bvdub & Ian Hawgood - The Truth Hurts

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4...according to our Clinton on Fri 27 May, 2011.

This heavyweight clash between ambient titans Bvdub and Ian Hawgood has expectedly brilliant results. The story behind this album is that basically the two lads were introduced to each other, Hawgood sent Dub his recordings and Dub worked them into the textural shapes we hear today. Anyone whose ears have been warmed on Bvdub's recent output will find plenty to slurp up here. The opening track 'Nothing You Want Will Ever Come True' swirls wonderfully for 10 minutes before reaching a fantastic apex with cut up soul vocals circling round as if in a whirlpool. Its a stunning concoction and sounds not unlike Burial giving up the two step and immersing himself in dub techno. Elsewhere we have soft ambience with churning low end synths and female voice which recalls some of Durutti Column's more ambient pieces from the mid '80's. It comes as a surprise when track three opens with acoustic guitar and vocal but soon gets overtaken with washed out ambient sounds. This is the perfect music to drift off to a wonderful sleep. Not only that, all proﬁts from this release will go to relief funds in Japan where Ian Hawgood currently resides.

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Brock and Ian were introduced to each other through Mike, who ran a small but perfectly formed record label
and shop called Smallﬁsh Records. Mike had this crazy idea that Brock and Ian were like two musical peas
in a pod and that they should work together. Mike wasn't wrong, and the ﬁrst musical product of this 'pod-
dom' was Brock's own bvdub release 'Tribes at the Temple of Silence ' on Ian's label - Home Normal. The
second is a musical collaboration between the two titled 'The Truth Hurts.'

'The Truth Hurts' was put together and created in their current respective homes of China and Japan . The
album is a reﬂection on not only loneliness, but the stark reality – and hidden beauty - with which it is forever
entwined. Ian poured over old recordings, recent recordings and even recorded new work as a sketchpad for
Brock to work from, and in the end, Brock wove Ianʼs recordings from 1999-2011 together with his own,
forming his own oceans of drones, walls of emotional abstractions, ﬁeld recordings, and even live recordings
that would see the initial sketches become complete narratives, each with a very different story to tell.

The result is a raw and unbridled experience – one that pays homage not only to the eternal and often
crushing beauty of loneliness, but also the days when music only worried about speaking from the heart.

'The Truth Hurts' is a labour of love, a reﬂection on isolation, and a message of strength through innocence
undimmed.

NOTE: All proﬁts from this release will go to relief funds in Japan, directly used by Ian's wife who is currently
working with both the Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support organisation (JEARS) in Sendai and
surrounding areas, as well as the Direct Help for Victims and Animals Rejected from Shelters in Japan group
who are going up to areas which are not receiving government support for food, water, basic supplies, as
well as rebuilding and cleaning up. Thank you.