"Kaima" [noun, Finnish]: one's namesake

The album, KAIMA, was written and recorded in the forests of Finland, south of Hämeenkyrö, by Sydney guitarist Tom Hogan. Each work on the album has a focus on improvisation and chance - either on the instrument or in the production process, incorporating rhythms, sounds and limitations of the frozen forest environment.

Guitar improvisations were recorded outside in minus 15 degrees Celsius. The resulting sounds were often softer, slower, and more reliant on space than the inside improvisations. Sampled instruments were re-recorded outside from distances between 20 – 50 metres. Reverbs were created from the surrounding frozen forests, lakes and ice hockey fields. Irregular rhythms and dynamic levels were based on field recording experiments, sampling the volumes and sensitive dynamics of the surrounding environments. Stereo mixes and reverbs were created by recording multiple mono mixes through 5-watt amplifiers. Wind interruptions and the occasional passing car are included in the mixes; only the recording process controlled sounds of the environment.