Ruins blog series. #4. ‘Daylight in Memory’ by Mount Xiao/ Nine is the Level

Antony Finch writes about the process of making Daylight in Memory. Listen here. All funds for the sales will go directly to www.grenfellfoundation.org.uk  

This track is part of a Castle Cooperative Records project, collating images, tracks and poetry around the theme ruins.

A soundscape piece inspired by & featuring “Nine is the Level” on beautiful guitar / pedals – as a collaborative project I produced.

A sonic visualization of dystopia.

I put this track forward for a great project called “Ruins” on Castle Cooperative Records, whom I am very grateful to be a part of.

I really put all I had into the track emotionally with limited self-taught production knowledge.

Layered around a soaring string /almost synth sounding guitar part, I added piano, cello, noise, guitar, backwards effects, samples & minimal bass

I went digging through some old archive clips from a “Brave New World” broadcasted radio story, which tied the theme together.

The artwork by Leon Charles has a bleak metropolis feel and was made using wooden printing blocks.

I imagined the process as building blocks. I was exploring dystopian themes at the time, just before lockdown.

I was aware of the difficulties and struggles of people living in tower blocks; the less fortunate to see the sky or have outdoor space.

Daylight seemed like a memory, but a lot of light can come from darkness, I have learnt with my own mental health struggles.

Social Ruin, the deconstruction of services and breakdowns in society under a government whom speak only for themselves and the middle/upper-classes is deeply unsettling for most of us.

I feel we all have to work together to re-build from the rubble that has been left in the Ruins.

Special thanks to Doug Tolley for inspiring this piece during a very difficult time for me.

Nine is the Level (Vinyl discography)
nineisthelevel.bandcamp.com

Artwork by my good friend Leon Charles
www.instagram.com/lone_morning/

All funds for the sales will go directly to the www.grenfellfoundation.org.uk  

Written by Antony Finch, aka Mount Xiao