SKU: 70192678171

Minotaur Shock – Orchard

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Minotaur Shock – OrchardFollowing a four year hiatus, Minotaur Shock aka Bristol based musician David Edwards is set to return with Orchard, arguably his strongest album of his ten year, four album career. After two albums with 4AD, Orchard marks a return to the label where it all started Manchesters Melodic. After quickly recording most of the basic tracks for the album on a laptop at home,Minotaur Shock took advantage of a proper studio for the first time to fill in the

Following a four-year hiatus, Minotaur Shock – aka Bristol-based musician David Edwards – is set to return with Orchard, arguably his strongest album of his ten-year, four-album career. After two albums with 4AD, Orchard marks a return to the label where it all started –Manchester’s Melodic.

After quickly recording most of the basic tracks for the album on a laptop at home,Minotaur Shock took advantage of a proper studio for the first time to fill in the gaps. Live drum tracking, piano, xylophone and a bit of bass guitar were added, giving the finished recordings a propulsive quality. Flutes and clarinets were played by long-time collaborator Emily Edwards (no relation) and recorded in a Devon summerhouse, while James Underwood’s violins were recorded remotely and emailed back and forth.

The resulting album is a sonic journey through shifting moods and landscapes, a proper instrumental journey. It finds Edwards embracing influences from a range of music: ‘I was listening to a fair bit of British stuff and became fascinated by that particular eccentricity that runs through a lot of folk, library, prog and dance music. Things like Mike Oldfield, Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, The Orb, Art of Noise, Kevin Ayers, Virginia Astley, Andrew Poppy, Richard Skelton, Autechre.’

The unashamed use of acoustic (or acoustic-sounding) instruments is perhaps a response to the much maligned folktronica tag. ‘The word used to bug me,’ he says, ‘So this was my perverse reaction to it – I figured that instead of trying to avoid folk I might as well get in there and see what happened. I was inspired by the strange semi-organic sounds of modern string modelling synthesizers, so wanted to see what would happen if I mixed them with real stringed instruments – how many fake instruments I could bury under real ones.’

‘For the first time, this entire album is very much set in a specific time and place’,he says. ‘There are field recordings all over the album, sometimes buried very low in the mix, sometimes audible. They are mainly there for my benefit, like a photo album – along with a few drumming errors that I’ve left in there just to torture myself with’.

A mutual admirer, the brilliant Gold Panda, has remixed album track ‘Saundersfoot’, one of a number of remixes and bonus tracks which will be released as an exclusive free 6-track EP for initial purchasers of the album.

As well as working on his own material as Minotaur Shock, David has also been prolific working on other projects. He’s collaborated on Perfume Genius’ latest album ‘Put Your Back N 2 It’, adding electronic percussion on the track ‘Floating Spit’, mixed the first single, ‘Hearts In Home’, by Kwes (now signed to Warp) played shows with Hauschka and Gold Panda and also done a full tour supporting Ratatat as Minotaur Shock.

The completed album ‘Orchard’ affirms Minotaur Shock’s position as pioneer and master of folk-tinged electronica. It’s a masterful work

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SKU: 70192678171

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A
Anitra R. Schulte
Waukegan, US
★★★★★ 5
Enchanting, imaginative sibling story
Format: Hardcover
"Frostfire" is an enchanting, cozy story about sibling bonds and a hopeful search for magic. Sister foxes Celeste and Miriam are out for a walk in a silvery wonderland of snow. Suddenly, they hear a deep grumble. "That was the roar of a snow dragon," the elder sister imparts. Playfully and warmly, they banter about the mystical beasts as they slide and skate through the icy terrain. The soft glow on each page completely captivates, drawing readers closer and building anticipation. Will they at last glimpse the snow dragon? "Frostfire" is original and familiar all at once - a true treasure.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2025
B
Britney B
Grantham, US
★★★★★ 5
Infinite Stars, Gorgeous Book For Kids
Format: Kindle
Frostfire is a cozy whimsical book that showcases the pure imagination and creativity of a child, something that is often lost in our world of technology. Two sisters, Celeste and Miriam, go for a snowy winter walk and Miriam shares all of her knowledge about snow dragons. This topic alone will have your child buzzing with questions and theories of their own. Celeste is such a positive big sister, never minimizing her little sister’s imagination or doubting her facts of snow dragons. I really enjoyed the sisterly bond throughout this book and the patience of siblings shown. The illustrations in this book are stunningly beautiful me bring another whimsical element to the story. From the way the light hits the snow or fades in from the side of the page, to the frost layers on the greenhouse and the silvery snow bushes. Obviously there was a lot of time spent in the illustrations with great attention to detail, which really brings this book to life. I would purchase this book again and again, it would be the perfect Christmas gift for a child.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2024
O
Owen Public Library
New York, US
★★★★★ 5
Beautiful Winter Fantasy
Format: Hardcover
I have enjoyed Elly Mackay's illustrations in other books, so when I saw that she was the author and illustrator of a new book, I had to request it from Net Galley. It's a wonderful treat made of words, art, and imagination. The story opens with two sisters, walking in a winter landscape. The older sister is telling the younger about the snow dragon, hoping to scare her a little, I think. But the younger sister is not willing to be cowed and sets off to explore. What will she find in the snowy landscape? This is a great book for snuggling or for a storytime gathering. I love winter and Elly MacKay has captured the beauty and wonder of it in Frostfire.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2024
A
Amazon Customer
Natrona Heights, US
★★★★★ 5
Beautiful
Format: Hardcover
The warm color and encouraging story are sure to keep readers engaged. The art style is beautiful and draws the reader in. Such a sweet tale that is shore to warm you up this winter!
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Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2024
A
A. Andreson
Phoenix, US
★★★★★ 5
A must buy for the littles this winter.
Format: Kindle
Frostfire is a must buy for the littles this winter. I read through it once myself and absolutely loved the story and especially the illustrations. A very classic, winter whimsy. The second time I read Frostfire was with my 3 and 5 year olds. They also enjoyed it and had quite the debate over whether the snow dragon would be real. The 3 year old won! Looking forward to this book's release and coming across some frostfire in the real world this winter. Thanks to Penguin Random House Canada, Tundra Books and NetGalley for the eARC!
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Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2024

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