Encircle

Alan Brown

RELEASE DATE: September 19

This album partly emerged through an exploratory process of improvisation centred on the interplay of contrasting sounds and textures inspired by generative audio systems. This method allowed Alan's initial compositional intentions to evolve into unpredictable and inspiring new pathways. When these semi-random elements aligned, the results were creatively rewarding, influencing and sometimes shaping the character of a composition in ways that allowed Alaln to discover creative synchronicities he might not have found otherwise. In this sense, Alan is employing the collaborative improvisational language of jazz within an interactive technological environment.

ALAN BROWN TALKS TO RICHARD THORNE FROM NZ MUSICIAN MAGAZINE

Produced, composed, recorded and mixed by Alan Brown
Mastered by Angus McNaughton at Auralux Mastering
Cover photography by Chris Melville
Designed by UnkleFranc
Printing by Studio Q

SEVENTH HOUSE MUSIC Vol 11

The Seventh House Music series champions artists who follow their muse free of generic or commercial restraints, a platform for explorative, improvisational, and collaborative works of instrumental art discovered in the process of being formed.

Released: 19 September 2025
Catalogue: RAT-D157

ALAN BROWN

Alan is a musician with a long and revered history in the New Zealand jazz scene as a pianist & Hammond organist. He was the bandleader of the successful jazz-funk ensemble Blue Train in the 1990s and the organ-based Alan Brown Trio in the 2000s. He has been an enthusiastic music educator for many years and enjoys repairing vintage keyboards and synths.

“In late 2021, I acquired a handmade 'Ondomo,' an instrument that had interested me for a long time, which served as a key voice in my previous Rattle release Ondulation (2023). While the piano is known for its expressiveness and as a synthesiser controller, I have always been intrigued by alternative methods of interfacing with electronic musical instruments.

This use of the Ondomo on this recording serves a more subtle purpose. Woven discreetly into the fabric, it provides a quiet but vital presence that grounds the work without demanding attention.

Conceived in 2020, the closing track, Isolation, pays homage to William Basinski’s “The Disintegration Loops”. The sonic erosion of the work stems from digital breakdown, characterised by the gradual reduction of bits rather than traditional tape decay. Though born from a sense of separation, the piece gradually shifts to a calmer state in which the final moments evoke a sense of letting go and quietly accepting what remains.”

Alan Brown, July 2025