colin andrew sheffield
first thus
(eeaoa020) CD


"First thus" is a phrase used by book sellers, publishers, collectors, etc. to describe a book which may be considered a first edition and/or first printing, but which has been available previously in a slightly different form. A true first edition is the original, first printing of a given book, while a first thus is the first printing of a new version of that book. This classification can come about for any number of reasons, though often times it has to do with a new translation of a particular work, the involvement of a new (different) publisher, or with a new forward or introduction....
First Thus is Sheffield's debut solo album. The recordings on this disc were entirely composed using other commercially available recordings. The goal was to distill the essential qualities of these works and then utilize that essence for new recordings. Only very brief sections of the original works were selected. These raw components were then contracted, expanded, layered, and/or otherwise processed until something new was forged. The result is gorgeous ambient music that gradually shifts and unfolds, offering subtle nuance and quiet restraint. In a sense, it is a collection of other people's work, but this music appears here for the first time in a new setting or, if you will, a new translation.

Packaged inside two elegant printed sleeves of 100% recycled paper, this compact disc has been issued in an edition of 330 copies.

Track list:

  1. miles away
  2. come closer
  3. disappear from view
  4. like a memory
eeaoa020  colin andrew sheffield  first thus

Airy, feedback delayed tones. Lots of subdued rushing wind sound, and more close-interval dissonance than is typical of ambient work (track one, at least). The press release says, “The recordings on this disc were entirely composed using other commercially available recordings,” but you wouldn't notice. Sheffield uses very brief, unrecognizable excerpts to get at some hidden essence (or new interpretation) of the source material. Track 2 squeezes a lot of action (relatively) into a comparatively short amount of time (4:24) and is no worse for the brevity. The other tracks are considerably longer, but no worse for the length. The 23+ minute “Disappear from View” (#3) is a favorite.
- Jacob Heule, Breakthrough in Grey Room

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