Eclectic field-recorded ambience
Who they?
Drawing inspiration from nature and “the great outdoors”, Minimal Drone GRL is the alias of Vancouver-born sound sculptor Joanne O’Keeffe. Dividing her time between the streets of London and the mountains of Canada, she started producing music with friends in the early noughties and has worked on a number of solo and collaborative projects. Minimal Drone GRL is her latest venture.
Why Minimal Drone GRL?
Her debut album ‘Ancestral Origins’ is utterly sublime. A beautiful mixture of crisp synth melodies, pulsing rhythms and eclectic field recordings made throughout the UK and Canada. ‘Belcarra Forest Ambience’ bristles with birdsong, crunching undergrowth and fluttering electronic textures, while ‘Cross Country 365 Days’ ripples and drones while warped rail announcements play alongside sharp whistling and creaking train wheels. There’s more traditionally electronic pieces, like the almost sci-fi synth of ‘Velvet Shadows’. As debuts go this a scorcher – an ambient, kaleidoscopic journey dripping in nostalgia and bursting with conceptualism. “The theme of the album is rooted deep in the heart of British Columbia,” she explains, “as past meets present and both look to the future together.”
Tell us more…
The album is the perfect introduction to the Glasgow- based Bricolage label, which was established in 2015. They specialise in “distinctive, hand-picked, sonic adventures from both local and global producers”, which is right on the money if Minimal Drone GRL is anything to go by. “Our main aim at the label is to give imaginative artists a platform of complete creative freedom from which to express themselves,” explains founder John Gorecki. If MDL doesn’t take your fancy, have a gander at the squelchy techno-stylings of Scottish producer Urgula or the fuzzy electronica of Lying Cat. Take it from us – you can’t go wrong.
‘Ancestral Origins’ is out on Bricolage
