The Devil and the River, Vol. 1

DESCRIPTION:
In his most recent solo release, "The Devil And The River: Volume One", recorded live in his rural New Mexico studio, William Fowler Collins tremolo brushes his electric guitar using a calligraphy brush, playing a single chord with no overdubs to produce two compelling side-long pieces of music. Ever present are the minimalist widescreen reflections of the high desert environment in which he lives, with the two sides giving the impressions of a sun rising and then a sun setting over the vast and sparsely populated landscape. The music in the two pieces shifts dynamically from gentle and hypnotic to immense and resonant walls of drone, searing and overdriven. At times the music can suggest a collision between Terry Riley's "Descending Moonshine Dervishes" and the loud, distorted, emotional abstractions of My Bloody Valentine.
Collins first began to focus on performing this music on his 2022-23 European tours with Aaron Turner and Emma Ruth Rundle, respectively.
The artwork here is done by Chris Bigg, renowned for his art and design work for the 4AD label.

QUOTES:
"William Fowler Collins's set… isan ethereal reprieve of understated cinematic drone… Though loud, the minimal wall of noise is gentle and allows another moment for quiet reflection while bathing in waves of feedback. "
-Astral Noize review of Collins' live set at Amplifest 2022, in Porto, Portugal.

"The music made by William Fowler Collins is sculptural, unwaveringly focused, and succeeds in
being deeply evocative while utilizing only the most minimal sonic forms. Events arrive and recede
in elemental and seismic fashion—seemingly created by natural forces rather than human hand.
That said, William's musical voice is compellingly distinct whether he is using his primary
instrument of guitar, manipulating electronics and field recordings, or as a director in tandem with
his collaborators. The potency of his compositions is built not only on the sounds he creates but
within his admirable restraint and deeply affective use of space. It is music as much of absence as
it is of presence."
- Aaron Turner (SUMAC, SIGE Records)

CREDITS:
All music composed, performed and recorded live in one take by William Fowler Collins in New
Mexico, USA, 2023
Mastered by John Dieterich
Art by Chris Bigg
Design by William Fowler Collins

BIO:
Based in rural New Mexico, William Fowler Collins (b.1974) is a composer, recording artist, and
performer. His music extends across and beyond many genres (including modern classical, drone,
minimalism, and free improvisation).
Collins has released music on the SIGE, Type, Karl Records, Blackest Rainbow, Handmade Birds,
Daymare, Sicksicksick, Tapeworm, and Root Strata labels. He also performs and records in the
duo Mesa Ritual with Raven Chacon. Additionally, he has co-founded several collaborative projects
including Thalassa with Aaron Turner (SUMAC, Isis), a duo with James Jackson Toth (Wooden
Wand), and Summer of Seventeen (with Aaron Turner, Faith Coloccia, Monika Khot, Daniel
Menche). Collins has also recorded/performed/collaborated/toured with Margarida Garcia, Monika
Khot (Nordra) Johanna Hedva, Marshall Trammell (Music Research Strategies, Black Spirituals),
Faith Coloccia (Mamiffer), John Dieterich (Deerhoof), Jeremy Barnes, Heather Trost, Maria
Valentina Chirico, SUMAC, and Emma Ruth Rundle among others.
Collins performs nationally and internationally, in both solo and group contexts. He is on Swamp
Booking's roster for European tours. For EU booking: giorgio@swampbooking.com
In 2004 Collins graduated from Mills College with an MFA in Electronic Music and Recording
Media.
williamfowlercollins.com