bill cutbill
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.
The Sin Gles Arrive on Shiny Orange on Orange on Orange Cassettes
Your Grandad are at it again, this time with the release of Sin Gles... an EP collection of, you guessed it, Singles. The best of the best of the best of the best.
We've released Sin Gles on strictly limited Safe Sounds cassette with an Orange on Orange on Orange theme. What's your favourite juice... AKA your juice opinion? Well of course, it's Orange Juice - the king of all the juices. Juicy fruits.
The release features a brand new remix of Your Grandad's classic track, 'Fake News', by our very own Bill Cutbill. Bill also came up with the cassette artwork and previously filmed the music video for Your Grandad's self-titled single.
Speaking of the Cockfosters remix, Bill explains -
"Cam and co had always been keen for me to hop on board to remix Your Grandad, and this one all started when I was travelling back to the UK via Dublin when my plane got delayed."
"I had my laptop on me, so decided to crack into the remix there and then in Dublin airport at 6am. I crafted the opening and recorded a sample from inside the airport terminal. The plane ended up being three hours late, which turned out to be the perfect amount because I later put a claim in to them and got refunded over $800 which pretty much paid for my return trip. Sometimes it's good to complain... always remember to complain."
"When I eventually landed in London, I jumped on the tube. The Piccadilly line service I was riding terminated at a station called Cockfosters, which the English voice over the tannoy reminded me of at every stop. In my jet lagged state I thought about the immature sense of humour of Your Grandad, and decided I should sample that as well."
"This remix doesn't really have a genre... it's more a journey through textures - the aim was to take you from the airport to a train journey, before dropping you down a spiral staircase, only to have you land on the other side of the earth entirely. I'll let you be the judge of whether I achieved that or not."
In addition to the Cockfosters remix, the Sin Gles includes the following tracks from their incredible debut album – Your Grandad, Poison, CERB and Aspartame. It's a rollercoaster ride that will try to throw you off at any moment.
So where do you grab one of these orange on orange on orange cassettes? We're not selling em online, cos the internet sucks, so if you want to secure some orange gold, you'll need to head to Toronto's Baby G on Tuesday April 9th ~
Vinyl copies of Your Grandad's debut self-titled album are also available and should be purchased post-haste.
Bill Cutbill's New Year's Resolution Project Gets a Reboot
Bill Cutbill has returned with Resolution Remastered - a New Year's resolution for 2024 that starts today and will either be kept or broken.
Many years ago Bill set himself the task to write, record, mix and master one new song with accompanying video every month for the whole year.
The rule was: each video had to be released before the end of the month. It was quite ambitious, and spoiler alert, there are 12 videos on the internet you could watch immediately if you have the right detective skills.
Speaking of the January track entitled, Treat Yourself, Bill Cutbill said -
“Here we are once again dealing with the January winter blues. Personally, I find a lot of comfort in sleep and that’s what this song is about.
Back in yesteryear when I was struggling with harsher mood instabilities, I found that by committing to a good sleep pattern I was able to start days with a better mindset.
I also find that tea helps… not with sleep necessarily cos of the caffeine, but a good cup of tea helps with every stress; any difficult moment life throws at you.
So yeah, brew yourself a mug and take this time of year to relax and recuperate. There’s a reason why animals hibernate.” - 💙 Bill Cutbill
Bill will be revisiting each track to give it a fresh burst of instrumentation/ mix/ whatever the hell he want.
Just like with the original RESOLUTION project, these REMASTERED songs will be released once a month with a fresh cut of the original video, formatted for the mobile phone age.
The real question is, will Bill be able to keep his Resolution?!
Only time will tell.
Safe Sounds Presents... 1-6PM @ GEARY ART CRAWL
1PM KATELYN MOLGARD
2PM BILL CUTBILL
3PM MOON
4PM PROVINCIAL PARCS
5PM BLUE LIGHT
This is a Free show to attend. This event will be held outside so dress appropriate to weather.
Note that alcohol will not be allowed outdoors this year so bring your own pop if you need refreshment. Alternatively alcoholic drinks can be purchased and enjoyed responsibly indoors at 302 Geary Ave where this event takes place.
Zine #2 will be available to pickup on the day while stocks last (edition of 50). Each copy includes a Mix Tape download which is a special compilation featuring a track from each of those performing... including never before heard demos!
Be there or be SQUARE. But seriously, this should be fun and we hope to see ya for some sunny September fun!
My Memory Is The Object / My Feelings Are The Memories
The Dark Tapes and Bill Cutbill collaboration of your dreams – OBELISK [SS119] – is released today worldwide!
OBELISK is a journey through time and space in another realm, featuring hard breakbeats, pitch-shifting vocals and drone synthesizers. Everything leads in one direction to what one can only describe as "obelisk".
This EP is the first ever collaboration between Bill Cutbill and Dark Tapes.
Dark Tapes, aka, Chris Hadzipetros, is an experimental online-based artist working in realms of vaporwave, hardware synth jams, ambient music and breaks.
Bill Cutbill's solo material to date has been more tranquil, experimental folk electronic, though people familiar with his other project, World News, will feel at home with the textures in OBELISK... like a duckling cut off from its mother that must jump into a new body of water to rejoin the family.
OBELISK undoubtedly belongs in the tech noir sci-fi realm, with Bill Cutbill & Dark Tapes describing the genre purely as dystopian.
Join them on the ride now on all platforms, and purchase a strictly limited edition cassette via bandcamp.
There will be a very special one-off live performance of OBELISK on JUNE 3rd at HANDLEBAR in Toronto. Unmissable - all the details here.
The future is dark. Darker than Terminator 3.
