Joe Harvey-Whyte & Paul Cousins 'in a fugue state' [LP] (UK Import)

Black vinyl record housed in a standard jacket. Full color center labels. Edition of 300.

SHIPS LATE OCTOBER 2025. 

Joe Harvey-Whyte & Paul Cousins - in a fugue state (None More Records, 2025)

‘in a fugue state’ finds pedal-steel guitar maestro Joe Harvey-Whyte collaborating with tape loop sound scientist Paul Cousins on a warped ambient excursion into the subconscious. Originally written and recorded in one night, the eight tracks of hypnotic electro-acoustic music explore the concept of memory and time.

The duo study how we remember and misremember things; forming an imperfect reorganisation of time, events and emotional states. This album exists at a cross-section where loss, confusion, trauma and dissociation meet moments of joy, healing, acceptance and groundlessness.

Tape loops allow memories to take sonic form. These weightless sounds have been captured on rings of iron-oxide and saved from being forgotten. The pedal steel, once vibrant and clear, is now faded and frayed like an old photograph. A reminder of almost forgotten events. Through the hiss and static, there is solace in repetition and familiar patterns of sound.

‘in a fugue state’ was born out of a single two hour long improvisation session between Joe and Paul on “The Dream Stream”, Joe’s Soho Radio show focused on ambient/field recording/drone music designed to assist those who struggle with insomnia. This original session was then intuitively framed and mixed down to the eight tracks that make up the album.

Joe says, “We had never played together in this way before, so it was a way of meeting each other creatively. We were both fans of each other’s work but this occasion was our first ‘formal’ collaboration”.

A fugue state is a temporary dissociative mental state where one takes a journey and may completely forget who they are or where they are from. Eventually after returning to a ‘normal’ state of mind they may have no recollection of the events or the journey.

Paul continues, “There is a freedom and innocence to this music. We both felt a parallel to dissociative fugue when completing the project - we remember the recording session, but as it was happening we entered into a flow state, and time and place ceased to exist. The finished album is a result of our collective time travelling back to that moment.”

Wistful, euphoric, melancholic, and meditative; ‘in a fugue state’ is an emotional listening experience, creating a space for contemplation.

Mastered by Taylor Deupree at 12k Mastering and with cover artwork by Raimund Wong (Suzanne Ciani, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Alabaster Deplume), ‘in a fugue state’ is set for release via None More Records on LP and digital formats on 17th October 2025.