ToE
Sean Wood and Ian Johnson have comprised ToE. Based in Scunthorpe, the small English steel town where they grew up, the two guitarists were lifelong friends. They’ve released four albums, each a unique sonic journey, on Right Brain Records. Sadly, Ian passed away in late 2022. ToE’s fourth album celebrates his life and contributions. (Hear Sean’s epilogue below.)
ToE’s music has been influenced by the ambient industrial sounds of their environment: blast furnaces and tribal rhythms of pounding machinery hanging over the landscape and seeping into the imagination.
With that grounding, ToE has drawn inspiration from the likes of Keith Rowe, Fred Frith, Glenn Branca and Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music, as well as the improvisational, stream-of-consciousness qualities of meditation and contemplation. Their sound blends all of these elements.
The duo’s self-titled first album includes six hypnotically jarring instrumental tracks. Each is fully improvised with two prepared, custom-tuned guitars that are augmented with a battery of low-tech processors and captured live with a single stereo mic.
Buy ToE on Bandcamp.
Their second album, Way Out, features five pieces, including three extended tracks, “Lincoln Highway,” “Lampost” and “Mindfield” that explore a deeper meditative headspace.
Buy Way Out on Bandcamp.
“We really love the journey we take into the unknown each time we press the ‘play’ button. It’s like a magical mystery tour, occasionally arriving at a unique and fascinating place”
The third ToE release is a solo project by Sean, 534N 2.1. He revisited and reworked electronic projects from the 1990s, uncovered by surprise somewhere in his attic. He was active in the UK’s budding electronica scene at the time. Consistent with ToE’s low-tech approach, this album’s 7 tracks use familiar sounds in unexpected ways, creating fresh meditative vibes.
Buy 534N 2.1 on Bandcamp.
The fourth ToE album, released in 2023, is Tunnel of Ecstasy. It includes vintage and recent recordings of Sean and Ian, weaved together into hypnotic fields of ambient psychedelia.
“ToE has forged a unique, otherworldly sound that evokes pioneering electronic music, modern guitar experimentation and psychedelic rock. ”
