Two and a Half Questions with Hummingbird

Talk a little about your decision of remaining anonymous.
This decision was made for no other reason than to put out music under a different name, or in this case, a hidden identity - I personally wanted to release something that would be considered and valued for the musical content and not for the artists name. This was also echoed by Fluid Audio and we agreed that due to the fact that this was a more concept-based project and didn't sound like any of my other musical output it would be interesting to take this route of remaining anonymous for this album.

What does your moniker, Hummingbird, represent?
The artist name Hummingbird was chosen after several visits to a local nature reserve in the spring of 2010. After spending time observing and taking pictures of the Hummingbirds that were located there I was taken aback with the movement, behaviour and the amazing colours of these birds. I'd already had the musical direction in my head at this stage so all I needed was to choose a name that would best reflect the concept and work in tandem with the music. I'd like to think in some form the music represents the artist name and subsequently replicates an audible representation of the Hummingbirds' behaviour, colour and the visible wavelengths created by the movement. In a figurative sense, this is probably most noticeable in the song "Eemina" where there's a hovering-like feel to the song.

Where do the field recordings come from, and who performs the live instrumentation on the album?
The field recordings were created, sampled and collated from various sources, mostly I recorded sounds myself, in public places, outside in the dead of night and in various locations whether on holiday or visiting various places locally. The live instrumentation was mostly recorded by myself in the studio and also on various locations whilst I was traveling. I also worked alongside a musician who is classically trained who I'd asked to contribute to give a particular, defined feel to one or two of the songs.

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Read the entire interview on Headphone Commute

See also Headphone Commute review of Our Fearful Symmetry