Janek Schaefer first surfaced 10 years ago with his sound-activated tape recorder [Recorded Delivery] and then a range of turntable related projects, including the highly-praised Tri-Phonic Turntable. Thiswas a machine spawning three arms, hand built to transform sound. In recent years, Schaefer’s work has expanded into newer areas revolving around live composition, and the exploration of a variety of instrument and location recording elements.

‘In The Last Hour’ is, by his own confession, Janek’s favourite album and the result of years developing his approach to live composition. A deeply moving and harmonious work inspired by a sentence from an Iain Banks novel [as revealed in the track titles]. It is easily Schaefer’s most accomplished solo CD, and reveals his increasing interest in the combination of live instrumentation with his trademarked textured electronics and vinyl manipulations.

Commissioned as a site-specific work for the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival in 2005, the album unfolds through four distinct phases. Floating melodies glide across tense textures, while organ chord structures disperse between drifting fields of drone. The piece was recorded in the Huddersfield Town Hall with the audience lying down in the dark. The sound came from above and all around. ‘In The Last Hour’ is a truly spellbinding hour that confirms Schaefer’s presence as one of the most evocative of sound artists.

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