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MANGAN, FELICITY - String Figures

Format: LP Label & Cat.Number: Elevator Bath - eeaoa074 Release Year: 2025 Note: first solo LP for this Australian composer based in Berlin, connecting drone elements from strings, electromagnetic textures and field recordings into astonishing beauty and appealing structures... - "Across six pieces, she transforms subtle environmental cues—water, frogs, moss, and children at play—into meditative, minimalistic soundscapes that range from austere elegance to rich, enveloping resonance." [Igloo Mag.] - comes with DL code Price (incl. 19% VAT): €22.50 More Info Felicity Mangan's first solo vinyl LP and first release for Elevator Bath is "String Figures", a stunningly beautiful collection of tactile drones and electronic tonalities infused with natural sounds and rhythms. This is fascinating, emotionally resonant work, novel in its inventiveness and impactful in its delivery. Created in the summer of 2024, the six pieces on "String Figures" sample and combine the resonant timbres of strings and electromagnetic textural fields with field recordings from wetlands. These elements were shaped through digital processing into polyphonic, angular assemblages. On side A, the austere minimalism and found sounds of "Watering Device" are followed by the gorgeous drones of "Cello Figures" while "Magnetic Moss" bounces electronic tones and pulses around the stereo field. Side B kicks off with "Invisible Strings", an elegiac ambient piece, which soon leads to the poetic and moving "String Thing". The concluding "Magnet, Paper, Frog" is the perfect combination of sundry techniques, offering a superb example of Mangan's singularity. As an album, it is a refreshingly varied yet thoroughly cohesive document. Indeed, "String Figures" is this highly unique and exciting composer's most compelling work to date and one that Elevator Bath is overjoyed to share with discerning listeners. - - - - Felicity Mangan is an Australian sound artist based in Berlin, Germany. She combines field recordings, electroacoustic composition, and electronic music techniques to create immersive, quasi-bioacoustic music aided by digital audio tools. Her compositions have been presented in multichannel installations, live performances, site-specific settings, and published works on labels such as Longform Editions, Mappa Editions, One Instrument, and Warm Winters, among others. Written, produced, and mixed by Felicity Mangan Tracks A2 and B2 contain samples of cello performed by Moritz Draheim Track B3 contains a sample of southern leopard frogs recorded by Kevin Songer Mastered by Stephan Mathieu at Schwebung Mastering Lacquer cut by Andreas Lubich at Loop-O Mastering Photography by Constanze Flamme; Layout by Colin Sheffield https://felicitymangan.bandcamp.com/album/string-figures ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Felicity Mangan’s String Figures is an immersive exploration of field recordings, electronic textures, and string timbres, blending natural sounds from wetlands with lush, slowly evolving drones and quasi-bioacoustic compositions. Across six pieces, she transforms subtle environmental cues—water, frogs, moss, and children at play—into meditative, minimalistic soundscapes that range from austere elegance to rich, enveloping resonance. In this beautiful collection of tactile drones and electronic tonalities infused with natural sounds and rhythms, Felicity Mangan combines field recordings, electroacoustic composition, and electronic music techniques to create immersive, quasi-bioacoustic music aided by digital audio tools. The six pieces on String Figures sample and combine the resonant timbres of strings and electromagnetic textural fields with field recordings from wetlands. She has the moon with her, by the water. From the picture it could be a pond or slow moving river, I can almost hear the slow moving water. What are she and the moon up to? Listen, so close to the water’s edge, lush in the brush and abundant sounding flora. There is a strong reflection in the water, she has a twin image. These elements were shaped through digital processing into polyphonic, angular assemblages, ranging from austere minimalism to sumptuous drones and elegiac ambience. Her compositions have been presented in multichannel installations, live performances, site-specific settings, and published works on labels such as Longform Editions, Mappa Editions, One Instrument, and Warm Winters, among others. Still your mind. Starting with an emphasis on field recordings which are enhanced, to become a classic EM Kosmiche drama, and growing from one long note from each member of the orchestra. The blending elements slightly wag and wave, tugging at all of the harmonics. Always a sumptuous ambience and quasi-bioacoustics, simple electronic poetics leveraged with the recording arts and deploying a variety of instrumental sounds. Consistently minimal in approach, with long sustained drone style tones, each track slowly fades in and slowly fades out. Side A: Kids are playing behind the sound of lawn sprinklers, juxtaposing austere minimalism and found sounds. I am attracted to the phasing patterns between several sprinklers. “Watering Device” (7:20) emerges very slowly, a low tone, a buzz, warm and sinister. Refreshing and wet from hissing, I could find no spills or drips, just kids playing in splashes. There is an ominous hum too. Here come the warm jets, with wind in the distance. “Cello Figures” (8:44) contains samples of cello performed by Moritz Draheim, zillions of tiny cellos playing one note, odd field recording of a dark tunnel and a squeaky toy being finessed into subtle barking squeaks, from within a shifting sandy cloud of bowed sounds drone style. These shifting clouds of sand are becoming stronger, they sort of swell and then diminish and then swell again, blending as time goes by. The richness increases like melted butter spreading over my ears dripping and getting into the deepest delicious places, disguised gorgeous drones. Deep dark bubbly “Magnetic Moss” (6:24) bounces electronic tones and pulses around the stereo field, a dark monotone boogie with a jittery low tone. In the natural world, it might be assumed that moss does not do much, it persists and constantly slowly grows, filled with tiny stringy chaos, magnetic pulls or pushes or nothing at all, and moss would be on the forest floor. Clearly magnetic moss is different. Dodging and weaving, the action is to just bubble away, a short wave radio in a wet cave, a loose beat, a grand bubbling boogie flow with textures." [Igloo Mag.]