Inside the Outside: is a collection of tracks by a group of artists from all corners of the globe influenced, inspired and playing acoustic, fingerpicking guitar in the Fahey/Basho, American Primitive guitar idiom.
While each artist has employed techniques and structures recognisable from the idiom, the interpretations are varied and draw on traditional folk, blues, psych, drone, free improvisation, ragtime, and Indian classical music.
The artists on Inside the Outside are all pursuing their craft with great integrity; self releasing their music, some by other labels and contributing to compilations like this one. I am extremely indebted to these fabulous musicians who were all willing to lay some tracks down from a newly launched label from the arse end of the world.
While much has been said about the use of American Primitive as terminology for describing this genre; while not a fan of this nomenclature myself, it’s used here simply as a reference and to make the compilation easily identifiable and hopefully to move some units, pay debts and contributing artists.I appreciate that the term is not a crowd pleaser (particularly with fingerpicking artists) much the same way jazz artists historically were unable to resonate with the term ‘jazz’. Greats such as Miles and Coltrane among others labelled their music as ‘social music’ or a ‘spiritual expression’. Nonetheless for convenience and convention's sake, the title remains and I thank each artist for their dedication, brilliance, vision and unique composition which I consider to be a time capsule of where this particular genre is in 2021.
This selection also offers a wonderful insight into how the genre has evolved, and influenced each musician’s style; whether it be Joseph Allred’s haunting drone or George Christian and Amee Brecht's angular and amorphous free improvisation, each track on this compilation is both reminiscent and familiar while still being transcendental.
While each artist has employed techniques and structures recognisable from the idiom, the interpretations are varied and draw on traditional folk, blues, psych, drone, free improvisation, ragtime, and Indian classical music.
The artists on Inside the Outside are all pursuing their craft with great integrity; self releasing their music, some by other labels and contributing to compilations like this one. I am extremely indebted to these fabulous musicians who were all willing to lay some tracks down from a newly launched label from the arse end of the world.
While much has been said about the use of American Primitive as terminology for describing this genre; while not a fan of this nomenclature myself, it’s used here simply as a reference and to make the compilation easily identifiable and hopefully to move some units, pay debts and contributing artists.I appreciate that the term is not a crowd pleaser (particularly with fingerpicking artists) much the same way jazz artists historically were unable to resonate with the term ‘jazz’. Greats such as Miles and Coltrane among others labelled their music as ‘social music’ or a ‘spiritual expression’. Nonetheless for convenience and convention's sake, the title remains and I thank each artist for their dedication, brilliance, vision and unique composition which I consider to be a time capsule of where this particular genre is in 2021.
This selection also offers a wonderful insight into how the genre has evolved, and influenced each musician’s style; whether it be Joseph Allred’s haunting drone or George Christian and Amee Brecht's angular and amorphous free improvisation, each track on this compilation is both reminiscent and familiar while still being transcendental.
