CAMPBELTOWN AND THE KINTYRE PENINSULA HAS LONG BEEN A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION FOR MUSICIANS, POETS AND ARTISTS. IT HAS PRODUCED ITS FAIR SHARE TOO! MUSIC AND OUR WHISKY GO HAND IN HAND, SO GLEN SCOTIA WAS DELIGHTED TO INVITE MUSICIANS NEIL RIDLEY, JENNY STURGEON, AND DEAN HONER TO CREATE A UNIQUE COMPOSITION THAT CAPTURES THE SOUND AND ESSENCE OF OUR HOME. WE UNVEILED THESE TWO INCREDIBLE TRACKS AT THE CAMPBELTOWN MALTS FESTIVAL 2023, THROUGH A VERY SPECIAL IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE PLUS TALKS AND TASTINGS WITH THE ARTISTS THEMSELVES.
CAMPBELTOWN AND THE KINTYRE PENINSULA HAS LONG BEEN A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION FOR MUSICIANS, POETS AND ARTISTS. IT HAS PRODUCED ITS FAIR SHARE TOO! MUSIC AND OUR WHISKY GO HAND IN HAND, SO GLEN SCOTIA WAS DELIGHTED TO INVITE MUSICIANS NEIL RIDLEY, JENNY STURGEON, AND DEAN HONER TO CREATE A UNIQUE COMPOSITION THAT CAPTURES THE SOUND AND ESSENCE OF OUR HOME. WE UNVEILED THESE TWO INCREDIBLE TRACKS AT THE CAMPBELTOWN MALTS FESTIVAL 2023, THROUGH A VERY SPECIAL IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE PLUS TALKS AND TASTINGS WITH THE ARTISTS THEMSELVES.
“With an extraordinary array of distinct sounds, frequencies, hums, knocks and rattles, Glen Scotia is quite the playground for the sound recordist. Capturing these sounds has been a life-long dream of mine, with the vision to bring to life the visceral thrill of visiting a working distillery, even if you were thousands of miles away. Then imagine writing and recording a brand-new song where both the lyrics AND the instrumentation were heavily influenced by the distillery. We finally got the opportunity to bring this vision to life, visiting Glen Scotia in Campbeltown to record every aspect of the product process in September 2022.”
“For us to achieve this project with true realism we needed to source some specialised pieces of audio equipment. A Neumann KU-100 ‘Dummy head’ binaural microphone, one of the most striking pieces of recording equipment ever made, was acquired. The microphone resembles a featureless human head, with ‘ears’ that pick up exactly where the sound is being produced: from above, below, in front, behind and all around. Alongside this, a pair of bespoke-made hydrophones were commissioned that can be immersed in liquid and spirit, recreating the ‘suspended-in-time’ sounds you experience ‘under water.’”
“For us to achieve this project with true realism we needed to source some specialised pieces of audio equipment. A Neumann KU-100 ‘Dummy head’ binaural microphone, one of the most striking pieces of recording equipment ever made, was acquired. The microphone resembles a featureless human head, with ‘ears’ that pick up exactly where the sound is being produced: from above, below, in front, behind and all around. Alongside this, a pair of bespoke-made hydrophones were commissioned that can be immersed in liquid and spirit, recreating the ‘suspended-in-time’ sounds you experience ‘under water.’”
“My lyrics were inspired by conversations and observations of the distillery team and local historians who live and breathe the area. Hearing directly from the team – their shared vision of the distillery and what it means to them personally – was hugely inspiring. During the visit it struck me how the distilling process mirrors the seasons. Autumn makes reference to the journey down the West Road to Campbeltown, the water source which flows from Crosshill and the colour of the whisky made at Glen Scotia. Winter then references the ageing process of resting casks in the dunnage, which is full of Campbeltown’s salty coastal air. Spring references the skilful work of the patient team, while Summer is a nod to the beautiful pink Thrift plant along the Scottish coast, which, not unlike Glen Scotia and Campbeltown, thrives despite sometimes stormy conditions and wild weather.”
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