and viola) and Hilary Boxer (‘cello) and were recorded in the autumn of last year. The pieces use a combination of traditional music scores, web based scores and technology. Similarly the recording process used both traditional studio techniques and contemporary methods of constructing pieces note by note using software in combination with live performance.
"Wonderful sense of patience and harmonies rubbing together."
The result is four unique sounding, quiet, meditative works. They share elements such as contrasting one line with several, fading in and out, silence, stretching and contracting. Using close-miking the sounds are spare and the slow pace allows the listener time to focus on texture and timbre.