sky full of stars - dave stafford

this fragile, ethereal record is composed entirely of pieces created using the remarkable "m-tron" mellotron software. all of the pieces were originally recorded in or around october 2009, and over the following 2 years, were eventually very carefully mixed and prepared for release, finally, in early september, 2011. most of the pieces are live performances or in some cases, two live performances, two passes of the hands over the keyboard, and only one or two of the tracks have any overdubs of any kind - and those would have been made on the same day as the track was created. the eight tracks that make up "sky full of stars" were a real labour of love for stafford, who took a lot of time to try and ensure that the sound, the mix, and the feel of these pieces presents a unified album with a unique sound and mood of its own, and herein lies the results of that labour. "sky full of stars" sounds completely different from stafford's previous ambient release, "the haunting", because of the all mellotron approach of the former v. the all energy bow guitar approach of the latter, but strangely, the two albums both exude quiet, calm, peace and an unbelievably pureambient sound. the songs, the construction and the processes could not have been more different - yet, both albums emerged full formed, and both albums have a unique mood and identity that is pure dave stafford. "sky full of stars" is a long, peaceful journey through eight ambient soundscapes and it's a journey that's peaceful, calm and most enjoyable. this is also a landmark release in that it's the first, and only, dave stafford that is completely devoid of guitars - none whatsoever are used on any of the songs, all the sound being produced by the remarkable m-tron mellotron software synthesizer.