Cosmic Neighbourhood is the brainchild of Bristol-based illustrator and musician Adam Higton. In the words of It's Nice That, Higton's works 'conjure crisp autumnal smells, the Incredible String Band, children's bedsheets, tree carvings, Morris Men, Steeleye Span, and the patterned variety of 1970s crockery you often see in caravans.' Adam was recently seen performing at Pick Me Up design festival, hunched over a synth and disguised as a six-foot tall mushroom. His wide-eyed, mossy view of the world is endlessly endearing.
Sonically, Collages I straddles new and old, taking modular electronics, flutes, bells and softly pattering drum machines, before colouring them all with the amber glow of some forgotten, psychedelic kids' TV programme. Higton's benign toots and echoing jingles bring to mind Daphne Oram's early delay experiments or the meandering playfulness of Tom Cameron. Indeed, this radiophonic, time-worn approach has won Adam fans at arch archivists Ghost Box. In the words of the artist, this release 'documents the daily goings-on of the forest folk within the realm of the Cosmic Neighbourhood. The collages came first and the music acts as a response to each individual composition.'