A longtime favourite of ours, Bibio announced last month the release of PHANTOM BRICKWORKS (LP II). Arriving on November 22nd through Warp, it marks the second release from his ongoing project Phantom Brickworks, which draws inspiration from certain places around Britain and the charge they carry. Following two marvellous singles, ‘DINORWIC’ and ‘LLYN PERIS’, Bibio shared this week the third sublime single ‘PHANTOM BRICKWORKS VII’ . Of the new track, he says:

“‘PHANTOM BRICKWORKS VII’ is a single-take improvised piano piece using two digital delay pedals and the same antique upright piano I’ve been using for over 25 years. The equipment and techniques are more or less the same as those used on the very first PHANTOM BRICKWORKS track recorded some 18 or so years ago. This piece has a more rhythmical approach, using one pedal as a kind of timekeeper/divider and the other as the looper, the result is a more structured overall sound, rather than being more free and floaty. All of these improvised pieces are unrepeatable, as the way the notes decay and crumble is a crucial component of the music, which is a characteristic of the specific pedals I use. ‘PHANTOM BRICKWORKS VII’ is one of my favourite piano improvisations I’ve ever recorded, the way it builds into something that sounds structured and composed wasn’t so obvious to me while I was recording it as I was concentrating on every note being added to the gradually evolving loop. This one-take improvisation has no additional layers, but the original piece was over 18 minutes long – I cut it down by starting the track at a midway point, so it starts more fully formed, but the history of how the melodies were built up is embedded within the crumbling layers like layers of sediment, the older the notes – the more distant and ghostly they become.”

Ethereal and beautiful, ‘PHANTOM BRICKWORKS VII’ is after your ears.

We love Bibio and new music from him is always a very exciting and special treat. Back in 2017, the English musician and producer released Phantom Brickworks, realizing later it had became an ongoing project. Bibio is now continuing it and has announced the release of PHANTOM BRICKWORKS (LPII), arriving on November 22nd through Warp. As with the first album, it features mostly improvised music and is inspired by certain places around Britain and the charge they carry. Bibio comments:

“Human beings are highly sensitive to the atmospheres of places, which can be enhanced or dramatically altered when you learn the context of their history… echoes and voices can sometimes be heard, in some way or another. Places sometimes have things to say.”

He continues:

“When I announced the first ‘PHANTOM BRICKWORKS’ album, I discussed how places can be charged with meaning, depending on what they’d been through. That observation continues with the new album. It consists of mostly improvised music, using some of the same techniques as before as well as developing new ones that are unique to this album. Some familiar territory is revisited, both musically and in terms of the types of locations that interest me. North Wales plays a significant role, but this album reaches beyond – extending into the realms of legends, as stories passed down through generations can sometimes haunt a place more vividly.”

The eerie and atmospheric ‘DINORWIC’ is the first single to emerge from his upcoming album. The track is named after a well known former slate mine in Llanberis, Wales, and Bibio has made a video to accompany it. Watch it now.

We’re a month away from the much anticipated release of Sunbursting, the new EP from Bibio. Following the ear charmer ‘Sorry (Won’t Cut It)’, he has now shared the gorgeous and lush title track, featuring guest Óskar Guðjónsson on tenor saxophone. Take a listen below and watch out for the EP release on September 22nd through Warp.

Bibio has been turning our heads for a long time, constantly taking exciting and unexpected turns from album to album since his 2005 debut album. Last month saw him release his tenth studio album aptly titled BIB10. “I like contrast between my albums,” Stephen Wilkinson aka Bibio explained. “When I finish an album, I crave doing something different for the next one.”

With influences drawn from the 60s, 70s, and 80s, BIB10 brings the groove back to forefront, with irresistible funky pop songs touching on disco and soul. Speaking about the album, he comments:

“I think as ten is such a milestone, I wanted this record to be more of a party album. It also has its dreamy and melancholy moments, but there’s a lot of fun and playfulness in this album”

BIB10 is out now through Warp. For a taste of what Bibio is throwing at us, watch his self-directed video for ‘S.O.L.’ below, and listen to the lead single ‘Off Goes The Light’ straight after.