Mike Vass · 2022
Decemberwell Decade
Decemberwell made again ten years on, with ten other musicians.
Recorded Studio 2 Gloworm, West Regent Street
The back of the sleeve
- Produced
- Mike Vass
- Recorded
- Mike Vass, GloWorm Studios, December 2021; drums recorded by Euan Burton, January 2022
- Mixed
- Iain Hutchison, GloWorm, January and February 2022
- Mastered
- Peter Beckmann, TechnologyWorks
- Artwork and design
- Anna Colliton
- Catalogue
- Unroofed UR007CD, 18 November 2022
People
Louis AbbottSigny JakobsdottirIain HutchisonEuan BurtonPeter BeckmannAnna CollitonPhilip CardwellDavid FoleyDonald GrantMairi MacLennanSorren MacLeanJoseph PeachEmma SmithKathleen MacInnes
- Produced
- Mike Vass
- Recorded
- Mike Vass, GloWorm Studios, December 2021; drums recorded by Euan Burton, January 2022
- Mixed
- Iain Hutchison, GloWorm, January and February 2022
- Mastered
- Peter Beckmann, TechnologyWorks
- Artwork and design
- Anna Colliton
- Catalogue
- Unroofed UR007CD, 18 November 2022
- Players
- Louis Abbott, drums · Philip Cardwell, trumpet · David Foley, flute · Donald Grant, violin · Signy Jakobsdottir, percussion · Kathleen MacInnes and Mairi MacLennan, Gaelic song · Sorren MacLean, guitars · Joseph Peach, piano and accordion · Emma Smith, double bass
The record
Decemberwell remade ten years on, this time with ten other musicians, each of whom spent a day at Gloworm with Vass as engineer and producer: Louis Abbott, Philip Cardwell, David Foley, Donald Grant, Signy Jakobsdottir, Sorren MacLean, Joseph Peach and Emma Smith, with Gaelic song from Kathleen MacInnes and Mairi MacLennan. The rule was the same as before: write it and record it inside December. Signy Jakobsdottir’s percussion went down on 22 December 2021, Louis Abbott’s drums on 2 January 2022, and Vass was on the laptop on Christmas Day. It ends with a Gaelic Silent Night, Ciùin an Oidhch’, sung by Kathleen MacInnes.
By the time it came out he was on a boat-building course in Lyme Regis: eight people, three boats, launched into the harbour that December.
Tracks
- 01Two Decker3:58
- 02Prisms on the Dark Sea3:47
- 03Getting Colder3:00
- 04Suspension in the Air3:38
- 05Siud mar chuir mi ’n Geamhradh tharam (That’s How I Spent the Winter)3:08
- 06Levity4:02
- 07Still Below the Hills3:24
- 08The Great Well4:36
- 09Even the Stars Sleep3:51
- 10Ciuin an oidhch’ (Silent Night)3:16
Photographs
Cuttings
A line from each piece. Where the full piece is online, it is linked.
KLOF Magazine
“So much has been weaved into these arrangements, even after repeated listening I’ve barely scratched the surface.”
At The Barrier
“Neither bleak nor shortbread tin.”
Folking.com
“This really is a glorious album – both musically and in its invocation of December.”
Get Ready to ROCK!
“A fascinating reworking and rewarding listen, proving that Mike Vass really deserves greater recognition for his music.”
Irish Music Magazine
“Here’s a new idea from an old album.”
EDS Magazine
“This is a very good winter-inspired CD.”
BBC Radio Ulster Folk Club
Said on air
“See what I mean, it brings you right to the edge of the Christmas season. I just love that.”
Connections
- Decemberwell The original