Heidi Elva - Ships And Trees

‘ships and trees’ was recorded in a tiny room on
a busy street in newtown, inner western sydney.
the only light being a red lampshade. the layers
came together over 6 months. heidi would bring
her ideas mini‐disc recordings of trains, a little
old chinese man playing er‐hu on a noisy city
street, a distant piano recorded in a town hall
with paint peeling from its walls, songs already
written on harp and her poetry.

friends would come and go with instruments –
trombone, cello, trumpet, slide guitar and bass.
brian campeau would record it all, occasionally
adding backing vocals and programming simple
beats while heidi would work on the lines for
everyone to play.

it’s a delicate conversation. a friend listened to
it and said that her voice was like a narcotic.
she thought that was interesting.

heidi elva grew up in a small town in new
zealand. under mountain ranges. her father a
postman and a preacher, her mother a
housewife.

heidi left new Zealand at some point and went
off to study music in northern nsw. there she
found the harp and started writing. in sydney,
heidi has played around with different people,
mostly inga liljestrom but now she plays her own
songs with a bassist and a trumpet player. she
uses loops and effects and sings. sometimes
looping mobile samples through the harp. there
are interesting sounds on the mobile internet.
heidi is inspired by nature and urban
landscapes – silhouettes of houses and trees,
the sound of birds and cars and the beauty of
japanese minimalism.

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