Our Solitary Confinement came out as a vinyl re-release with previously unheard material, The Sound Of His Horn. 30 or so minutes of the most ambient material I’ve written as Sieben. A few copies still left in my shop. 6, in fact. I’ve also reduced the prices on much of my merch, including Barley Top (hardback book and CD, my father reading his poems, set to music by myself) now at £10.

I’ve barely written or recorded a thing since the release of 7JK’s Ride The Solar Tide. Principally because I’m building my new Redroom recording studio. I’ve put ‘sawing away at the violin’ to one side in favour of sawing away at wood in general; wooden floor, I figure its always handy having something to stand on; wooden ‘picture frames’ for acoustic panels to ‘temper’ the acoustics in my new room. I’m smugly satisfied by how my panels clip together to make a vocal ‘booth’.

Whilst sawing away, my brain has been secretly plotting my next musical move for me. “Sparse, dirty, quirky loops and strange melodies” it whispers whilst I’m measuring a piece of 2 x 1 (that’s 4.2cm x 2.1cm in metric, PSE). And “sonically odd and striking like never before” it opines whilst I’m drilling a wall. Or “try looping six beats on x6 setting, or with unrelated loops”, though I’m sanding with ear protectors on. I hear it. “Finish sawing sodding wood and make some music”. I hear it. Will do…

Matt Howden -March 2017

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In 2016 I’ve released the latest Sieben album The Old Magic, and sister album The Other Side Of the River, along with a second 7JK album Ride The Solar Tide, all of which I’m very happy with. Not sure when the next Redroom release may be, but possibly not 2017, at least for a Redroom physical release. If you haven’t any of the above, feel free to visit my shop and purchase them, I could do with the space, and I like them being out there, being heard 🙂 Those ordering from Europe still have a couple of weeks to ensure getting it before Christmas, if its a gift; those further afield only a couple of days. I’ll be including extras with orders, too, to keep the gods of Santa and Commercialism appeased. And because I appreciate people who are still buying music 🙂

I’m currently laying the floorboards for the latest incarnation of my Redroom studio, its sixth place of residence. And I have vague plans, as my next Redroom release is release number 20: A Sieben album where I free myself from the shackles of ‘having to be able to play it live’. I may write some songs with ‘true’ verses and choruses, where the chords change (steady on, now!); I may do a couple with a band; possibly even some written on piano or from chords; hanging upside down suspended by elastic, if it sounds good. Not even sure yet, nor allowing myself to think hard about it. Until the sound-proofing is down, those floorboards are laid…

Thanks to all for the support with music; coming out to concerts, engaging in the music, booking the artists, buying the music, sharing the music, sorting the venues, making the posters, running the festivals, sharing the events and releases. For caring and loving. For the positivity we can make and emit, in a scary world.

Matt Howden – 29 November 2016

ps: one more Sieben gig to go this year. A local one, for me. Regather, Sheffield, 21 Dec. supporting good friend Andy and his Silver Darlings. We’ll be out and about in the UK in 2017, with plans for London, Croyden, Brighton, and hopefully Edinburgh, Newcastle and Stirling. I’ll also be on the road in Europe, with concerts in Poland and Germany already pencilled in 🙂

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Moving house has revealed the unsold back catalogue ‘mountain’. Damn that ‘economy of scale’.
Cats are winning the internet. Its now official.

7JK’s second spiffing album, Ride The Solar Tide is out in a few weeks. available from my shop, now, though 😉

Looking forward very much to playing at Music Port Festival in Whitby in a couple of weeks time.

After that I’m in Wroclaw, Poland, for the launch night concert, with 7JK, as the inaugural act for the WIF Festival.

A very worthy, and necessary, cause for this great compilation album featuring Sieben and 7JK and a host of great music, here.

More news soon, when the higgledy piggledyness dies down…

Matt Howden – Oct 2016

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