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Erland Cooper

Carve the Runes Then Be Content With Silence

In early 2021, I planted the only existing recording of a new work deep in the soil of Orkney. The master tape was buried with a violin, the full score, a letter in a biscuit tin & a special stone marking the spot. A treasure hunt of clues was revealed for you to search if so wished.

In late 2022, my tape was found by Victoria and Dan Rhodes. They discovered it by understanding the poetry of the work and examining the physical rock formations in photos I revealed.

Now for the first time, my tape along with all its accompanying artefacts can be seen. It will dry out on public display on a tour of independent record stores around the country – ­from Orkney to Totnes – celebrating patience, time & value.

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"like the wow and flutter of unearthed magnetic tape"

"like the sustained sound of a ferry horn, bouncing and bending in the harbour"

"like walking through heather and peat moorland"

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In early 2021, Scottish composer Erland Cooper planted the only existing recording of a new work deep in the soil of Orkney, near his childhood home.

All digital files of the album were deleted. The only existing recording of the music was buried, along with a violin, a full printed score, a letter in a biscuit tin and a special stone marking the spot.

A treasure hunt of clues was slowly revealed by the composer for fans and his record label alike to search for it if they so wished. In 3 years, if not found, the composer would return to dig it up himself. The album would then be digitised and released, exactly as it sounds from the earth, with nature having collaborated in the compositional process.

In late 2022, the tape was found by Victoria and Dan Rhodes.

This tape, along with all its accompanying artefacts can be seen here for the first time. It will now slowly dry out on public display in independent record shops around the country – from Orkney to Totnes throughout 2023, celebrating all the core values of the project.

Nobody, including the composer, has listened to the audio on the tape. It will be played back and revealed in June 2024 along with a special one-off concert.

‘Carve the Runes Then Be Content with Silence’ LP – Mastertape

All details can be found here. You can pre-order in the shop today.

contentwithsilence.com

[rune]
Carve the runes
Then be content
With Silence