I was keen to allow certain pieces such as ‘Unravel’ and ‘Haze’ to take as long as they needed for the thematic content to play its way out, and I feel these pieces, coming as they do in the middle of the album, hold the album together from a central position, with the album bookended by different arrangements of the ‘Speak’ theme. The musical dimension of rubato (the temporary disregarding of strict tempo to allow an expressive quickening or slackening), is important for me, and in ‘Unravel’, I allowed myself a moment for more improvisation that hints at my interest in jazz.
The interweaving of instruments and sounds was something I was keen to explore, with it being a great opportunity to experiment. I was conscious of not using all of the instruments all of the time just because they were there, and so it’s still very much a piano-centred album, but with much larger dynamic moments than perhaps I have used in the past, but also moments of subdued introspection, which is certainly apparent on ‘Speak, pt. 1’.
The ondes Martenot is such a fascinating and beguiling instrument, and I was keen for it to be the very first sound on the album, accompanying the piano. I think it has such an ethereal and captivating quality that draws the listener in – not just because of its unique and unusual sound, but because of its capability to be played in such an expressive and almost voice-like way. Josh Semans who performed the ondes parts is someone who I share a great affinity with and his playing style sits very nicely alongside mine.
I did arrange all of the parts, although the introduction of drums was something I was keen to do for this album. Steve Hanley, who performs on the album, is primarily a jazz drummer well-versed in improvisation and his parts developed out of numerous sessions that were more improvisatory, with certain sections being more focused and planned. Working with such great musicians meant that whilst, I had composed and arranged the parts myself, I was able to relax and enjoy recording and performing because of the trust I was able to put in the other performers. I’m so grateful for all they have brought to this album to bring it to life.