Penelope Trappes - Heavenly Spheres (2023)

"...a striking work of evolution and deconstruction" - The Wire

UK based Australian born vocalist, musician and ethereal soundscaper, PENELOPE TRAPPES has announced details of the first release on her new imprint, Nite Hive. The label will launch with Heavenly Spheres, an 8-piece album recorded during a two-week residency for Britten Pears Arts at the house where the composer, teacher and musicologist Imogen Holst lived in Aldeburgh, Suffolk.

Heavenly Spheres is the result of the artist experimenting with only her voice, an upright piano and an old German reel to reel tape deck. Trappes explains, “I immersed myself in solitude and often deafening silence, and coexisted with an enormous amount of history and books. I grew to love this unfamiliar space as I recorded sound outside of my normal way of working, took long and sometimes psychedelic walks, channelled ghosts on tape, and ended up with about 35 pieces of music and sound art. This album is 8 of those pieces which I fell in love with.”
The album is an often-delicate study with unearthed sounds seemingly rising from the integrated tape hiss. Across the 8 pieces, disembodied voices and delicate piano figures dance around hypnagogic songs at the edge of consciousness.

Nite Hive is Penelope Trappes’ new imprint, designed as a label run by - and for - women and gender nonconforming artists to allow the free exploration of their approach to experimental music. Nite Hive aims to expand the template by welcoming audio work from the edges of sound, art and beyond - creating without restriction nor question to shift paradigms within the music industry. All of these will be released digitally and on limited-edition cassette tape - accompanied by a podcast interview with each artist about their creative process.

She goes on to announce, “I’m thrilled that the first five releases will include artists whose work I deeply admire - Patricia Wolf, Pefkin, Karen Vogt, and Madeliene Cocolas.”