Jimmy Billingham - Worlding (2019)

‘Worlding’ is Jimmy’s debut release under his own name, following a string of well-received records as HOLOVR over the past few years. Recent work has included a remix of James Zabiela last year and a 12" on the revived Likemind Records in 2017.

After spending a while finding his feet after a studio reconfiguration and house move, this record was recorded intensively over a period of 2 months. His new set-up and approach has allowed him to quickly capture ideas and atmospheres, working mainly with processed synthesisers, modular equipment and field recordings. The result is a varied collection of tracks – primarily beatless, heavily textured and deeply emotional.

In many ways, it’s a return to the ambient style that Jimmy cut his teeth with as Tidal, Venn Rain and others during the early part of the decade. Though it’s less lo-fi, with several years’ production experience and gear upgrades under his belt, there remains a distance at play – an after-the-factness like glowing embers, an out-of-placeness like voices in an adjacent room – that is integral to the evocative quality of the music.

This movement away from grid-based production and towards a looser, more freeform and spontaneous process has provided Jimmy with a renewed clarity of vision and sense of purpose.