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3 tracks of solo material all based on walking in edgeland type places you know well and are familiar with.

Flood Plain is about many walks in and around the River Mersey where I live in South Manchester; particularly watermeadows at Stretford Ees, Broad Ees Dole and Chorlton Ees. I love this connection to the archaic Anglo-Saxon word Ees meaning firm land in a fen or watery landscape. The area is pretty boggy as it stands but as the name hints must have been much more so before the various flood defence systems were built up on the Mersey.

Ice House is about a victorian ice house structure in a small copse behind where I went to school in Birstall, just north of Leicester. The house it served is demolished and it was always a weird, spooky and technical forbidden site to visit. Its the highest point around for many miles though partially the view is obscured towards Leicester by the school buildings. Strangest part on researching this track was the discovery that the site of the ice house and the school was built on an Anglo-Saxon burial ground.

Cobs/Dreams of Stereolab Rehearsing Under My Bed/Jitty is a collage of pieces all relating to walking/dreaming with friends around the suburb I grew up in. We did alot of dreaming: in fields, on and under bridges, on railway lines, on housing estates, next to dual carriageways, footpaths, cut throughts, jittys, parks, lakes and waterways.

https://davidbirchall.bandcamp.com/album/flood-plain-ice-house-cobs-et-al

IMG-4791

New CDr and download now out from myself and Richard Harrison.

Richard is one of my favourite improvisors and our playing together dates back over a period of about 10 years so it’s great to have a physcial document of it.

Starting out with Cheshire farmcore unit Mudhutters in late 70’s Richard is best known for his work with Spaceheads. He is probably the only musician to have performed with both Derek Bailey and Nico. The release itself is something of a melancholy tribute to our old space in The Hotspur Press Building (currently awaiting being ripped to bits when Oxford Road Station is rebuilt).

Keeping it in the family the cover painting is a detail from a painting Alex Brealey Birchall aged 4. Interior artwork and photos of The Hotspur Press Building are by Richard.

The audio is essentially a longform composition editied from many hours of improvising during 2012 and 2013 by Richard.

The CD is available here https://davidbirchall.bandcamp.com/album/hotspur-nights