ORGAN THING: From Isolation is a series of collaborations from Trestle Records as a reaction to the self-isolation, hear the first two releases here, the third, featuring James Johnston, Ross Downes and Keeley Forsyth is out later this week…

Organ Thing of The Day: “From Isolation is a new series of collaborations organised by Trestle Records as a reaction and ‘antidote’ to the self-isolation and quarantine measures we are currently undergoing due to the Covid 19 pandemic. We are contacting musicians to collaborate as a trio in the making of an EP achieved through file sharing via the internet. The concept is simple – Each musician starts a track and passes it to the next for them then to add their section. This is not intended to be a pain staking, over thought, over dubbed experience but rather one of expression, chance, reaction and mobilising our community to use this time for something new, that wouldn’t have occurred otherwise. To instigate a few days of communication and collaboration with the sole purpose of making new music, often among musicians who have not previously worked together or even actually met in person”.

So far the series is sound rather beautiful, quietly rewarding, and yes, okay, the artwork does’nt look that exciting, maybe they should have asked a painter or two to join in? They do have a painter involved in the next release, apparently the third in the series will be released this coming Friday, James Johnston, he of Gallon Drunk, PJ Harvey, The Bad Seeds and such, and as recently featured in the #43Artists show in terms of his paintings, tells us to expect “a newly recorded collaboration with Ross Downes and Keeley Forsyth. Three songs recorded as part of the label’s ‘From Isolation’ series. Loved doing this and the music sounds great”.

“We are intending to release these EP’s regularly for as long as the ‘lockdown’ continues. They will be posted as soon as we have them and be available at www.trestlerec.com. Other musicians who have agreed to participate so far include Evelyn Glennie, Seb Rochford, David Coulter, Anders Holst, Adam Coney, Duncan Marquiss, Charles Hayward, Max Hallet, Keir Vine, Belle Chen, KCIN“, we’re told “many others will be invited and announced”.

Here’s the Bandcamp links for the first two

Futher reading:

ORGAN THING: James Johnston, best known as Gallon Drunk’s frontman, is also a painter, his paintings sound like his music looks, tonight we’re catching the closing of his excellent solo show at Vout-O-Reenee’s, East London…

ORGAN THING: Cultivate presents #43Artists, an on-line art exhibition…

A James Johnston piece from the #43Artists show