Sub is the debut album by composer-conductor Jack Sheen.

Composed for a lop-sided ensemble of five alto flutes, two bass clarinets, two trombones, piano, percussion, four violas, and a backing track of white noise and field recordings, this radical orchestral reimagining shuns traditional ensemble formats in favour of mid-range saturation. The results are like no other: rich, uncanny, and somewhat absurd.

Sub began life in March 2020 as an installation, created with no specific space or realisation in mind. Once this instrumentation was stumbled upon and pinned down, its bizarre potential catalysed music that took shape as a work in 11 movements, each one a self-contained eco-system teeming with life, with sections of the ensemble split in autonomous entities that tussle and circle around one another.

At times, Sub presents panels of hyperactive texture. At others, sound and time are stretched to near breaking- point. We are pulled along a tightrope whose length is unknown, or submerged in dense, thick matter, bathing in the crunch, hiss, and distant roar of the audio backdrop.

Sub’s primary mode is one of saturation and pressure, crowds and pile-ons, unclarity and illegibility; fluid, organic messiness contained in tight, ruthless moulds.

Whilst nodding its head to minimalism and ambient music on a formal level, Sub engages with energy. The cyclic reoccurrence at the heart of each movement create sculptural impressions, yet the music buzzes with motors running independent of one another at irregular paces.

This album is Sheen’s first collaboration with Octandre Ensemble and conductor Jon Hargreaves, and was recorded over two days in July 2021 by Simon Reynell in Menuhin Hall. It was mixed by Reynell and Sheen, and mastered by Stephan Matthieu. Artwork and design are by Sheen and Will Boyd of sferic. Liner notes are by Ed Atkins. The album comes with access to a video of a live performance of Sub, shot by Laura Hilliard.

Supported by a Manchester International Festival Remote Residency, PRS Foundation, Marchus Trust, and R.V.W. Trust. 

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