Cosmic River: A Drift in 3 movements, a score from Simon Whitehead

A drift is a way to move, carried by outside forces. Nondeterminate, the focus of this drift is to allow yourself to be guided by the elements that you encounter in your environment as you move through it, accompanied and altered by these river recordings made with prepared guitar on the Afon Dulais.

This piece happens in 3 continuous movements. You may decide to use the whole duration of the recording to accompany a drift, or use its discrete, shorter segments.

cosmic river offers a way of exploring your neighbourhood, your garden, the interior of your home – on your own, or in the company of a friend or companions (this could be in the same physical place, or remotely- simply begin the recordings simultaneously). Alternatively you may decide to sit somewhere with eyes closed and drift in thought, using the recordings to offer you a world to move through…

I recommend that you listen to these recordings through headphones, and turn the volume to .5 or .6 depending on how loud your device is (this is so that you can hear a mix of the recorded sound in conjunction with the live sounds of your environment).

Please be vigilant if you are walking in a built up area or near roads etc.

cosmic river is the latest in a series of improvised field recordings made on the Afon Dulais, close to my home in Abercych, Pembrokeshire, using a fender stratocaster to capture and express the ongoing, always shifting dance of this river and its place in a wider flow of things.

Let us know where the score leads you, where did you drift?