Description
Willie Gibson (the alias of electronic composer George Barker) came across the phrase Patience And
Shuffle The Cards in the diaries of SirWalter Scott, and later learned that it originates in Don
Quixote. It is a sort of resigned ‘well, let’s see what happens ’where the outcome is uncertain and
possibly not totally under your control.
But unlike his previous releases, Saint-Ex and The Halls Of Piranesi, this collection is not directly
based on a work of literature, but springs from Barker’s further exploration of synths and sequencers,
as well as the landscape around him. The opening track BlackWaterWhitewater involves layers of
cascading sequences of differing lengths, like the mountain stream that inspired it. Barker’s base in
the East Anglian Fens, the track Fenlandia was inspired by that landscape where he is also a keen
photographer of insects in particular.
Top and tailing this are Big Skies, parts one and two, floaty ambient cloudscapes which are a feature
of the fens.
Stone Soup – Barker’s tracks often begin with a simple sequence which only gradually takes form
with the addition of other elements – the title refers to the folk tale where a traveller arrives in a
village with no food but just a cooking pot and a stone. Villagers are intrigued as to what dish he
would produce by simply boiling a stone, and start to offer other ingredients until a hearty dish is
produced.
We Are On This Earth . . . in the face of current world problems, inspired by the wise words of
Kurt Vonnegut I tell you, we are on Earth to fart around, and don t let anyone tell you many
different .
Creeping Thanatos – mortality comes into sharper focus and you realise that things that you
remember clearly, actually happened decades ago, which often leads to . . .
Sleepless – 3am – waking up at 3am with musical ideas and sequences running round your head,
but also lots of other unwanted stuff!
What The Moon Brings (Instrumental) – this is an instrumental version of a track from Willie
Gibson’s H.P.L.E P.
Track listing:
Black WaterWhitewater
Patience and Shuffle The Cards
Big Skies Pt 1
Fenlandia
Big Skies Pt 2
Stone Soup
We Are Here On Earth
Creeping Thanatos
Sleepless 3AM
What the Moon Brings Instrumental
GENRE: Electronic
BARCODE: 619091684510
RELEASE DATE: 12/09/2025
