John Mingay - soundscapes.

John Mingay – Scoundscapes – Download/Cd-r – Irislight Music – 2026

https://irislightmusic.bandcamp.com/music

https://irislightmusic.bandcamp.com/album/soundscapes

1.      tongzya.

2.      on the edge of elsewhere.

3.      arcaibh

4.      arainn.

5.      cloisters.

6.      scinomrah.

7.      bon d'accord.

8.      nip hill.

I like the description of this on the label page, it advises not to listen ‘whilst driving or operating machinery.’  This gives me a sinister vibe as I start listening to soundscapes. Several tracks relate to the Scottish borders, Orkney, Arran, Durham and Lancaster. Prior to listening I couldn't easily find out a lot about John Mingay, so he has an instant air of mystery to him. All this sinister dark music on my blog, what have I got myself into? I will give immediate kudos to the album for the abstract painting on the album’s cover, more painting in noise scene visuals please. The said paintings are a detail of a diptych by Mingay, who, as I eventually found out, is also a visual artist and poet, go John!

tongzya opens soundscapes, it creates a lot of space in the sound, the atmosphere is dark, haunted and feels like a nightmare in an abandoned, damp, dark building. Some of the sounds bring to mind someone breathing, this gives the track an internal feeling to it, as if submerging into deep sub consciousness continually. I like how it makes the mind form visuals as the sound unfolds – you, the listener might create something totally different within your own mind.

Bird sounds can be heard on the edge of somewhere as piano notes resonate over them and small drones waver in the background. There are long gaps between piano notes, so the bird noises and drones play off each other for long periods of time. Field recordings, of which the source can't be made out, begin to play within the sounds adding abstracted, everyday happenings into the track. Is this all from one environment, or is it from several sources combined to make one new environment? This all gets darker towards the end as sinister wailings play out with the piano. I am submerged back into the depths of consciousness as arcaibh begins, indecipherable chatter lies within the ambient darkness, I feel as if I am stuck in a city, like the ones in Akira or Blade runner, out of my senses, unable to make things out clearly. Is something bad about to happen?

arainn is one of the albums two shorter tracks, it has a faster pace to it, through sharper, wailing drones and hissing sounds. This has more action going off between the tracks, they intermingle more, there is tension between them. cloisters carries on the urgency of arainn, it clangs as deep drones and whispers spark off each other. The clangs are bells, is this a funeral, or happenings in a graveyard, it is as if the nightmare has intensified greatly as the interactions continue with sharper movement as volumes rise in sound and texture. Feedback weaves in to add discomfort to the listening experience. The darkness continues to resonate off scinomrah which plays off a simpler palette of drones, wailing tones and hisses, I like it when Mingay allows this to happen for longer periods  of time, as it gradually speaks volumes through the subtle shifts and raises in tension. It all dies off to hisses and crackles that become chattier as subtle drones soon begin to build slightly around this to a sinister, gasping end.

I float in darkness as bon d'accord plays, metal scrapes, voices mutter and laugh in its murky depths. The nightmare carries through tracks, across the album. The end is near, we arrive at nip hill, this feels as if it ascends slowly, like the darkness is lifted slightly by slightly sunnier drones, subtle accelerations of sound and what I perceive to be busier, abstracted, field recordings. Voices talk towards the works end.

This is a good album, I am glad it got a physical release, it deserves it and is available from the Iris Light Music link above.

ZG 2026.