This Friday marks the release of Wayfarer Records‘ first ever boxset collection and we could think of no better way to celebrate it than with Wayfarer’s longest standing recording artist Boreal Taiga. The Boreal Taiga Collection features SIX full length albums and will be a BandCamp Exclusive release! Each album is from the early part of Boreal Taiga’s career and each individual album will be available as a standalone digital release at major digital outlets worldwide.
To celebrate this very special collection, Boreal Taiga recently shared some insight into the first offering including in The Boreal Taiga Collection.
Boreal Taiga’s first album. Released in 2004 as digital and cassette formats. The cassettes are long out of print, only 100 were made. This recording is raw, experimental and downtempo/trip hop, with less ambient then other releases. Influenced by Chris and Cosey, Cabaret Voltaire, Cocteau Twins and Ulrich Schnauss, we wanted to combine these influences electronically at the time.
All tracks have been remastered from the original files. Chugach and June 24, 1947 Cascades Mix was the only files we could not locate sadly. Chugach is presented here in it’s original form and June 24 as a 2004 remix and the original. It’s been awhile since we have revisited these tracks.
At the time Boreal Taiga was started, the musical direction was not clear. The love of ambient, downtempo, dub techno, shoe-gaze, experimental and industrial (not so much the current metal fusion sound, but the original bands of the genre) and more, made a decision even more difficult. Since the days of first hearing Eno and Steve Roach, it really changed things. It was a sound that captivated beyond words and thus, it was decided to take this route.
Simple Minds put out a 12″ titled “Don’t You (Forget About Me) in 1985. On the B side is the track “A Brass Band In Africa”. This track profoundly influenced Boreal Taiga’s path. Along with many other examples, Cabaret Voltaire’s 1985 “Gasoline In Your Eye” double 12″ single and video album. There was one track, and it was only available on the video, “Slow Boat To Thassos”. This was an ear opener and to this day it gives the chills as well as influences.
The Boreal Taiga idea is to capture the moods and sounds from northern hemisphere areas. To connect these areas, the boreal forests to the giant Siberian forests, the taiga.
The self titled first release is primarily influenced by the Pacific Northwest, with its environments, native cultures and beauty. The album was mixed live without sequencing. This was something experimental and it created a more organic feel. The album was rare for awhile, with limited releases and now it will be available with a proper release. It is a historical document we want to present because recordings are history.
The Boreal Taiga Collection releases Friday, March 7th in support of Ambient Music Month but, you can get a taste of this killer collection this week for Wayfarer Wednesdays Listening Party on BandCamp. We will be featuring two songs from each of the six albums for a very special advanced listen. RSVP today to join us for this great night HERE!!!
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