Hybernation Recovery Mix

Artist and DJ Stuart Bowditch (aka Hybernation) got in touch recently after contributing to SEQUENCE2 with a new mix he had finished and was looking to have published online. The story behind how the mix came to be made it an easy decision to accept. Crafting an outstanding tracklist into a landscape of experimental, drone, noise and other sounds on the margin, Stuart once again shows he is a master of the mix.

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Whether in a live or studio environment, Stuart Bowditch's DJ mixes are always bespoke, aiming to utilise the particular acoustics of a live venue, compliment other artists on the bill, or fulfil an idea on an artistic theme. His most recent studio mix was built around the concept of recovery, specifically for friend and artistic collaborator Walter Reid, who had spent a lengthy spell in hospital after an operation for an ongoing medical condition.

Stuart wanted to open Walter's ears to new and interesting music, but also to offer some respite to the tedium of recovery.  The mix was constructed in a manner not to offer some escapism, far removed from reality, but to draw on the real emotional and physical experiences of this time, turning them into something more positive, whilst remaining connected to them.

So over several weeks he gradually built a pile of records from his regular listening, keeping the idea in mind, and then one afternoon played and experimented with the tunes he had set aside. Using two turntables and a mixer he recorded the mix in one take, uploading it for Walter to download when he arrived home.

'After being released from hospital I spent a lot of time lying in bed which I found difficult as I wanted to enjoy my freedom, but had to recover. I felt it was important that I listened to the mix during this time as it would have been too difficult to listen to in hospital as it represented a lot of feelings and emotions that I had there. It also resonated with the ghosts, the hallucinations that I had experienced. It was called the ‘Recovery Mix’ – not the ‘Stuck-in-hospital-like-a-prisoner Mix’ after all. In some parts it was too real for me but it was a good reflection of what I went through on an emotional level.'

Spending protracted lengths of time in hospital, Walter has come to realise that whilst everyone is focused on your physical condition, they ignore your emotional state of mind. As a BSL interpreter, he has worked for many years for people who are classed as vulnerable, but in this situation found himself to be vulnerable, with no control over what was happening to him. He was often left alone for long periods and sometimes hallucinated on administered morphine. Friends and family visited him and he wouldn't remember.

'People give you ‘get well’ cards when you go into hospital, although my nephew gave me one that looks like a ‘sympathy’ card; classically funereal. We share a dark sense of humour.  So I remember feeling very touched by the mix Stuart created for me.'

A few months later when Walter was well enough the two met and discussed the whole thing at length. Together they decided that the time was right for the mix to be shared.

Tracklisting:

Alex Monk – Sammy's Song [Smeraldina-Rima]
Tim Hecker – In The Fog [Kranky]
Brian McBride – Girl Nap [Kranky]
Greg Haines & Wouter van Veldhoven – On Buildings [Eat This Media]
Supersilent – 10.8 [Rune Grammafon]
Dag Dosenqvist & Simon Scott – And I will quietly go (into this night) [Low Point]
Deaf Center – Hunted Twice [Type]
Murcof – Paloma IV [Infiné]
Ezekiel Honig – Drafting Foresight [Type]
Ø – Hikari [Sähkö Recordings]
Brian Eno – Late Anthroposcene [Warp]
The Caretaker - Von Restorff Effect [History Always Favours The Winners]

http://www.stuartbowditch.co.uk/