In early 2023, Barry Lamb and Peter Ashby from Two Headed Emperor along with Alessandro Monti collaborated on an improvisation project. Each musician created stems which were placed in 25 numbered folders each having its own unique theme but no specific instructions on instrumentation, mood or structure and without hearing the others' contributions. They then created 25 tracks using at least one stem from each musician's folder and named them without direction from each other (the original themes were: Ghosts, Flying, Village, Cascade, Picnic, Sailor, Snake, Bossy, Metalwork, Roses, Cargo, Bicycle, Festival, Boss, Lizard, Nameless, Leaks, Less, Phantom, Bells, Possessions, Elevator, Pipe, Queries, United). Two versions/mixes of the album "Two Headed Emperor & Alessandro Monti" (UK edition) and "Alessandro Monti & Two Headed Emperor" (Italian edition) are made immediately available with the third collection of 25 tracks intended to be part of a more expansive reimagining at a later date.
ALESSANDRO MONTI: Acoustic, Electric & Bass Guitars, Casio Synthesizer, Recorder, Thumb Piano, Tubular Bells, Bicycle Bells, Chimes, Tabla & Duggi, Wood Whistle, Dog Toy, Washing Machine (drum), Field Recordings, Found Sounds, Free Samples, Computer Work, Vocals.
Recorded, edited & mixed at home on a Zoom handy recorder and laptop.
PETER ASHBY: Mandolin, Eko Encore 49 P organ, Excel-o-tone keyboard, MusicWiz keyboard, Melodica, Battery Powered Synths, Granular Synths, Guitar, Broken Bass, Thumb Piano, Tongue Drum, Manipulated Vocals, Drums, Cymbals, Bongos, Maracas, Comb, Tin Lids, Metal Step, Tubes, Paper, Floorboards, Door, Washing Machine On Spin, Dictaphones.
Recorded exclusively on a Tascam DR 40 hand held recorder through its internal mics.
BARRY LAMB: Vocals, Mellotron, Alto Saxophone, Yamaha DJX synthesizer, Wind Synths, Drum Pads, Gusle, Field Recordings, Assorted Household Items, Aerophone, Midi Guitar, Garden Hose, Electric Guitar, Harmonica, Flute, Bass Guitar, Q Chord, Horn, Pocket Sax, Casio VL Tone, Vibraphone, Microkorg synthesizer, Recorder, Clarinet, Penny Whistle, Samples from cassette culture recordings made in the early 1980's.