“A strange melange of sensations overtook her. She was alone with the music, and together they occupied an entirely separate place in time. Initially it seemed that it was the hammock which swayed, but now the hammock seemed entirely still and it was the stage which moved, enlarging and contracting in time with the music. “
Join Jessica aboard mysterious research vessel Spiral Dial for Episode 2 of this gripping new monthly serial, available only on Bandcamp. Download the story here to read while you listen.
Improvised in the pitch black of Anarres Studio on Hallowe’en eve, this month’s music is inspired by sounds from Schoenberg to Sondheim, setting the scene for the macabre and surreal events on board.
Lilting recorder delays and bass clarinet rock below a soaring melody, lulling the listener into a false sense of security. A simple repeated vocal melody enters next, sliding over detuned synthesisers from one key to the next before returning to reality accompanied by tumbling recorder arpeggios.
Spiral Dial is the brainchild of Liza Bec. Formerly a classical clarinettist, Liza’s life was transformed when she was diagnosed with a rare form of epilepsy triggered by playing music. For a musician, this was more than inconvenient. It was soul destroying. It turns out, nevertheless, that fragments of soul can be reconstructed.
Working around her glitchy brain, Liza re-learnt how to play through improvisation. After collaborations with James Holden and The Memory Band she now creates improvised soundscapes and short stories with her band Spiral Dial. She was also supported by Help Musicians UK Fusion Fund to create Innervate, an audiovisual installation inspired by her experience of music triggered epilepsy. Liza has studied geology and medicine and considers herself a fully qualified geek.
More episodes coming soon! Watch out for new sound stories on the last Friday of every month.
Liza Bec – robo recorder, bass clarinet, vocals and synth
David Ryder Prangley- bass guitar
Adam Hayes – percussion
Produced by Liza Bec at Anarres Studio
Mastered by Camilo Tirado