Black Sun

Neil Johnstone | Sam Leamy | Steve Garden

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RELEASE DATE: Monday, November 2, 2026

This album, and its accompanying videos, offers a series of highly textured compositions for keyboards and electric guitar that explore the concept of the ‘Black Sun’ as a locus of profound darkness and despair as well as transformative healing.

Incorporating field recordings of stones from Tiree of Clach a’ Choire—a prehistoric ringing stone with hand-carved indentations from the late Neolithic or early Bronze Age, used in ritual ceremonies for thousands of years—this music evokes deep time as mythic expression found in cultures worldwide. It has served as a springboard in a wide variety of forms by artists as diverse as William Blake, David Lynch, Ansel Adams, Søren Solkær, Isamu Noguchi, Masahisa Fukase, and Daido Moriyama, and is central to Carl Jung's inquiries into the collective unconscious, archetypes, and individuation to achieve psychological wholeness.

Produced, recorded, and performed by Neil Johnstone, Sam Leamy and Steve Garden
Neil Johnstone (synthesised soundscapes using Synthstrom Deluge and Native Instruments Thrill)
Sam Leamy (electric guitar, effects)
Andrew McDougall (field recordings and photography)
Steve Garden (mixing, mastering, videos)
Design by UnkleFranc
Printing by Studio Q

1. Black Sun i. Entheogen 08:23
2. Black Sun ii. Hyphae Tip 06:08
3. Black Sun iii. Azureus 05:32
4. Black Sun iv. Flesh of the Gods 05:13
5. Black Sun v. Symbiosis 07:05
6. Black Sun vi. The Enchanted Loom 05:10
7. Black Sun vii. Embraced by the Enfolding 05:37

Released: 02 November 2026
Catalogue: RAT-D170

Videos

NEIL JOHNSTONE

Before immigrating to New Zealand in 2017, Neil’s multimedia artworks were widely exhibited in galleries and workshops throughout Europe and the United Kingdom. The subject and content of his work includes eco-degradation, immigration, memory, homelessness, urban renewal, the intersection between bees and quantum physics, and transitory movement in its many aspects.

“I'm a conceptual artist more than a musician, with a strong fascination for how sound affects us emotionally, and can be used to explore abstract ideas like time and consciousness.”

SAM LEAMY

Sam is a composer and multi-instrumentalist whose work spans a range of genres and musical platforms. He has been involved in a wide range of collaborations, including experimental pop duo Spork and atmospheric-rock heavyweights Opium Eater. He has produced a number of acousmatic and electroacoustic works as a solo artist, as well as composing music for films. As a performer, he specialises in textural guitar aided by effects pedals.

STEVE GARDEN

Best known as the driving force behind Rattle Records, Steve began his career in music as a touring musician in the mid-70s. In the early 80s he worked as a studio musician, which led to an active interest in audio engineering and music production.

In the early 90s he co-established Rattle Records and set up his production studio, Garden Shed Music. Since 2010, Rattle releases have been his primary focus as a recording engineer and music producer.