'hauntingly beautiful and vividly picturesque' Taplas
'“sublime guitar player” BBC Radio 3
' A small work of art... Five Stars!'
Mittelbayische Zeitung
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 REVIEWS
‘Ffynnon Ofor’ on Acoustic Music Records (Best.Nr.319.1283.2):
'shining with strong original material'
Acoustic Guitar Magazine
'This is music with heart, soul and, above all, a bullish determination to ignore recognised 'boundaries'' BBC online.
'Dylan Fowler's new album “Ffynnon Ofor” is certainly full of great compositions which are filled with inspiration, atmosphere, serenity and poetry in lyrical masterworks.' Bridge reviews, Holland
‘Outstanding in each conceivable positive sense’. Rolf Beydemueller, Folker
“sublime guitar player” BBC Radio 3
‘Portrait’ on Acoustic Music Records
'A small work of art……. Five Stars!' Mittelbayische Zeitung
'This instrumental CD by the Welsh guitar player pleases not only with the well-thought through compositions but with excellent mix of instruments' Akustik Gitarre
'At times he produces a wonderful meditative, impressionist mood. With filigree acoustic finger-picking he produces cleanly played melodies that go beyond the known folk genre' Gitarre und Bass
'hauntingly beautiful and vividly picturesque' Taplas
Taith 'Now and Then' on Taith Records
"An album of sheer beauty and virtuosic musicianship from beginning to end, `Now & Then` should, if there`s any justice, find its way in the top albums of the year. Rarely has a debut release made such an impression. Although the emphasis is mainly on the music of Wales (with Fowler`s guitar frequently evoking the sound of the harp) and Finland, a few other influences creep in; the closing track is a popular Scottish/Shetland melody, while the wonderful `Dawns Timo` draws heavily, though not exclusively, on the Balkans.
I don`t single these tracks out as particular favourites. That would be invidious. Every track is a favourite, each for different reasons. Listen now, rather than then."
Keith Hudson - Taplas
'This is an understated gem of a record from three very fine players; Dylan Fowler (guitars, percussion, oboe), Timo Väänänen (kantele, jouhikko) and Gillian Stevens (viols, crwth). Keen eyed readers will probably have sussed who the Finnish one is.
However unlikely, the results of this collaboration (unlike countless other cross cultural mash-ups) sound entirely unforced and are very often meltingly beautiful. Simply put, these instruments sound good together.
Stevens (a noted composer in her own right) contributes the wiry, minimalist-inclined `Conductus`, and takes centre stage on the closing `Sylkie` (a Shetland fiddle tune), unfurling a forlorn, keening viol melody over gentle kantele ripples. It`s a lovely finish; maybe next time we could have a live album?'
Peter Marsh - BBC Online (June 2005)
"Welsh and Finnish trio Taith's first album is beautiful. The music is delicately played on a variety of stringed instruments both plucked and bowed. The result is one of the
loveliest instrumental albums to come along in ages.
Gillian Stevens, Dylan Fowler and Timo Väänänen freely mix the Welsh and Finnish
styles and instruments together to create a sound that is somewhat otherworldly and very appealing. Original pieces stand beside traditional one and often it is difficult to tell which is which. The instruments include the kanteles, jouhikko, crwth, treble and bass viols, guitars and oboe, with voice and percussion added skillfully to a few tracks. The consistently high quality of musicianship, arrangement and originality work together to form waves of sound that wash over you and compel you to listen attentively to the music.
Väänänen's ‘Neerem' thrums with urgency, while ‘Dawns Timo' changes from subtle
to full-out frenzied. Not all of the tunes are quite so energetic, however. ‘Clochian Fenni' has a meditative air to it and ‘Pan o'wn y Gwanwyn' is ancient and mystical sounding. The album ends with the familiar Scottish tune ‘Sylkie', which is just recognisable and a wonderful way to end such a beautiful album.
Now and Then is a rare find: an instrumental album that is innovative and original, as well as engaging to listen to. It is an album that will not grow tiresome, but increase in
interest and depth each time it is listened to."
Jean Price
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samples, links and downloads...
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SAMPLE 1 (FYNNON OFOR - FYNNON OFOR)*
SAMPLE 2 (JOY - FYNNON OFOR)*
SAMPLE 3 (GILLIAN'S REEL - PORTRAIT)*
SAMPLE 4 (MOMORIA - PORTRAIT)*
CV & BIOG (pdf)*
INTERVIEW(word)*
PROMO SHOT 1*
PROMO SHOT 2 *
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