Archive for category: News

“A rare and wonderful chance to experience the soundscape of a wilder land with the songs of Knepp’s own nightingales and turtle doves woven in to Richard’s exquisite melodies. Experience life above and below ground, hear the soil taking a deep breath and embrace the uplifting feeling of hope that Rewilding brings.” 

Penny Green, Resident Ecologist at Knepp Estate (pictured left)

You can pre-order the album on all streaming platforms using the various links below.  The music will go live at 4.37pm today.

This means that as the sun sets in Sussex on Halloween; Spotify, Apple Music and all other platforms will synchronise to stream Rewilding.

Richard is thrilled with the arrival of the new vinyl album.

“The test pressing arrived today and I just played it on the big Tannoys. Crikey….now it really does sound like an album! And so appropriate that is was pressed in the Netherlands as this music has more than a hint of Focus about it. Those Dutchmen at Deepgrooves have done a good job with their magical hocus pocussing work – and as eco friendly as they come.”

Richard

Spotify & Apple Music synchronise for a Sussex, Halloween Sunset

Rewilding will go live on all streaming platforms at 4.37pm on 31st October (that is sunset in Sussex on Halloween). You can pre-order the music using the various links below, and the music will go live as the sun sets on launch day.

You can buy vinyl (180g, gatefold, limited edition, signed and numbered by the artist) online and download FLAC and ALAC audio files online – buy today.

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Official launch event with Livestream
11am & 2pm at Ropetackle Arts Centre

Live streamed from 2pm on Richard’s YouTube & Facebook

See diary for details of the today’s live and streamed events.

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So are you a fan of Lumbricus terrestris? You should be – especially if you are a gardener – because these common Earthwormsare our ‘ecosystem engineers’ – maintaining soil structure and breaking down decaying roots and leaves.

“There are few animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world than the earthworm.”

Charles Darwin

Side two of Rewilding dives underground where we encounter Big Fat Earth Worm.

“The intense subterranean activity of the flocculating protozoans, fungal networks and tunnelling earth worms (to name but a few) can help control flooding, digest pollutants and trap vast amounts of carbon.  It’s the energy and movement of these re-wilding collaborators that helps to sustain life on earth”

Says Richard

Watch the video to find out more…

This is just one of the magical tracks from the highly topical musical fantasy that is Rewilding. It has a strong connection with Knepp Wilding project in Sussex where Richard performed in 2018.

Did you know…?

• Earthworms are also know as ‘Night Crawlers’
• They can dig down as deep as 6.5 feet
• They can live for up to 6 years
• They can grow up to 14 inches long

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The inner sleeve of the album was designed by soil specialist David Sheil who turned the musicians into protozoa:

Do you recognise any of them…?

Led by Durrant’s guitars, ukuleles and cello, this uplifting and optimistic album was created by Richard Durrant earlier this year during Lockdown, and as he says:

‘The world changed… and so did my music. 

Pre-order the limited edition gatefold vinyl (signed and numbered by the artist). 

The hi-rez audio versions are now available.

Rewilding will go live on all streaming platforms on 31 October at 4.37pm (as the sun sets in Shoreham).

This is all building up to the official album launch on 31 October – Halloween – which will be live streamed from 2pm. 

After eight months in the studio Richard Durrant has finally completed work on his forthcoming album: Rewilding…

Now renamed Rewilding, this single album will be available on vinyl as a limited edition gatefold with artwork by the English “unrealist’ artist, Jon Everitt.  Although there are no plans for a CD release, the album will be widely available to stream or download including hi-rez audio formats (included in the vinyl price).

Unsurprisingly, this is a very different outcome to what was originally planned back in 2019.  

“The enormity of what we are all living through has, of course, deeply affected my work. Lockdown came at a time when I should have been finishing and launching an album followed by a busy and exciting tour.

“Instead the entire year was cancelled and what I had begun to record became all that was left. The music was immediately under intense scrutiny and the soul searching began.“

Richard

The album’s focus on ecological issues are unchanged as is the sense of place with the Sussex countryside centre stage. 

The internationally famous re-wilding project taking place at the Knepp estate just outside Horsham has proved a particular inspiration.

This was where Richard was invited to play a gig with folk musician Sam Lee and one of the virtuoso Knepp nightingales back in 2018.

“Knepp allows us to see how nature can rebalance, realign and refresh; if we stand back to allow the process to unfold then this can happen fairly swiftly both above and below ground.

“These results have proved surprising even to those in specialised areas and the benefits offered provide an incentive to reassess and change for the better. This is not just nature quietly offering to teach those who care to look, it is also a beacon of hope for humankind.“

Richard

Rewilding the album is a musical fantasy led by guitars, ukuleles and cello. These instruments and many others are played by Richard himself. He is also joined by the incredible Brian Gulland from Gryphon on bassoons, recorders, organ and crumhorns.

Old friend and percussionist Stephen Hiscock plays various exotic percussion instruments and the Durrant family not only play but have helped out by engineering on some fairly intense recording sessions!

Side one takes place above ground with four tracks:
Aurochs, Forr All Mannkinne Nede, Knepp and Leaf. 

Side two is set below ground with three tracks:
Step Gently, Triskelion and Big Fat Earth Worm.

And coming up…

Don’t forget Richard has live performances coming up soon. This will be his first gig since February. See his diary for details.

Friday 3 July saw the release of Richard Durrant’s single Kenneth the Hedge. This is a remix of the stand-out track from Richard’s 2018 double album Stringhenge…

Complete with new vocals, bass and percussion Kenneth comes with the equally revamped B side containing The Bog Oak Boureé. Both tracks are being released as part of the build up for the forthcoming album Rewilding.

Please show your support by visiting:

Last Sunday night saw the completion of Richard’s Music For Midsummer Tour with 14 livestream broadcasts direct from Richard’s studio.

This virtual tour which was focussed on each venue from Orkney to Sussex is still available to watch online – visit Richard’s Facebook or YouTube channels.

Alongside the challenges brought to us all by 2020, this year has also brought moments of extraordinary inspiration. Richard explains:

‘Faced with the loss of an entire year’s touring we decided to try as hard as we could to stay in touch with both the venues and my audience. And whilst friendships and the love of music were never at stake,  livelihoods and the future of venues and artists most definitely are so the live-streaming project felt very positive.’

Richard Durrant

Richard and Louise run all touring and recording from their home and studio in Shoreham. This little cottage industry has sent Richard out around the British Isles, across to Europe and South America to play solo concerts, Christmas tours and concertos with orchestras for the past 21 years.

During this time the studio has also seen the production of all Richard’s albums and scores along with recordings by a host of other musicians produced by Richard during the days of LongMan Records. Now, as with so many involved in the arts, none of this activity qualifies for direct government support

‘Working on my new album has filled the void left by the abrupt cancellation of all my touring. And inspiration has not been in short supply as we witness fascinating changes of perspective in the climate change debate, the positivity of the Black Lives Matter movement and the real hope that the world will never be the same again.’

Richard

Richard would like to thank you all for your ongoing support and encouragement. He looks forward to seeing you in person in the not too distant future.

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