New Weave News

Daniel Crommie's "Blue Microdot Breakfast" released

2011-10-09T12:23:00.001-07:00

The latest installment in Daniel Crommie's ambient series of albums "Blue Microdot Breakfast" is released Tuesday, October 25th worldwide. This download-only album is a psychedelic ambient work designed as a continuous listening experience – a linear series of pieces that constitute a whole. Some of the artist’s rare piano-based improvisations pepper the proceedings inhabited by electronic soundscapes and subtly shifting clockwork.

Here is the track listing:

01/ Going Under

02/ Gesso Noir

03/ Streamside

04/ Mantra in 4/4

05/ Verbena

06/ Sedna’s Sister

07/ Attack/Release

08/ Factory of the Dead

09/ Recurrence

10/ In Flux

New MP3 single from Daniel Crommie

2011-07-25T12:20:00.000-07:00

New Weave has released Daniel Crommie's "Living in the Dark Ages" as a single - downloadable from a number of sources - most notably Amazon, iTunes, CD Baby and Band Camp. The Band Camp version of the single comes with a second version featuring Glyn Havard on bass plus the official video as an additional track.

Group Du Jour "Uncertain Rhythm" MP3 single released

2011-07-18T09:22:00.000-07:00

A new Group Du Jour MP3 single has been released via CD Baby - "Uncertain Rhythm" was originally featured on the "Wonderful Vision" vinyl album in 1987. Re-recorded in summer 2010 this song has a different feel than the original with updated production. You can download it from CD Baby here or go to Band Camp where it's available as a 2-song EP with a remix of "The Voices".

Daniel Crommie's "Skybridge" released digitally @ Band Camp

2011-06-23T13:12:00.000-07:00

In 1990 Daniel Crommie acquired a Fostex Model 80 quarter-inch eight track recorder, a Fostex 12-channel mixer and numerous affordable rack-mount effects - and built his first studio "The Living Room". The first album projects completed with this new set-up were "Shadowgraph" and "Skybridge". "Shadowgraph" was a primarily song-based album and "Skybridge" was an entirely instrumental album featuring synthesizers and flutes. Originally released on cassette in 1991 concurrently with "Shadowgraph", "Skybridge" is re-released digitally at Band Camp. Listen & buy "Skybridge" from Band Camp

Reviews:

DANIEL CROMMIE, Skybridge

Here is a lovely, mellow instrumental recording comprised mostly of synthesizer, percussion instruments and various flutes. Its smooth, melodic arrangements provide a relaxing backdrop to work or to meditate by. There are no rough edges on this tape, enabling it to be easy on the nerves, as well as the ears. Artist Daniel Crommie is the sole writer, performer, engineer and producer on this quality recording. This tape is sure to be enjoyed by New Age and fusion fans alike.

Heartsong Review Fall ’91 / Winter ‘92

Skybridge by Daniel Crommie

On this other New Weave cassette, Skybridge, are Crommie’s solo works. His highly creative compositions move through electro-primal and New Age sounds – some potent, others calming, but never boring. Driving synth sequences and drums accompanied by flute are transformed into earthly spirit choruses punctuated with haunting samples and primitive instruments. While playing many synths, samplers, drums/percussion, and some HOT flute licks, he manages to avoid a saturated, fatiguing air. Instead the pieces are sparse and minimal, with a particular emphasis on content. Skybridge lacks the spontaneity and the edge of his collaboration with Jamie Haggerty (see Heat Lightning), but it is still recommended listening material. (Crommie has many solo tapes available and appears on various New Weave samplers.)

Synthesis / 1991 - (JW)

Daniel Crommie's "Shadowgraph" released digitally.

2011-04-27T08:45:00.000-07:00

Daniel Crommie's 1991 cassette album "Shadowgraph" has been released at Band Camp as a download album with limited cassettes available as well. If you download the album (for a mere $3!) you get a bonus track as well. Here's a review from 1991:

“Techno” and “ethno” are what I label the two main elements of Daniel Crommie’s latest album. The line-up of instruments range from modern synthesizers, percussion programs and electric dulcimers to traditional reed pipes, clay flutes, wood flutes and penny whistles. With this combination, Crommie becomes a one-man-neo-Devo band with a twist on getting back to our musical origins. As the album progresses, Crommie reaches the extremes of both elements by stretching his songs from ultra-synth to oriental new age. -Jacqueline Koch / Wire (KCMU program) June/July 1991

Buy it at Band Camp

Pork Pie Rabbis debut album released April 15th!

