Seren Ffordd

Seren Ffordd is a quirky sort of guy, currently living in South Wales.

Seren Ffordd, if it was Ffordd Seren, would be Welsh for Star Road and harks back to times spent staring at the stars and into the night sky (which he still does when he can). It can be used to mean the Galaxy or ‘way of stars’ and evokes the stories in myths of that collection of stars by which souls arrive and leave the earth.

The name carries a sense of mystery, that there is more to the universe than we know and understand – that it is an infinitely creative place which we, if we choose, can be a reflection.

The wonder, heart, creativity and imagination of human beings are acknowledged, though the human world is, perhaps, the strangest part of the universe.

Under other names he started recording in the late 70’s with a Tascam portastudio, parts of the Roland 100 modular synth, some effects, adapted reel to reels and other instruments as part of the growing DIY cassette scene – a response to the control exercised by big record labels. It is likely the tapes were awful but it was great fun.

A nomadic lifestyle led to stopping recording and even listening to recorded music in 1982 – though he explored music at times by drumming in a band playing South American folk music and drumming in ceremonial spaces.

In 1997 the gift of a CD led him back to listening to music and eventually making music in 2004. Stellar Nurseries was the first result – which was sent to a number of people for constructive criticism. Only 2 people responded, one of which was Oophoi, who asked if he could release it. There followed a number of releases on the Umbra and Penumbra labels, leading to a track on a Hypnos compilation and the release of a collaboration with Oophoi shortly before he died.

Drumming continues to be a live expression of his music and in a number of ceremonial retreats acoustic sound sources were used to create soundscapes.

Inspired by albums such as Irrlicht and Zeit, Seren Ffordd’s music is usually without beat or rhythm, though occasionally these do emerge in various forms. Often these ‘rhythms’ are ‘lopsided’ in being crafted from sound samples that create a sense of regularity without being locked into any time signatures.

There has been a long interest in the texture of sound and the use of field recordings due to the complexity inherent in these sounds. In recording a sound may be passed back and forth through numerous effects, or certain aspects of the aural spectrum focussed upon to release other textures usually hidden away within a sound.

Relaxed Machinery Releases

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Other Releases

  • Stellar Nurseries – Umbra and Hypnos Secret Sounds
  • Arythmia – Umbra and HSS
  • A Melancholy Light – Penumbra
  • Floating – Umbra and HSS
  • Aurora – Penumbra
  • The Portal’s Dreaming – Penumbra
  • Gateway – Penumbra
  • Ydd Hwnt Y Seren a Llygedin – Umbra
  • Visiting Berlin – Ambientlive
  • Calling – planned release.
  • MooN – self release
  • Veils, Shadows – HSS
  • The Quiet Labyrinth – Umbra
  • Lament of a Forgotten God – (with Gliese 614) – Self release
  • The Martian Chronicles (with Oophoi) – Hypnos
  • Strands – self release
  • Haze – Jerky Oat records
  • Gottwood – self release
  • Halo – self release
  • Strands V – self release