Water of Life is an artistic collaboration between Rob St.John and Tommy Perman, ‘exploring flows of water through Edinburgh using drawings, photos, writing and sound’—more details on this multi-media project can be found at www.edinburghwateroflife.org.
The first track starts with a recording of running water from the springs that feed Edinburgh’s water supply, set against glistening chiming sound loops.
This gives way to keyboard led melodies and gentle electronic beats, creating the kind of proto-electronica and ambient atmospheres that might remind some listeners of the genre’s German pioneers such as Kraftwerk, Klaus Schultz and Tangerine Dream.
‘Liquid City’ carries on this vintage-synth driven sound, but focuses more intently on the rhythm—driven by the steady and subtly elaborate groove of the drums.
The 7” finishes with another field recording, this time a children’s rhyme about the Shellycoat, a water spirit said to haunt the Pennybap boulder by Seafield Sewage Works.
The Water of Life project clearly involved some very detailed research, and shows off some inventive use of composition and found sound, all of which pays off to create a well thought out and successful concept.
Words: Calum Calderwood
