Hwyl Nofio
Encyclopedia
Hwyl Nofio is an experimental music
group whose only permanent member is Steve Parry
. Steve Parry was (born 4 September 1958 in Pontypool
, South Wales Valleys
, UK
, drone
, ambient
and noise
. Hwyl Nofio is an evolving ensemble based around its originator Steve Parry, who previously had been a founding member of the Surrealist music group Neu Electrikk
and also worked with Matt Johnson
of The The
and Colin Potter of Nurse With Wound
. Hwyl Nofio referred to the approach as a marriage of dilemmas being resolved in another space whereby the music explores and exploits an on-going collision between harmony and disharmony.
Hwyl Nofios’ influences include The Velvet Underground
, Neu, Jimi Hendrix
, John Cage
and Harry Partch
,
The band has over the years has consisted of Steve Parry avant-garde
guitarist
and multi-instrumentalist
with Trevor Stainsby (producer/engineer/guitar/keyboards), Sandor Szabo (guitars/processing), Fredrik Soegaard (fractal guitarist), Balazs Major (percussion), Mark Beazley (bass/effects) of instrumental ambient group Rothko (band)
, and Gorwel Owen
(banjo /processing).
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
group whose only permanent member is Steve Parry
Steve Parry (musician)
Steve Parry, , Pontypool, South Wales Valleys is a Welsh guitarist, musician, composer who was a founder member of the experimental rock band Hwyl Nofio.He founded and played with Neu Electrikk...
. Steve Parry was (born 4 September 1958 in Pontypool
Pontypool
Pontypool is a town of approximately 36,000 people in the county borough of Torfaen, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire in South Wales....
, South Wales Valleys
South Wales Valleys
The South Wales Valleys are a number of industrialised valleys in South Wales, stretching from eastern Carmarthenshire in the west to western Monmouthshire in the east and from the Heads of the Valleys in the north to the lower-lying, pastoral country of the Vale of Glamorgan and the coastal plain...
, UK
Band history
Formed in 1997, Hwyl Nofios’ approach touches on various diverse styles and genres, including, industrial musicIndustrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
, drone
Drone music
Drone music is a minimalist musical style that emphasizes the use of sustained or repeated sounds, notes, or tone-clusters – called drones. It is typically characterized by lengthy audio programs with relatively slight harmonic variations throughout each piece compared to other musics...
, ambient
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
and noise
Noise music
Noise music is a term used to describe varieties of avant-garde music and sound art that may use elements such as cacophony, dissonance, atonality, noise, indeterminacy, and repetition in their realization. Noise music can feature distortion, various types of acoustically or electronically...
. Hwyl Nofio is an evolving ensemble based around its originator Steve Parry, who previously had been a founding member of the Surrealist music group Neu Electrikk
Neu Electrikk
Neu Electrikk is a British experimental music group that were based in Croydon, London, formed in 1978. .Neu Electrikk stood apart from many of the synth dominated bands of that era. Their inventive approach touched on many different styles and genres, including, industrial music, post punk, new wave...
and also worked with Matt Johnson
Matt Johnson (singer)
Matt Johnson is a musician best known as the founder and only constant member of the group The The. Johnson is known for his often deeply introspective lyrics. Musically he ranges from slow acoustic hooks to techno-pop....
of The The
The The
The The are an English musical and multimedia group that have been active in various forms since 1979, with singer/songwriter Matt Johnson being the only constant band member.-Early years :...
and Colin Potter of Nurse With Wound
Nurse with Wound
Nurse with Wound is the main recording name for British musician Steven Stapleton. Nurse with Wound was originally a band, formed in 1978 by Stapleton, John Fothergill and Heman Pathak...
. Hwyl Nofio referred to the approach as a marriage of dilemmas being resolved in another space whereby the music explores and exploits an on-going collision between harmony and disharmony.
Hwyl Nofios’ influences include The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City. First active from 1964 to 1973, their best-known members were Lou Reed and John Cale, who both went on to find success as solo artists. Although experiencing little commercial success while together, the band is often cited...
, Neu, Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, John Cage
John Cage
John Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...
and Harry Partch
Harry Partch
Harry Partch was an American composer and instrument creator. He was one of the first twentieth-century composers to work extensively and systematically with microtonal scales, writing much of his music for custom-made instruments that he built himself, tuned in 11-limit just intonation.-Early...
,
The band has over the years has consisted of Steve Parry avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
and multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
with Trevor Stainsby (producer/engineer/guitar/keyboards), Sandor Szabo (guitars/processing), Fredrik Soegaard (fractal guitarist), Balazs Major (percussion), Mark Beazley (bass/effects) of instrumental ambient group Rothko (band)
Rothko (band)
Rothko were a London-based instrumental ambient group. The group mainly used bass guitars and keyboards to create their soundscapes. They derived their name from the painter Mark Rothko...
, and Gorwel Owen
Gorwel Owen
Gorwel Owen is a Welsh producer and musician. He has worked with Datblygu, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Super Furry Animals and Hwyl Nofio. He is also a member of Pondman with his wife, the poet Fiona Owen.-Discography:...
(banjo /processing).
Discography
- The Singers And Harp Players Are DumbThe Singers And Harp Players Are DumbThe Singers And Harp Players Are Dumb is the debut album by Hwyl Nofio.-Track listing:#"Black River" – 3:03#"Jerusalem Lane" – 7:58#"Luminous Is An Autumn Sunset" – 6:26#"Gravitate To The Green Hut" – 10:24#"The Song Tide Wanes And Goes" – 5:06...
- (1999) - HymnalHymnal (album)Hymnal is an album by Hwyl Nofio.-Track listing:#"A brutality of fact"#"All you knew were doomed"#"Children are"#"Spirits"#"Disciples of the decibel "#"Head Eater"#"Hymnal"#"Holy Ghosts"-Personnel:...
- (2002) - Anatomy of DistortAnatomy of DistortAnatomy of Distort is an album by Hwyl Nofio.-Track listing:#"The Life and Death of Joseph Merrick"#"Red Herald"#"I Love You But I Don’t Like You"#"The Wern"#" The Face of a Social Butterfly”#"Murder in the Cathedral”#"The End"-Personnel:...
- (2003) - Hounded by FuryHounded by FuryHounded by Fury is an album by Welsh experimental music group Hwyl Nofio, released in 2006.-Track listing:#"A Walk with Mr Gorey"#"Living In Shadows"#"Sanctify"#"Lost Man Found On a Railway Track"#"Riding the Echoes of a Strange Situation"...
- (2006) - Christ Distort - EP
Compilation albums
- The Wire TapperThe Wire TapperThe Wire Tapper is a long running series of CD compilations issued with editions of The Wire Magazine. The compilation is not always released with newsagent copies of the magazine; subscribers receive the compilation on a much more frequent basis....
15 (Various Artists)(Hwyl Nofio) track (Broken Again);CDCompact DiscThe Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
) - Brave New Wales (Various Artists) (Fourier Transform, 2008;CDCompact DiscThe Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
box set)
Unreleased, limited edition and promo-only albums
The following full-length albums have never seen commercial release. Despite their unavailability on disc, they are included in almost every official discography issued by the band.- ”From Elevated Gangways Rivers Of Molten Metal Flow” (SELF, 2008);CDCompact DiscThe Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
)