Big Calm (1998)

Big Calm is the second studio album by English electronic music group Morcheeba. It was released in March 1998 by Indochina Records and Sire Records. The album reached the top 20 of the UK Albums Chart, while the single "Part of the Process" charted in the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart in August of the same year. "The Music That We Hear", included on special-edition versions of the album, is a reworking of "Moog Island" from Morcheeba's debut album, Who Can You Trust? The album cover was inspired by that of the 1966 Ray Conniff compilation Hi Fi Companion.

Recording and composition

The recording of the album started on Christmas Day 1995, as Morcheeba members Paul and Ross Godfrey were awaiting the release of Who Can You Trust?. After basic demos had been laid down at their home studio on a cassette tape, the duo brought in vocalist Skye Edwards and guest performers to complete the record. Steve Bentley-Klein provided a string-arrangement for "The Sea", while "Let Me See" features Dom Pipkin on organ and Jimmy Hastings on flute. The song "Blindfold" had been written for the film She's So Lovely, but was not deemed ready for the feature. "Friction" features Spikey T while the title track includes contributions from Jason Furlow and DJ Swamp.

Personnel

Skye Edwards – vocals

Paul Godfrey – Lyrics, Production, beat sample programming, scratching, live drums.

Ross Godfrey – Chords, all guitars, sitar, pedal steel, lap steel, clavinet, Hammond, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer piano, drums, EMS synthesizer and MKS 80

Pete Norris – sound manipulation, synthesizer programming

Spikey-T – Jamaican vocals on "Friction"

Jason Furlow aka Nosaj the Great – rapping on "Big Calm"

Dave Lee – French Horn on "Over and Over" and "Fear and Love"