Apta - 20 (The Slow Music Movement)

WHAT THE COVER LOOKS LIKE:

---

WHAT WE SAY:

If you can't cycle to the top of a hill & watch the sun rising to clear the early morning mist from the damp Autumn landscape, then just hit play on the new Apta LP for The Slow Music Movement label & bathe in its peculiarly British, slightly reserved sense of joy & positivity. (Smart streaming link: https://ditto.fm/20-apta)

Vertical Divider

WHAT YOUR EARS SAY:

---

WHAT THE RELEASE NOTES SAY:

“It's been a strange time for everyone, for obvious reasons. There's nothing in my music that hints at the global circumstances unfolding, nor should it be a requirement that all art created at the time of strife reflects that strife. On the contrary, the chance to sit down in the studio, with the time to create and the opportunity to relax as well has been (for me), hugely refreshing. Obviously with the circumstances around the creation of these tracks, there is always going to be an element of melancholy behind the otherwise upbeat instrumentation, but I think in general it reflects a gratitude for the well being of myself and my loved ones, and an optimistic leaning for our future.

This was originally two EP's called 'Home' and 'Sun', both self-released and both between March and July of 2020. I'd been listening to a lot of records I've loved for many years, some post-rock, some prog, some classic electronica and quite a bit of meditative ambience, as well as the usual soul-cleansers of computer games and films, and these tracks couldn't really have come out as anything except an amalgamation of those influences. My guitar got wired back in, and my love for that was rediscovered (the guitar really was my first foray into songwriting all those years ago, before all these beguiling synths got in the way), leading a lot of these pieces to begin from there and bloom outwards.

20 isn't only representative of this time, but a melting pot of all the influence leading up to it, and a shameless inclusion of every little riff or technique or idea I wanted to record. It is, as they say, what it is.”

Apta - Manchester, September 2020

About Apta:
Apta works in one of the world’s finest record shops, Piccadilly Records in Manchester. After work he makes music. When asleep he dreams about synthesizers and guitars.

Artwork
Harriet Richardson is a multidisciplinary visual artist based in Berlin whose work tends to revolve around nature abstracted, the psyche & the absurd.

About The Slow Music Movement
The Slow Music Movement is an evolving organism with an ambitious evolutionary plan. It was launched in 2017 as a radio show & daily music recommendation service with a focus on largely laid back, quality music, from independent artists & labels that we’ve dug a bit deeper to discover. We then share that music across the social media landscape.

Every Bit Helps
10% of all label /streaming revenue will go to Client Earth to help mitigate our environmental impact & try and make a difference. 

Credits:

Producer: Apta (apta.bandcamp.com)
Artwork: Harriet Clare (www.harrietclare.com)
Mastering: Ian Hawgood (www.homenormal.com)