2011-04-14T16:32:00.000-07:00

New Weave is pleased to announce the release of the gloriously irreverent debut album “Shit Street” by Pork Pie Rabbis. Pork Pie Rabbis is Glyn Havard (Jade Warrior, The Edge, The Yachts, Daniel Crommie with Glyn Havard) with help from his son James Havard on additional guitars, Dave Lewis on harmonica and David Leyton, vocals on "Archive Dylan”. Explicitly honest and exceedingly funny songs with topics ranging from spoiled stars (“Celebrities”) and annoying motorists (“The Big Exhaust”, “The Rover Song”) to political & religious hypocisy (“Tony and the Catholics”, “Geezaz is Cummin”) are played in a variety of styles from power-pop, blues and hip-hop.

Guitar: Mother Julian of Norwich.

Bass: Honeyboy Sweetthing.

Drums: Rupert Humpington-Knobsworth (Ex "Arse Nova").

Keyboards: Filthy "Fingers" McBastard.

Vocals: Gumbo Chimp.

"Suits" remix: Jocelyn DeRubicube.

Produced by Idi Aminarova.

Artwork and Cover Concept by Phil Foul.

"Direct Current" released February 15th & review!

2011-01-25T12:33:00.000-08:00

Direct Current is an adventurous collaborative music venture which took root in December 2008 as an acoustic / electronic hybrid project between violist/violinist Leslie Gray (Saturnalia Trio) and flutist/keyboardist Daniel Crommie (Group Du Jour, Saturnalia Trio). As the recording progressed other musicians expressed interest in contributing: Jon Miller (guitars), Brian Davis of Pink Martini (congas), Thomas Filardo of Total Noise (guitars), Larold Will (Theremin), Bo Parker & Paul Parker from Group Du Jour (percussion & guitar / fretless bass respectively) and Paul Evans (alto sax) all came in to add their unique sonorities and textures to the mix. In summer of 2009 Glyn Havard (vocalist & bassist of Jade Warrior) agreed to add his talents to the proceedings and two albums were slated, “Between the Darkness and the Dawn” became a Crommie / Havard collaboration and the remaining tracks coalesced into the all-instrumental “Direct Current”.

This album will be available for download only on iTunes, Amazon and many other online vendors.

Track listing:

Pacific Time (Crommie)

December Daydream (Crommie / Gray)

Snow on Bare Branches (Crommie / Gray)

Elephant (Crommie)

Ocean Sketches

a. Java Sea (Crommie / Filardo)

b. Arabian Sea (Crommie)

c. The Caspian Sea (Crommie / Gray)

d. Coral Sea (Crommie)

FreQ Rez (Crommie / Gray)

Road to the Atlas Mountains (Crommie)

Ballet from “Swan Island” (Crommie / P. Parker)

Flint & Fuel (Crommie / Filardo)

One Monkey Year Between Us (Crommie)

Psyclones (coda) (Crommie / Havard)

"The winding flute melody and little bursts of acoustic guitar add an airy, floating feel to the music that leaves you hugely uplifted and I really like that the only vocal on the whole album is sung as the disc fades out." Read the review here.

Daniel Crommie's "Solstice Sketches" released & reviewed

2010-12-14T10:30:00.000-08:00

Daniel Crommie's first solo flute album "Solstice Sketches" has been released (Tuesday, December 14th 2010) on iTunes, Amazon and many other download sites. Begun during the winter solstice 2009, "Solstice Sketches" features one C concert flute (with no overdubs) processed through an M-Audio Black Box and assembled in Garage Band on a MacBook. Quiet, brooding, mysterious & lulling - this album should appeal to fans of Brian Eno and Frippertronics.

"The prolific Crommie comes up with another winner here with Solstice Sketches." Mark Johnson / Sea of Tranquility

Read the review here.

"Between the Darkness and the Dawn" reviews!

