Rough Fields

Rough Fields is the solo project of UK-based producer James Birchall. Began in 2011 with a series of epic lo-fi cassettes on the Bomb Shop label, the Rough Fields project progressed through expansive song forms on debut album Edge of the Firelight, and surreal, dreamy pop on 2013's High Time EP. Birchall's productions display an acute understanding of dancefloor mechanics alongside more esoteric musical concerns. After spending a year producing the first ever composer-approved solo recording of Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians, Birchall shifted focus on the field recordings which had previously formed a backdrop to his instrumental work. The Wessenden Suite album formed the first recorded instance of Birchall's new working process, whereby field recordings from a specific location are played back, overlayed, and manipulated using a series of resonant filters which pull individual tones from the environmental sound.