KNOCKED BACK HARD
04/10/24 - My new Ambient Girl album Knocked Back Hard is releases today! It’s kind of a cross between meditation music and electronica. I’ve been told by more than one person that listening to it has induced a religious experience. Artwork is bespoke by Iva Troj. All inspired by the short stories I write and this is the Knocked Back Hard story…
The Ambient Girl is standing on a beautiful sandy beach next to the sea, on her right is a rugged, wild and rocky headland.
As she stands there gazing out to the ocean, the waves rise up and become ferocious. They become so powerful and fierce she is knocked back, back and back until she is flung far up the beach inland. It is shocking to witness this unprovoked attack.
Then I notice just off the nearby headland, a male figure, who is sitting on a rock. The rock he was sitting on is black, darkened, there is seaweed and rock pools around. He coolly stands up and walks over to the sea, close to where she was standing.
In his left hand he holds a staff, which he slowly raises, then he also lifts his right palm and he speaks to the waves.
“Move out of my way”
At this, the storm dies and the waters part to reveal a straight path through the sea. At the end of the path through the sea to what looks like a radiant bright white light.
TOWER OF LIGHT
(08/10/2021)
“Electronic music that you never knew you needed until you hear it”
David Ireland (Magnetic Mag)
“Conclusive, fresh, excellent”
Frank Eckert (Groove Mag)
“An ambient fairy tale at its finest”
Hanna Frömberg (Faze Mag)
“A score for a fantastical parallel universe”
Tome To The Weather Machine
Tower of Light is the second instalment in the Ambient Girl journey. A collection of musical works centred on short stories also written by Ross Harper, along with commissioned artwork by Iva Troj.
The intention is to create a liminal space where fans can truly immerse themselves. The story behind the Tower Of Light album is as follows…
”The Ambient Girl reaches a large lake, it is dark. There she meets the boatman, he is wearing a cloak with a large hood covering his face. The Ambient Girl knows she must cross the lake to continue her journey so she bravely asks the boatman for help. He rows her across the lake. As they reach the shore the Ambient Girl gets out of the boat and then she turns to the boatman and asks if he is going to come with her on her journey. He answers in deep tones, “Do you understand what you are asking?”, she replies, “Yes I understand”, and offers him her hand. With this offering the boatman removes his cloak to become a tower of light reaching into the highest heavens, the light is arcing in every direction, streaming every colour of the rainbow, enveloping all things, becoming all things, everything is filled with the light in every way imaginable.”
Ross Harper wrote the album across several locations around the British Isles: a remote farm house amid seven mountain peaks in North Wales, the “Teacher’s Room” of a retreat centre next to a thundering gorge in a wild Western Scotland and the finishing touches were completed in North London, while staying at his mum’s place, where he grew up.
Selected feedback...
“A dreamy and magical place” In Your Eyes ezine
“Delightfully quirky and perfectly weird” David Ireland (Magnetic Mag)
“An electronic quark of strangeness and charm” Acid Ted Blog
“Clean & delicate” Visual Atelier 8
“Beautiful, best upcoming album” Living Techno blog
“Amazing LP” Victor Santana (DJ Mag ES)
“Super, love it!” Rina (Corespondant)
“Playful music, cool sounds” Atheb (Rauschzeit)
“Great album” Responder (Planet Rhythm)
“Strange and intimate” Massilmo Argo (Universe Metallici)
“Stunning!” Super Drama Records
Credits...
Arrangement and Production – Ross Harper
Mastering – Matt Colton
Artwork – Iva Troj
AMBIENT GIRL
(25/09/2020)
"Serious candidate for electronic album of the year"
In Your Eyes
"Surreal and dreamy"
Magnetic Magazine
"Nice chill out"
Faze Magazine
"Like it!"
Groove Magazine
AMBIENT GIRL is the new
downtempo album by UK based music producer ROSS HARPER.
The inspiration behind AMBIENT GIRL comes from a series of poems and stories by ROSS HARPER.
These stories and poems jumpstarted a collaboration with award winning artist IVA TROJ and resulted in the creation of the AMBIENT GIRL oil painting, which is based on the album's main narrative. The story behind this first Ambient Girl album is...
"I see machinery, I see a man of light holding a key of light, surrounded by the huge machinery, like giant cogs and pistons, he stands on a raised platform amid the machinery, the colours around are browns and shades of darkness, the browns are like beautiful shades of rust.
Then I notice a slender female figure is kneeling down on one knee, her head bowed, she is wearing a dark cloak with the hood covering her face, then I see in her hands she is holding a small bouquet of flowers, her spirit is full of stillness.
Then the man of light anoints the kneeling one with the key of light and there is then an explosion of light"
Selected feedback...
“Beautiful stuff” Moderna (Brave New Rave)
“Love” Chris Loxton
“Amazing” DJ Phil England
“Love this” Ben Mabon (Koast Radio)
“Outstanding” Russell (Beach Radio)
“Beautiful soulful sounds” Ashley Marshal-Nichols
“Cool album” Yoshi
“Beautiful” Tim Galvin (ARIA compiler)
“Super album” Gabriel Ferreira (Ninefont)
“Great release” Sammy W & Alex F (8bit)
“Great record” Mixhell (Boysnoize Records)
“Great album” Mike Heron (BTE Podcast)
“Very cool” Patrick Dre (DREC)
Credits...
Arrangement and Production – Ross Harper
Artwork – Iva Troj