Greg Surmacz - Timelines (Part 1) (2021)

XVI Records are proud to present ‘Timelines (Part 1)’ the debut solo LP from Leeds-based multi instrumentalist Greg Surmacz. Having released music under many guises over the years, (including his role as bandleader for Electronic / Jazz outfit Paper Tiger and releasing futuristic broken-beat under Captain Over) Surmacz now ventures into new introspective sonic territories with his first full-length offering.

Finding himself at somewhat of a crossroads in life, fatigued from navigating the pitfalls of the music industry, Greg found himself in need of a new project, free from the boundaries of genre tags and expectations of the wider musical landscape. Early demos of the record were forged during a time of deep personal reflection, during long, cold winter wanderings in 2019. Surmacz explains: “I had some difficult times personally through 2018-19 and spent a lot of time alone, working on rough demos then going on long walks - I'm lucky enough to live right next to a huge, beautiful park and would listen back to my sketches in headphones while spending time there”. Following the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, a sense of urgency was instilled into the album: “Once the world stopped in 2020, making dance music (under my Captain Over alias) didn't feel right - committing to finishing this project became a source of focus and comfort to me, a way of making sense of things both personal and global."

Throughout the album, textures of the barren trees, lichen and dead leaves, weave their way into the very fabric of the music itself, creating an immersive and engaging listen from start to finish. Surmacz says: “Eventually the sense of place and time started to inform the music and the two became inextricably linked in my head”. Full of winding, twisting woodwind melodies, rolling mounds of synth pads and knotted, earthy percussion - ‘Timelines (Part 1)’ is a testament to finding solace, and the potential healing power found within both music and nature.