Beneath the Surface 

... an album of music recorded in Tunnel Number Five under Darwin

Anne Norman – shakuhachi and poetry

Emily Sheppard – violin

Anya Tait – violin

Dynamic impro duos and trios recorded live during underground performances and many solos and duos recorded in the early mornings or late night in the tunnel with no audience in August 2015.

• traditional Zen meditations for shakuhachi (bamboo flute)
• original compositions and spoken word 
• improvisations for shakuhachi and violin(s)
• a sleeping dragon...

Spontaneous outpourings of music are fleeting, heard once then lost, so we are most grateful to location recordist David Matthews for flying to Darwin from Melbourne to be in the tunnel with us.

Listen to some of the tracks pre-released here: https://annemnorman.bandcamp.com/

Subtle stereo nuances

This music sounds great through stereo speakers but SERIOUSLY AWESOME through headphones to get the subtle nuances of being inside the tunnel. Vibrations along the metal cladding surge past and down the tunnel; the movement of players from left to right; the reflections of sound from the ends of the tunnel... so much detail is revealed when listening on headphones.

Dave sat with microphones in a hat above his ears, his right ear facing the tunnel end just 22m from his seat, while his left ear faced the entrance 150m away. Both ends have open doorways cut through only part of the concrete wall, so the reflections are fabulous. In the gigs, audience members sat in a long line on either side of Dave, and the performers wandered freely along the full 172m of the tunnel. Each listener chose the placement of their own seat, ensuring a completely unique aural experience: a very exciting feature of this venue.

So, with your help to fund the mastering and manufacture of this CD, you too can don your headphones, and join us on a deep sonic journey BENEATH THE SURFACE.  

17 TRACKS at 74 MINUTES playing time [couldn't fit any more tracks on there!!]

What now?

With your pre-orders of CDs or tickets to our next gig in Tunnel Number Five, or small pledges of support, we will be able to complete the project and bring these recordings to CD format.

Those of you who do not know how Pozible works... we've set a modest target of $4,000, and if we reach it, your pledged money comes out of your account. And if not... not... sigh. 

I am underwriting this project myself...

So... bring it on!

:)  

Anne Norman

How will the funds be used? The short answer is "Well"! And gratefully...

$4,000 won't cover everything, but it will contribute to a range of expenses, including: 

• Studio time for mastering process  $600
• purchase of ISRC track codes, UPC Bar Code and CD Baby Album Submission $69.00
• CD manufacturing and printing costs  $1,700
• internet promotions  $200
• postage to supporters  $500 +  
• editing time $1,000
• graphic design of CD artwork and layout  $600
• Location recordist time  $1,000
• writing and editing of CD notes (Anne)  $500
• reimbursement of transport costs to and from Darwin for Dave  $700
• artists fees (wouldn't that be nice!)  $3,000
• venue hire and access fee for the use of the WWII Oil Storage Tunnels*  $1000 

TOTAL Project budget is $10,869

As you can see, the actual cost of the CD is considerably more than the manufacture. Several of these items have been contributed as "In-Kind" sponsorship, including the hire of the Tunnel* (thanks to the generous sponsorship of Robert Marchant of Darwin & Wallaroo Tours); the location recordist David Matthews' time; the artists' fees; let alone my own planning and post production time; and my composition and rehearsal time for the new works featured for the first time on CD here... should we be lucky enough to get more than $4,000 in Pozible support, the extra will be distributed appropriately to those listed who have contributed their time and resources ... thus far unpaid.

$4,000 in pledges and up-front CD sales will make A HUGE difference in getting us to the finish line. Thank you for your assistance.

PS. a few people have said they wanted to pay a higher figure, but were only interested in getting one CD, or the haiku poem + digi + CD option etc. The way Pozible works is that the money figure is a starting point only. It says $35+ and that means you can let it default to $35, or type in your own figure of $70... or whatever amount you are prepared to assist with. It's totally up to you. And you are able to leave a comment to clarify your intent and give me some encouragement. :) 

Thanks for your interest and help in this project.

As an experienced muso and independent CD recording artist, I've have had a fair bit of experience in putting this sort of project together, but the challenge is always time, energy and money!!! (I have spent 5 solid days putting this Pozible campaign together! and more to come...)

Making music is just one part. Creating a quality product that documents a new stage in my musical development is always daunting. Recouping costs after the fact is nice... but some up-front assistance makes it all so much more pozible. (The rent still needs to be paid! And then there's the upfront costs for the next musical adventure! Ah, the joys of being an independent muso...) 

I am very happy with this album. There are some incredibly beautiful impros with the violins of Anja and Emily; and the solo shakuhachi pieces, traditional and contemporary, sound wonderful within this tunnel ambience. And then there is the unbelievable sound of a dragon asleep in its lair, created by a field recording Dave made on the NE coast of Arnhem Land, listening to the ocean swell "breathing" through bauxite rocks. You've got to hear it amplified by Tunnel Number Five! 

Truly, it is the most amazing acoustic I have ever played in. And I have performed in many concert halls and even a 10th century cathedral in Norway that had a remarkably long reverb, but a much muddier sound than this 4m x 172m tunnel. I predict that reverb plug-in manufacturers will be visiting this venue to map its acoustic for future plug-ins. Stand aside Taj Mahal! 

I am a shakuhachi player who is not only trained in the classic repertoire of Japanese shakuhachi music (and European art music on silver flute), I play my own music on this end-blown bamboo flute. It is my "voice", my personal expression, and am keen to get some of my new solo music on disk. It's been a dream for more years than I care to tell.  It is my hope that you will support me in this project. 

Thanks so much for reading through to this point... you are still there, no?

We are striving to make the best product we can and are so appreciative of your support. 

Thank you so much.

Anne