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From:
Geraint Wilde
geraintwilde@hotmail.com
Message:
This weekend i had the good fortune to see a group called Ancience
perform at Tegeingl 2012 in Mold (N. Wales). I believe that this
collection of Scottish, Welsh and English musicians are the result of
a Distil project.
The resulting group and performance was amazing. Truly original
approach to combining regional folk music with a new sharp edge. I
hope that the project and/or group continue to work together and
record their work. I was very disappointed that there was no CD to
accompany their set.
Best
Geraint Wilde
- Geraint Wilde
Hi folks
I received a letter from the folk at Tegeingl as follows:
"A quick note to thank you all dearly for coming to perform at Tegeingl Festival 2012. Thank you for adding a different flavour to the programme of events. You created an enchanting atmosphere with your performance and many visitors noted Ancience as a highlight of the festival on their feedback questionnaires.
"Thanks again for playing your part in the success of Tegeingl - Festival of Hidden Folk 2012."
- note from festival arranger
Sunday evening saw one of the harp festivals most ambitious projects, “Ancience”. Welsh harpist Gwenan Gibbard and Scottish harpist Mary Macmaster met Northumberland piper Andy May and Irish uillean piper Tiarnan O’Duinchinn at the beginning of the festival. Having never performed before, the four set on creating a new group experimenting with their own style of traditional music and mixing it up with Joe Acheson, a specialist in electronica music. The result was outstanding, and for me, it was the highlight of the festival. Traditional harp music, pipe music and songs fused with modern electronic music but still sensitive and respectful to the traditions that each hold. - The Edinburgh International Harp Festival blog (author: Rachel Hair)
The name ‘Ancience’ is a fusion of ‘ancient’ and ‘science’ and, certainly, this Edinburgh International Harp Festival concert showcased two of the oldest instruments of the British Isles, harp and bagpipe, albeit in a very contemporary setting. The project, enabled by Distil and other agencies, united Scottish harpist Mary Macmaster, her Welsh counterpart Gwenan Gibbard, Northumbrian piper Andy May and Tiarnan O Duinchinn on Irish uilleann pipes, with electronic wizardry from Joe Acheson.
The instrumentalists opened with a set displaying their instruments in their natural state, as it were, with some tight ensemble playing and solo spots… The second half opened with a robust electronic prelude from Acheson, stooped boffinishly over his console, before he responded to the players with samples of their instruments, electronic beats or swathes of sound. It was sometimes atmospheric stuff, Macmaster’s rendition of the Shetland tune ‘Da Day Dawn’ immersed in a sea cave of electronic echoes, small pipe tunes spinning over heavy beats, Gibbard’s harping answered by sampled snatches of singing...It was all great fun…some bemused faces suggested participants were flying by the seat of their digital pants.
- The Scotsman, 2/4/12
Discography
**Ancience have not yet recorded and the tracks submitted are live versions (not of great recording quality) of our very first gig in Edinburgh. We hope to record some tracks soon.
Photos
Bio
‘Ancience’ is a new phenomenon in the UK folk scene and includes a blend of traditional music from each of the 4 countries of the British Isles, played on the most ancient instruments, the harp and pipes, together with contemporary electronics. This uniting of traditions, old and new creates an exciting mix of sounds and a diverse new voice. Four top traditional musicians - harpers Mary Macmaster (Scotland), Gwenan Gibbard (Wales), Northumbrian piper Andy May (England) and Uillean piper Tiarnán Ó Duinchinn (Northern Ireland) come together to play music from their own traditions and styles and together with Joe Acheson’s computer technology brings musical imagination and open minds together to create a mix of folk and electronic sampling and loops.
All five musicians have made a name for themselves in the UK folk scene: Mary Macmaster as a member of female group The Poozies, ground breaking Scottish harp duo Sileas and as one half of harp/percussion duo Macmaster/Hay; Gwenan Gibbard as one of Wales’ foremost traditional musicians, having performed at festivals at home and abroad; Andy May as a leading Northumbrian piper and member of piping group Baltic Crossing; Tiranan o Duinchinn as a respected and leading Uillean Piper who has performed his native traditional Irish music in all corners of the world; and Joe Acheson as a composer and producer and core member of the in-demand group Hidden Orchestra.
Ancience originally came together under a Distil commission, together with Trac, Sidmouth Folk festival, The Wiiliam Kennedy Piping Festival and The Edinburgh Harp Festival and was made possible with funding through Beyond Borders, from the PRS Music Foundation, Creative Scotland, Arts Council Northern Ireland, Arts Council of Wales and The Colwinston Charitable Trust. Ancience have performed at the Edinburgh International Harp Festival, Tegeingl Folk festival, Sidmouth Folk Festival and The William Kennedy Piping Festival, Armagh. The initial funding period has now come to an end but all five musicians are eager to continue with this unique project and are working on plans to develop Ancience and secure further future performances.
**Ancience have not yet recorded and the tracks submitted are live versions (not of great recording quality) of our very first gig in Edinburgh. We hope to record some tracks soon.
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