2010-09-13T09:17:00.000-07:00

Here's a review from BRfm Radio in Wales: "When Daniel Crommie a multi-instrumentalist (mandolin, balalaika, recorders, flute, synthesizers and more) songwriter with over thirty albums under his belt collaborates with Glyn Havard, the results were always going to be intriguing to say the least."

You can read the entire review here.

Sea of Tranquility reviewed the new Crommie/Havard CD.

"Between The Darkness And The Dawn is a beautifully cohesive amalgam of disparate genres all brought together with skill and grace and makes for a completely involving listen every time."

You can read the entire review here.

"Friends of Jade Warrior" posted this:

“I've found this new album to be quite enjoyable. Its style is distinct from that of Jade Warrior, and isn't any easier to describe in simple terms - complex, engaging, atmospheric, with a bit of trippy psychedelia in the mix. Glyn's thoughtful lyrics and mellow, expressive voice come through nicely. I definitely recommend it to Jade Warrior fans, and I hope to hear some further collaborations between these fine musicians” - Dave Platt (Friends of Jade Warrior)

Daniel Crommie with Glyn Havard "Between the Darkness and the Dawn"

2010-04-29T10:59:00.000-07:00

Daniel Crommie & Glyn Havard have completed a collaborative album titled "Between the Darkness and the Dawn", consisting of ten compositions: six songs with lyrics by Daniel & Glyn and four instrumentals - of which one was authored by Glyn Havard. Glyn Havard played bass and electric guitar, Daniel Crommie played flutes, synthesizers, dulcimers and created the rhythm beds, Jon Miller played electric & acoustic guitars, Larold Will played theremin, Paul Evans and Michael Maldonado played saxophones, Bo Parker played tongue drums, Paul Parker played fretless bass and electric guitar, Brian Davis played bull roarer and Leslie Gray played violas. This album was release June 15th with one extra track and is now available for download at iTunes, Amazon and many other online vendors. Here is the track listing:

Psyclones

Hipnautica

Monks

In Tears We Trust

Under a Radar Moon

Goodbye Cruel World

Another Urban Incantation / Twilight Fen / Swamp Stomp

Veterans Day Parade

Warriors

The Spell is Broken (2010 redux) *

* CD bonus track

Order from Amazon here Order from CD Baby here

Daniel Crommie's "Life Rattle" reviewed

2010-04-01T21:04:00.000-07:00

" Daniel Crommie has been around the electronic scene for a number of years now having released over two dozen solo albums. He is also a founding member of a number of bands including Group Du Jour, Echo System, Continuum and Saturnalia Trio. His songs mostly lie in the realm of techno and electronic styles and he uses a variety of electronic and acoustic instruments such as digital and analogue synths, electronic dulcimer, flutes, recorder, pan pipes and bul bul tarang. He also provides vocals on five tracks." Read more here.

Group Du Jour "OVAL" review

2010-02-11T14:25:00.000-08:00

Group du Jour's Oval is one of those tricky albums to genre pigeon-hole, making it more difficult to assist fans who may be deciding how to spend their cash. This Oregon band have been reviewed three times before on Sea of Tranquility achieving ratings of only two-and-a-half stars for Waiting for the Sky to Fall and three-and-a-half stars for Terra Incognita and the "best of" compilation Listening in...To the Past 25 Years. Not a sterling performance by SoT standards...well, Oval's rating from me tops the lot of 'em! I've not heard the other albums so can't begin to compare – though I have enjoyed this one sufficiently to persuade me to investigate more of their music.

November 27th 2009 Alex Torres / Sea of Tranquility

Read more here

Buy at Amazon

Review for Saturnalia Trio's "Hummingbirds"

2010-02-11T13:50:00.000-08:00

"This delightfully versatile group’s only problem is arithmetical; it actually consists of four multi-instrumentalists, who play everything from psalteries to synthesizers and darbukkas to dulcimers. They dig deeply into the progressive folk genre, combining medieval and Renaissance music with modern sensibilities. Memorable originals sit comfortably next to songs by John Dowland, and the results form a thoroughly enjoyable pastiche that might remind one of Fairport Convention or the Incredible String Band. This recording will be a smash within a hundred miles of any Renaissance fair" (Jeffery Wanser) November 2009 CD Hotlist

Buy at Amazon