MH-234 Bibio - Fi Recommended to Mush by Marcus Eoin of Boards Of Canada, the debut release from central England's Stephen Wilkinson (aka Bibio) is a triumph of saturation, distortion, and musical obscurity. Comprised of seventeen ambient songs built on samples of his own work rather than the work of others, fi is rich in musical imagery. Using manipulated live instrumentation, field recordings, and a strong portion of effects, Bibio's musical influences - the Incredible String Band, Joao Gilberto, My Bloody Valentine, Tortoise, and the producers of Warp Records - seep into his compositions. Bibio's debut is a revelation in the emotional power of lo-fi ambient compositions and clearly establishes him as a producer who has developed his own unique voice.

Tracklist 01. Cherry Blossom Road 02. Bewley In White 03. Puffer 04. Cluster At Cwm Einion 05. London Planes 06. It Was Willow 07. I'm Rewinding It... 08. Looking Through The Facets Of A Plastic Jewel 09. Wet Flakey Bark 10. Bewley In Grey 11. Teleidophonic Torch 12. Puddled In The Morning 13. At The Chase 14. Cantaloup Carousel 15. Lakeside 16. Bewley In Red 17. Poplar Avenue

Release Details Release Date: 02/08/2005   Running Time: 48:51   Download/Available/$7.00 1XLP/Out Of Print CD/Available/$10.00 Territory: World

Reviews Summary

Quietly captivating - Daily Telegraph / Immediately arresting - The Wire / The perfect music to dream by - Spin / Hypnotic - Exclaim! / Truly memorable stuff - 3D World / Exquisite - 3Hive / Recommended listening - Boomkat / The most relaxing experience you've ever felt - Impace Press

Reviews

3D World / 3Hive / Almost Cool / Aquarius / Atmosphere / Beatmag / Boomkat / Daily Telegraph / Delusions of Adequacy / Exclaim! / Grooves / Impact Press / Norman Records / Notion / Other Music / Pitchfork / Prefix / Rockpile / San Francisco Examiner / Scissorkick / Signal to Noise / Sloppy Heart / Spin / Splendid / Stylus / Terminal City / Textura / The Wire / Urb /

fi, the debut release from Mush Records' Stephen Wilkinson, also known as Bibio, is a collection of unidentifiable tracks that enhance one another's sound by their juxtaposition. Alongside cherry blossoms, poplars and the unseen specs of outdoor exposure, some of Bibio's musical influences include the Incredible String Band, Joao Gilberto and My Bloody Valentine. fi features seventeen experimental tracks recorded with subtly sophisticated layers of electronic sound, acoustic-electric guitars, noise and nature's whims and whistles, all in lo-fi distortion. Bibio, named after a type of fly bait Wilkinson's father used while fishing in Wales, is heavily influenced by the outdoor sonic landscape and its diverse manifestations to the attentive ear. He's made an album full of self-reflexive compositions that find him sampling his own works and imbuing them with the colors of a rich spiritual road trip. - Urb