#abonecronedrone

Sheila Chandra - ABoneCroneDrone 1 (1996) - a cool thing about the vinyl reissue trend is I learn about albums I missed the first time around (vinyl reissue by Passat Continu)

Few albums have treated human voice and drone as a whole entity like ABoneCroneDrone, the third in a trilogy for Real World Records that this record closed back in 1996. In Sheila Chandra's own words “it was about the gateways between vocal techniques from different cultures and how it was possible to cross between them within a single word or phrase.” Indipop Recordings founder Steve Coe, probably best known for helping to popularise the term World Music in the early eighties, produced and worked with extreme accuracy along with Chandra on all drones and set a new industry standard of what was possible in the treatment of voice. With the help of bagpipes, didgeridoos and guitars, ABoneCroneDrone puts drones under the microscope and encourages listeners to retrain their ears to hear the nuances that musicians have always heard in them. Emitting low, chantlike waves, Chandra sings deep spaced atonal words while haunting chord sounds flow and drones slowly interact with listener. This is the first vinyl pressing. It includes a fold out insert with a new Sheila Chandra interview, original sleeve notes edited by Chandra herself and unseen pictures taken from the 1996 sessions. Limited to 500 copies, no digital release this time.

We are delighted to announce our third record, Sheila Chandra’s ABoneCroneDrone. Here some words about the release.

Few albums have treated human voice and drone as a whole entity like ABoneCroneDrone, the third in a trilogy for Real World Records that this record closed back in 1996. In Sheila Chandra's own words “it was about the gateways between vocal techniques from different cultures and how it was possible to cross between them within a single word or phrase.”

Indipop Recordings founder Steve Coe, probably best known for helping to popularise the term World Music in the early eighties, produced and worked with extreme accuracy along with Chandra on all drones and set a new industry standard of what was possible in the treatment of voice. With the help of bagpipes, didgeridoos and guitars, ABoneCroneDrone puts drones under the microscope and encourages listeners to retrain their ears to hear the nuances that musicians have always heard in them. Emitting low, chantlike waves, Chandra sings deep spaced atonal words while haunting chord sounds flow and drones slowly interact with listener.

This is the first vinyl pressing. It includes a fold-out insert with a new Sheila Chandra interview, original sleeve notes edited by Chandra herself and unseen pictures taken from the 1996 sessions. Limited to 500 copies, no digital release this time. Worldwide distro by Cargo UK.

“The artistry of ABoneCroneDrone is in the attention to detail. The album is beautifully performed, mixed and compiled with intelligence and strong sense of structure. It makes good use of a listener's valuable time while issuing a challenge to hear in a fresh way.” John L. Walters, The Wire issue 150

“With this final part of her trilogy, she has produced her bravest, if least commercial, album yet” The Guardian (UK)

“Chandra has created the DIY album, but you can only get out it as much as you’re prepared to put in. Like it or not, it’ll leave you speechless” Mojo (UK)

Licensed from Real World Records, 2019. Cat number PC003.