Comprising four multi-instrumentalists, 8 Hands of Sound came together as a result of a shared passion for the handpan – and have released their first album, New Light recorded at Grooveboy Studios in Melbourne. Although just released, the actual recording sessions took place the last time all band members were in the same country as each other – as long ago as 2018.
Jeremy Diffey (Melbourne, Australia), Adrian Portia (Shepparton, Australia), Lauri Wuolio (Helsinki, Finland) and Jeremy Arndt (Michigan, US) met online through a Handpan forum. ‘There were so few players of the instrument in the early days, that it allowed us all to be connected through the internet,’ explains Arndt.
Band member and studio owner, Diffey oversaw the recording session: ‘The set-up consisted mainly of ribbon microphones and small diaphragm condensers,’ he says. ‘We recorded into my Audient ASP880 mic preamps through an RME UFX interface,’ he says. ‘The ASP880 handled everything we threw at it: handpans, drums, analogue synths, woodwinds, flutes, percussion, guitars, vocals and a myriad of other instruments.
‘I’ve always found the preamps in the ASP880 to be extremely high quality, and they sound great. When EQing the instruments, often only small adjustments are required – it just works.’
The first in-person meeting of the band took place at the annual Hangout US gathering in 2014, where they had organised a concert together. ‘We had such a great time that we decided we should get together in the future to work on an album,’ Arndt recalls. And here we are…
‘8 Hands of Sound set out to expand the boundaries of handpan music and bring it to new frontiers,’ Arndt says. ‘It draws upon a diverse palette of musical influence, including modern greats like Snarky Puppy and Bonobo, as well as the vast genres of world music, electronica, jazz and classical.’
Invented in 2000, the handpan is the newest widely-produced acoustic instrument in the world. The ‘hang’ that inspired the handpan, began with just two artisans hand-building it in Bern, Switzerland. Even in the early 2000s the number of people building them was still in single figures.
‘In addition to the acoustic instruments recorded through the ASP880’s preamps, we also used Moog and Dave Smith Instruments synthesisers, Arturia V Collection software synthesisers, and a Sequentix Cirklon for some of the sequencing,’ Arndt adds. ‘All of the hardware synthesiser tracks were run through the DIs on the front panel of the ASP880.
‘I love the clarity,’ he continues. ‘To me, they do their job by letting the instruments shine. I find they always capture the source precisely without colouring the sound in any way.’
He likes them so much he bought his own ASP880 for his own studio in Michigan, in the US. ‘The price you pay for the eight channels of quality preamps is incredible,’ he says. ‘I firmly believe there isn’t a better value preamp out there.’
All band members now have their own studios, and there is talk of recording more music remotely. For now though, it’s all about sharing the current one far and wide – within the confines of the global pandemic. ‘When the restrictions of the pandemic lift, we fully intend to bring our live experience to audiences in the US, Europe and Australia,’ says Arndt, who’s been busy with a solo album, Handpan Solo: River Sessions for release very soon.
Diffey plans to starti work on another solo album incorporating handpan, woodwind and electronic instruments. ‘As for 8 Hands of Sound? We’d love to perform a tour. It may take a bit of planning and fundraising due to the spread out nature of the band,’ he laughs.
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