This Week’s Favorite: Voxfazer and El Capistan
French guitarist/producer/ambient soundscape artist Voxfazer has created a truly transporting new 29-minute musical piece which you can stream via the link later on in this
Search blog
British band Cold, Cold Heart weaves together mesmerizing and lush harmonies in today’s favorite “Wake Up in Blue.” The four-piece, consisting of Chris Daniel, Robert Manning, Gareth Jones and Alex Wilson explain their sound as music where “nothing is planned or predetermined.”
BigSky and El Capistan feature prominently in this track, giving the song a rich and liquidy sound that evokes a moodiness and longing akin to the Twin Peaks soundtrack.
Gear used:
‘Wake Up in Blue’ is inspired by a poem by Robert Lowell, which explores the struggles with mental illness. The band explains: “We wanted to create a backdrop that comes from a simplistic, pure place but resonates between order and chaos, glitter and dirt, beauty and destruction.”
Cold, Cold Heart’s “Wake Up in Blue”:
“Wake Up in Blue” is the band’s first video and was directed by Callum Henderson. It was shot in the Mourne Mountains of Northern Ireland. If the location in the video looks familiar to you it’s because the area is seen often in a little television show called Game Of Thrones.
When asked about his inspiration for the video Henderson explained: “When listening to the hypnotic melody, my mind drifted towards a shining light, a beacon. And although the song emotes a longing, there is something optimistic pulling us through the journey.”
Check out Cold, Cold Heart’s El Capistan and BigSky settings below:
What do you think?
Post a video or clip online playing this preset, and please share by tagging #strymonpreset. Are there other preset/favorite types that you’d like to see in upcoming blog posts? Let us know what you think. Thanks!
Enjoy this article?
Subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to hear about new Strymon products, artist features, and behind the scenes content!
October
October Crifasi is musician and writer based in Los Angeles where she lives with two cats, five guitars, and a pet dragon named Scorch. She has written for Acoustic Guitar and Classical Guitar magazines and also runs a guitar program for girls in Los Angeles called Girls Guitar School. When not making or writing about music, October leads a parallel life as a comic book writer and overall nerd.
Related Articles
This Week’s Favorite: El Capistan Slapback Echo
Slapback delay (or slapback echo) is an effect that works beautifully with guitars and vocals, and can also be used on drums and other instruments.
This Week’s Preset: BigSky – “Star Cloud”
In the past when I’ve played ambient guitar, I’ve usually felt the need to do so with a long chain of effects. After first trying the