STEVIE WISHART: voice, violin, mediaeval fiddle, hurdy-gurdy, electronics
CHRIS ABRAHAMS: sampler, dx7, piano, organ
SHANE FAHEY: synths and analog tape manipulation

Azeruz (LP, 2000) was created by Chris Abrahams (the Necks) and Shane Fahey (Social Interiors, Makers of the Dead Travel Fast) using early music material composed and developed by Stevie Wishart (Machine for Making Sense, Sinfonye).

The album successfully traverses the genres of avant-rock/pop, experimental, electronic, dub; mediaeval, early music and world music.

The musicians on this album are all experts in their fields, and succeed in creating a sonic landscape of great breadth and depth that stretches back through time. Themes, song structures and instrumentation of early European music are successfully translated into a modern context with Stevie’s haunting vocals, arrangements and lyrical interpretations.

Traditional instruments (flutes and percussion by Jim Denley, Stevie’s hurdy gurdy, fiddle, and violin) are combined with intricate sampling, programming and keys (Chris Abrahams) and analog synths & found sounds (Shane Fahey), brought together by Shane’s skilful, spatial production techniques.

This album is a musical odyssey that stems from the manuscripts of early music vaults. Chris, Stevie and Shane have translated the traditional form of early music song through the use of complementary harmonic gestures that have been sampled from the album’s pre-production recordings. Loops have been worked into the whole structure of the music as beats and rhythmic overlays, and extend into the areas of vocalisation and instrumentation.

The trio set their sights on the celestial, and succeed in realising one of its myriad musical forms.

“Musically it’s one of those glorious genre-irrelevant numbers, and to try and get a picture of what they’re like, imagine if you will a combination of Bjork, The Paradise Motel, Cat Power and Dead Can Dance. Narrowing it down it’s a sort of an ambient mediaeval dub…an ethereal, otherworldly mood pervades the CD, creating a dreamlike state.”
Michael Smith, Drum Media (Sydney)

"This isn’t musos playing at avant-pop, it is avant-pop, albeit made by grown-ups for grown-ups. To hear the soundworld of Sinfonye merge seamlessly with an absolute stoner of a groove on the title track is worth the price of admission alone, but everything here is surprising and really rather wonderful.”
Avant Guarde magazine (UK)