• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Spellbinding Music

Genre-bending & spine-tingling

  • Home
  • About
  • Books
  • Contact

Nubus: Tape Sketches

June 23, 2015 By guillaume

Based in Limerick city, Ireland, Paddy Mulcahy (aka Nubus) is a young classically trained composer and producer. Having developed a mostly ambient electronica sound to date, the musician has just released Tape Sketches on 1st June 2015 last, his first solo piano EP recorded entirely on an analog tape machine.

Nubus - Tape Sketches (2015)
Nubus – Tape Sketches (2015)

As suggested by the moniker – “NuBus” refers to a piece of hardware component that was used in the early Apple Macintosh computers and in Texas Instrument audio peripherals in the late 1980s – Paddy Mulcahy was drawn towards the sonic possibilities offered by software sequencers and Digital Audio Workstations at an early age. In addition to a series of self-released albums including Enter Morning (2013) and the Memory Season EP (2014), Paddy Mulcahy has also worked extensively as a composer for adverts, documentaries and short films. Since 2013, the musician has struck an interesting partnership with freelance videographer James Skerrit for whom he has scored several shorts.

In perhaps what constitutes a new departure for the musician, the eight tracks on the EP were improvised as “sketches”, performed on solo piano and recorded on a vintage Grundig tape machine. Paddy Mulcahy’s recent performance at Nils Frahm’s launch of his sheets project in London (2014) or his opening for Lubomyr Melnyk’s January 2015 concert in Limerick all point to a shared obsession with the acoustic sound of the piano.

This holistic attempt to grasp the mechanical nature of the instrument and its inner workings transpired in the recording process. Every accidental sound, every creak and crackle from the piano keys or from the hammers on the strings were deliberately captured while the natural hiss of the tape was also preserved in the final mix.

The musician’s reworking of his electronic soundtrack for James Skerrit’s “Eoin” into an acoustic piano piece (“For Eoin”) illustrates the overall approach adopted on Tape Sketches. Ultimately, the semi-improvised nature of the recording reveals graceful and delicate instrumental vignettes with each snapshot of fleeting moments in time taking a surprising life of its own on repeated listening.

Tape Sketches is available as a download only on Bandcamp.

[Update: Tape Sketches was re-released on 1631 Recordings on 4th March 2016]

You May Also Like:

  • Paddy Mulcahy: The Words She Said
    Paddy Mulcahy: The Words She Said
  • Paddy Mulcahy: How to Disappear
    Paddy Mulcahy: How to Disappear
  • Portico Quartet: Art in the Age of Automation
    Portico Quartet: Art in the Age of Automation
  • Kelly Moran: Ultraviolet
    Kelly Moran: Ultraviolet
  • Shida Shahabi: Homes / Shifts
    Shida Shahabi: Homes / Shifts
  • Nils Frahm: All Melody
    Nils Frahm: All Melody

Filed Under: Contemporary, Ireland, Modern Classical Tagged With: ambient, Paddy Mulcahy, piano

Subscribe to Spellbinding Music

Never miss a post and subscribe to Spellbinding Music via email. Receive weekly and enchanting musical updates straight into your inbox - and it's free!

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

About

Spellbinding Music is a blog which curates contemporary, modern classical, roots, electronic, jazz and folk music…and everything in between. ... [Continue Reading]

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Most Read this week

Follow via Email

Search

Recent Posts

Saffronkeira with Paolo Fresu: In Origine: The Field of Repentance (2020)

Saffronkeira with Paolo Fresu: In Origine: The Field of Repentance

Paolo Fresu & Daniele Di Bonaventura - Altissima Luce (2019)

Paolo Fresu & Daniele Di Bonaventura: Altissima Luce

Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin & Ultan O’Brien - Solas an Lae (2020)

Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin & Ultan O’Brien: Solas an Lae

Dezron Douglas & Brandee Younger - Force Majeure (2020)

Dezron Douglas & Brandee Younger: Force Majeure

Yumi Ito - Stardust Crystals (2020)

Yumi Ito: Stardust Crystals

Lau Nau - Poseidon (2017)

Lau Nau: Poseidon

From the Archives

Vanessa Wagner: Inland

Nadah El Shazly - Ahwar (2017)

Nadah El Shazly: Ahwar

Brigid Mae Power - Head Above the Water (2020)

Brigid Mae Power: Head Above The Water

Jherek Bischoff - Cistern (2016)

Jherek Bischoff: Cistern

Sly & Robbie meet Nils Petter Molvær - Nordub (2018)

Sly & Robbie meet Nils Petter Molvær: Nordub

Anna Mieke - Idle-Mind (2019)

Anna Mieke: Idle Mind

Slow Moving Clouds - Starfall (2018)

Slow Moving Clouds: Starfall

Footer

  • Home
  • About
  • Books
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2021 Spellbinding Music | Website by Pagecrafted

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.Accept Reject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT