I prepared for the Lonely Swallow label’s first release.

May was dedicated to the final preparations for the first release on Lonely Swallow, my experimental label: Origins by Affan. The event is particularly special because it is also his debut. Affan is a young self-taught pianist from London. When I first heard his compositions, I was captured by their illusive simplicity. He weaves together melodies and tempos in improvised pieces that move from theme to theme with elegance and ease. When the label was ready to induct its first artist, Affan was a natural choice. His work embodies the ethos of the label: a minimalist celebration of melody, emotion and atmospheric beauty.

Red Plate Press impressed yet again.

Letterpress artist David Armes of Red Plate Press created the cover art for the album (Origins) and single (“Origin I”). Part of his task was to establish an aesthetic for the label’s releases. Minimalism was an important consideration when commissioning the artwork, and David’s solution is excellently so. It combines a simple visual concept with an elegant model for future releases. For this album and single, he used the Roman numerals from the track titles (“Origin I”, “Origin II”, “Origin III”, et cetera) and scattered them in the format to suggest the spontaneousness of improvisation. They are rendered in textured low-ink prints to represent the low-fidelity recordings, one “I” on the single cover, six on the album.

I felt grateful.

A novice in the music business, I am guided by my devotion to Beauty and Virtue, and rely on the knowledge and skill of others for everything else. I was fortunate in the creation of Lonely Swallow to work with artists and experts who are committed to excellence. It has made the process of establishing the label and coordinating its first release a rewarding experience. Thanks to everyone at Wolfe-Coote Incorporated for guiding me through the process of incorporating my first company. Thank you Affan for entrusting me with your first album, Taylor Deupree for mastering the label’s first release, Garreth Broke for transcribing “Origin I”, David Armes for capturing the music in visuals, and you dear reader for your faith and interest in my endeavours, your generosity is my inspiration.

Mentioned in this post:

Lonely Swallow (Official Website)
Red Plate Press (Official Website)
Garreth Broke (Official Website)
12k Mastering (Official Website)
Wolfe-Coote Incorporated (South Africa) +27 (0) 21 851 4357