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Celebrating Two Years of AMAZONAS on Vinyl
Bill Cutbill has just released a brand new music video for Land of the Fireflies; a track taken from the full-length album AMAZONAS.
The video features previously unseen footage from Bill's trip in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil. Join him as his native guide, Nonato, paddles deeper and deeper into the darkness in a simple wooden boat with limited provisions.
The release of this video marks the second anniversary of AMAZONAS on vinyl, which was released by Safe Sounds with a very special show at the Cameron House.
Speaking of Land of the Fireflies, Cutbill told us:
"I was privileged to spend a week in the Amazon, some of which we spent camped in the middle of the bush sleeping in hammocks with only mosquito nets for protection. It felt dangerous but at times it was also surprisingly peaceful!
"We didn't have much with us, so our guides had to do some spear fishing at night in the shallows for our dinner. The fish were sleeping in the water and Nonato and Gilmar shone a torch down and speared them. In the music video, you can see some of the footage from that moment.
"That's what the poem is about in the middle of the track which is read by my brother Ryan, because one of the fish was a stone fish and it was a crazy ugly thing with a really hard shell-like skin.
"After we had been fishing, my guides then took me down to an area where there were millions of fireflies nesting in the banks of the river. It was crazy, because everything is so dark when the sun goes down in the Amazon, but suddenly it was like being in Disneyland – so many lights, such a unique sound.
"I actually recorded the sounds of the fireflies, which I cleaned up and included as part of the Amazonas Sound Library, which is a free resource of natural Amazon sounds... so you can listen to that here if you want to be transported there.
"I loved being in the Amazon rainforest so much. It really does feel like a dream now looking back.
"I was checking my files recently looking for something else when I came across this music video. After writing, recording and promoting the album so intensely, I think I was just burnt out at the end of it all and didn't end up putting this out originally.
"I would love to go back and I hope my two trusty guides (Nonato and Gilmar) are doing well again after the pandemic put a stop to tourism."
There are limited copies of the Safe Sounds AMAZONAS vinyl left, which can be purchased on Bandcamp or directly by emailing us for more information.
You can alternatively create your own unique version of the artwork and download AMAZONAS for free (with a recommended donation to the Rainforest Trust) here.
Bill Cutbill AMAZONAS LPs Ready To Ship
We'd just like to take a moment to thank everyone who made it out to the AMAZONAS LP release party at The Cameron House last week. Wow. It was a really special night of celebration, made possible by all the people involved including those who attended.
Our very own Provincial Parcs brought the stage to life with his incredible analogue visuals. If you've not checked it out already, listen to his debut jazz album, Scenic Equilibrium which we released last year!
Shout out to Idious Carrie, whose beautiful haunting melodies spun us right round. You can check out the most recent single here. Kiss Kali Die Die's solo performance also sent shockwaves through the atmosphere - how incredible to see such incredible performers lay it all on the line in such an intimate space.
Finally, Bill Cutbill and the Schmoozy Lighters brought the Amazon rainforest to Toronto for an hour or so, and from the feedback we've had people came away feeling something profound ~ "rise, shine, look around!"
And with that, AMAZONAS is now available on vinyl. Thanks to everyone who grabbed a record. If you didn't no fret, you can order it direct with us by messaging on Instagram @safesoundscollective for free delivery in Toronto or via bandcamp for international and Canada-wide postage. We also have a limited number of copies shipping from the UK (£20 all in), so again, get in touch with us or Bill directly to secure your copy.
This is the first ever commercial vinyl release on Safe Sounds! Don't worry, it just marks the beginning and we've got some very exciting release announcements to make in the next few weeks.