Recording a track hundreds of feet down a disused copper mine may seem a bit quirky.
But there is perfect logic behind gritty folk star Seth Lakeman’s reasoning for laying down his new album, Tales From The Barrel House, at an historic West Country mine.
Having split from major label EMI, the one time Mercury Music Prize nominated musician has gone back to his roots and was seeking a space to create a more pared down live sound for his sixth album.
“It’s written about the old artisans and the old craftsmen, their past and honouring that and how they took pride in what they did,” he explained.
“I had collected and written songs and stories and I just needed to find an environment to make them come alive.”
Only opening track More than Money was recorded below ground but the rest of the album was laid down during a two week stint at the Morwellham Heritage Centre near his Devon home.
Seth said he and his recording engineer had surveyed the old smithy of the Tamar Valley tourist spot and decided to use their 19th century environs to their full potential by using a jangling array of old tools and workshop iron instead of traditional instruments.
He said: “(On the album) we’re not using conventional drum kits or anything; it’s all sounds we found in there, a tool sharpener as a shaker, a pick-axe as a snare drum, it seemed to work really well.”
Seth said while he had sought an atmospheric recording location, recording deep under the Tamar Valley workshops had been a spur of the moment decision.
“I didn’t plan on going in there and using all these sounds as percussion or going down the mine,” he said.
“It was literally within that fortnight that we came up with these ideas of using an anvil or bellows.
“We were just trying to get the right ambience for each song.
“I don’t know if anyone has done this before, you’d only do it if it makes sense for the subject and because the song is about miners breaking rock and the way they struggled through the conditions they used to work in, it made sense to take it down the mine and create some of these sounds and incorporate them within the song.”
With a short tour imminent, including a date at the Holmfirth Picturedrome, Seth said he was enjoying taking control of his own music again and running his own label, Honour Oak Records.
He said: “It’s nice to be able to direct what you’re doing and feel confident about what you’re doing.
“It’s a tough time for music so it’s important to make sure your record stands for something.
“I’m enjoying it a lot as I can steer it and it’s back to being my baby.”
There are only 10,000 copies of the limited edition album available via his own website and at live shows, and Seth said about 3,000 had already been ordered.
He added: “It looks like it’s going to sell out by Christmas.
“If it does sell out we’ll have to make a decision whether to do another run or not.”
Seth Lakeman plays the Picturedrome on Friday, December 16.
www.sethlakeman.co.uk
