In 2022, Hudson Records invited me to do a project of my choosing for their subscriber club. For me it’s all too easy to spend my time working on admin and other people’s music at the expense of my own material so this was a welcome opportunity. I decided to set myself the challenge of writing and recording a new tune each day for a week.

I set

In 2022, Hudson Records invited me to do a project of my choosing for their subscriber club. For me it’s all too easy to spend my time working on admin and other people’s music at the expense of my own material so this was a welcome opportunity. I decided to set myself the challenge of writing and recording a new tune each day for a week.

I set aside a week in June, cleared my diary of teaching and other commitments, left email unread, and set myself up for a clear week of recording. Usually an idea for each day’s tune would be floating round my head before I sat down to start, then I’d play around with it and start putting things down as the idea solidified. Working this way meant I had to commit quickly to ideas and get on with recording, rather than fiddling around indefinitely and not finishing anything.

The hardest part of it was actually just making myself be inside during a week of lovely long June days, and that is partly what inspired the overall theme of the tunes – reflections on the shifting season and the bittersweet undertones of midsummer.

1 – Sun Stands Still The word solstice is derived from the Latin sol (“sun”) and sistere (“to stand still”) 2 – Sixteen Hours Forty Two The hours of daylight here on the longest day 3 – Aphelion The earth is actually at its furthest point from the sun in early July 4 – Rose Moon June’s full moon is also known as the Rose Moon 5 – Seven Seconds Less The day after the solstice is already seven seconds shorter

Composed, played, recorded and mixed by Rob Harbron, June 13-18 2022

Instruments: English concertina (Wheatstone), guitars (Atkin, Martin), mandolin (Gibson), harmonium (Pearl River)

Photo by Camilla Greenwell

Over five days in January 2023, I wrote and recorded a tune each day inspired by the lengthening of the days and the turning point of the year. The tunes usually began as a melody in my head while out walking. On my return I'd begin recording each tune, working quickly to get each tune finished in a day.

I explored layering and multi-tracking on

Over five days in January 2023, I wrote and recorded a tune each day inspired by the lengthening of the days and the turning point of the year. The tunes usually began as a melody in my head while out walking. On my return I'd begin recording each tune, working quickly to get each tune finished in a day.

I explored layering and multi-tracking on all but one of these tunes, sometimes including multiple concertina parts and also making extensive use of the guitar and mandolin. I'm really pleased with the results - an immersive, reflective and optimistic set of instrumentals to mark the beginning of the new year.

'A Minute More Each Day' is a reminder that even in the dark days of early January, each day is longer and brighter than the day before. 'Perihelion' takes its name from the earth’s closest approach to the sun, which ironically takes place on January 6th, in the depth of winter. 'Sundogs' describes an atmospheric phenomenon where high altitude reflection cause the appearance of a smaller second sun. An old proverb declares that 'As the days begin to lengthen, the cold begins to strengthen' which provides the inspiration for the fourth tune. The final piece is named 'Besinox' and the name is an attempt to coin a phrase for the day in late January when it is finally light for eight hours out of every twenty-four.

Originally released exclusively to the Hudson Records subscriber club, I'm delighted to be making this music more widely available now. Happy listening!