This compilation, artwork and notes below were produced by Andrew Ciccone for Navel Gazers: blog.navelgazers.co.uk

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'Navel-Gazing' is a compilation album to celebrate one year of the Navel-Gazers blog, featuring new or otherwise unheard recordings from all twelve artists who have participated in the monthly interviews. So what's it like? Well, to call this a collection of 'experimental music' would hardly do it justice - the stylistic range of the contributions which came in is around as staggering as the range of ideas, anecdotes, references, tangents, observations and insights found in any Navel-Gazers interview. What a trip.

All proceeds from Navel-Gazing will be donated to the Mind charity for mental health which is a cause that is interesting and important to me. You don't need me to tell you what Mind does, you can read all about them: www.mind.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/

Once again I'd like to thank all the artists for these contributions and for talking to me about their work. Below are my brief thoughts on each track and a link to each artist's Navel-Gazers interview and their own webpage.

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Martin Clarke - Od Lasu
This appears to be a place somewhere outside Warsaw. Martin plays the sax near the mic, then walks away. Then plays the sax from faraway. Aha!
blog.navelgazers.co.uk/2019/10/martin-clarke-slides.html
martinclarkemusic.net

Slate Pipe Banjo Draggers - Anything Goes Back And Forth Which Was Given
I liked this so much I asked Andy to send me the sample of the guy talking. ..which turned out to be Andy.
blog.navelgazers.co.uk/2019/11/slate-pipe-banjo-draggers-seafo-od.html
www.slatepipe.co.uk

Kalulé / Shipsey - Themic For Andrew
On this one there are some vocals where I genuinely cannot tell if it's Petero or Ed but it's fun and it makes me holler a bit when I'm listening.
blog.navelgazers.co.uk/2019/12/petero-kalule-edward-shipsey-in_13.html
peterokalule.bandcamp.com

Beaten Tooth - The Machine (Footnotes to Fleud)
This is from the original Indian Lake session which was only a decade ago but it seems ancient somehow to us who know the lore.
blog.navelgazers.co.uk/2020/01/beaten-tooth-indian-lake.html
freakweeds.bandcamp.com

Sylvia Hallett - Cockle Bottle
Sylvia seemed to send this no less than 24 hours after I asked for submissions. Of course it is solid gold Sylvia, bowin' that bicycle wheel!
blog.navelgazers.co.uk/2020/02/sylvia-hallett-white-fog.html
www.sylviahallett.co.uk

Vincent Carr's SUMIC - Must I Never Dream?
Vince says "I used the letters of the word 'mind' to play a little game with and come up with some notes and just let things happen." Wow!
blog.navelgazers.co.uk/2020/03/vincent-carrs-sumic-rekindled.html
vincentcarrssumic.bandcamp.com

DiscountGnostic - A Relucant Agreement
Afficionados of "backmasking" should unravel this track as I did, you may encounter the unexpected. I'm onto you Chris!
blog.navelgazers.co.uk/2020/04/discountgnostic-sponge-dreams.html
discountgnostic.bandcamp.com

Matt Atkins & Adam Kinsey - Lowercase Distillation
This is from Matt and Adam's original Lowercase session. We have rescued it so it doesn't end up on a bootleg!
blog.navelgazers.co.uk/2020/05/matt-atkins-adam-kinsey-lowercase.html
mrmrecordings.bandcamp.com
adamkinsey.bandcamp.com

Limpe Fuchs - Solaia
Groovy sounds from Limpe's upcoming album...she is playing Christoph Heeman's Korg synthesiser which she mentions in her interview.
blog.navelgazers.co.uk/2020/07/limpe-fuchs-muusiccia.html
www.limpefuchs.de/en/

Lara Jones - Ynys Hir
Apparently Ynys Hir is a remote location in Wales. Hmm, I think Lara and Martin have unintentionally come up with companion pieces here!
blog.navelgazers.co.uk/2020/08/lara-jones-enso.html
www.larajonesmusic.com

Adam Bohman - 105AA
Forwarded on from the gracious Jonathan Bohman.. this is an original, unedited recording from 1981. Whow, that is stunning.
blog.navelgazers.co.uk/2020/09/adam-bohman-music-and-words.html
adambohman.bandcamp.com

Trynka - Ironing Old Hopes
The penultimate track of any album has to have that certain something. Yeah, Lukasz has nailed it - bang bang, ka-ching!
blog.navelgazers.co.uk/2020/10/trynka-przesyt.html
trynka.bandcamp.com

Omphalopticon - uNrAVELed
Ok this is my contribution: I've mixed all twelve tracks into mutant music. Wait is this some kind of joke?? Alright knock it off, knock it off..
omphalopticon.bandcamp.com