Ian Hawgood

Ian Hawgood is an ambient musician, mastering engineer, and visual artist responsible for the acclaimed label <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Home+Normal%22">Home Normal</a>. His music often utilizes field recordings, tape reels, old tube amps, and acoustic instruments such as pump organ or vibraphone, resulting in wistful drones and the musical equivalent of faded photographs. He has released dozens of albums, including solo efforts such as Snow Roads (2009) and Love Retained (2016) in addition to collaborations with <a href="spotify:artist:3MZHEsxGNxPt6WIMwDCby2">bvdub</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:63ANock0nMaF32m4e4U1Rt">Wil Bolton</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5AVdeBRaOsTtoXqQFyPVhE">Danny Norbury</a>, and several others. His other projects include <a href="spotify:artist:2impXXBAu5Xtk8KtqTAb6H">Slow Reels</a> (with <a href="spotify:artist:6FtfcguhZxMy6S04I0jOhc">James Murray</a>) and Observatories (with Craig Tattersall).

Originally from the U.K., Hawgood moved to Tokyo in 2007 and began releasing music through netlabels and on limited cassettes and CD-Rs. He produced beat-driven IDM material as Koen Park and a couple other monikers, but largely released ambient and drone under his real name. He founded <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Home+Normal%22">Home Normal</a> in December 2008 and launched it the following March, with releases by <a href="spotify:artist:6nDeZk1AU320DQaj8pD80O">Celer</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4G1ZsxfEEztbE1VcnNInPg">Chihei Hatakeyama</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:4paVd8Xh0qCuX09r68eMMj">Greg Davis</a> appearing during the year. Co-run by Ben Jones, the label was curated by Hawgood, who often mastered and created artwork for the releases, along with additional designers <a href="spotify:artist:3SQ0WBoZkDVKbgUoUcABxF">Jeremy Bible</a> and Christian Roth. Hawgood also released music on labels such as <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Experimedia%22">Experimedia</a>, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22hibernate%22">hibernate</a>, and <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Dragon%27s+Eye+Recordings%22">Dragon's Eye Recordings</a>. Slow Films in Low Light, consisting of Hawgood pieces remixed by artists like <a href="spotify:artist:2ojlS7imGFiZ8A8tXXGEt7">Library Tapes</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:4EOmRRSrO3mMPt9W4knkJO">the Green Kingdom</a>, appeared in 2010. The Truth Hurts, a collaboration with <a href="spotify:artist:3MZHEsxGNxPt6WIMwDCby2">bvdub</a>, appeared in 2011 as the first release on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Home+Normal%22">Home Normal</a> sublabel <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Nomadic+Kids+Republic%22">Nomadic Kids Republic</a>. Hawgood founded the post-classical quartet Black Elk with Tim Martin, cellist <a href="spotify:artist:5AVdeBRaOsTtoXqQFyPVhE">Danny Norbury</a>, and pianist <a href="spotify:artist:5FbBZ9ZLIoVdgbbnGmsKNk">Clem Leek</a>. Their debut album, 2012's Sparks, preceded several Sketches releases in 2014.

Hawgood relocated to Warsaw in 2016. His album Love Retained was released that year, and collaborations with <a href="spotify:artist:5AVdeBRaOsTtoXqQFyPVhE">Norbury</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0nKxkIuJjb8gmvW6rATnsm">Giulio Aldinucci</a>, Phil Tomsett, and Stijn Hüwels followed. Hawgood moved to Brighton, England, in late 2019. Farewell Islands, an album with <a href="spotify:artist:6FtfcguhZxMy6S04I0jOhc">James Murray</a> as part of the duo <a href="spotify:artist:2impXXBAu5Xtk8KtqTAb6H">Slow Reels</a>, was released by <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Morr+Music%22">Morr Music</a> in 2020. Emerging, with <a href="spotify:artist:63ANock0nMaF32m4e4U1Rt">Wil Bolton</a>, appeared on Hidden Vibes in 2021. Hawgood issued several other albums with Hüwels, including a self-titled 2022 release as Modular Sleep Patterns, and additionally formed Observatories with Craig Tattersall, releasing two albums on French imprint IIKKI. Hawgood also issued a split recording with Fields We Found in 2022. Due to health issues, Hawgood went on extended hiatus from all music-related projects in 2023. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi