Ah what have we growing in this corner of the garden? It's an Azalia, and a very strange one at that, but then it is a strange garden after all...

There are harsh environments for a flower to grow in, but there are plants growing in every corner of this planet, no matter how inhospitable to them. Perhaps the plants are even more interesting for their experiences and ability to survive in such environments. Well anyway, it is from such a place (New York) that Azalia Snail's music drifts out.

The music of Azalia Snail is hard to describe. My theory is that Azalia is the result of a US government experiment into invisibility. Words to describe Azalia's music? shimmering, indistinct, haze. It is like a kind of Psychedelia induced by Brian Eno. Drifting ambient soundscapes with a sharp edge.

When it came to mastering Azalia's new album "Escape Maker" the cutting engineer refused to cut it on the grounds that it didn't have a good signal to noise ratio. He had never heard anything like it and was convinced that something bad had happened to the tape. "It's full of false starts he said in amazement", No end of trying to tell him otherwise would help and he would only cut the record if a disclaimer was signed to the effect that he would have no responsibility for for quality of the finished cutting.

Here at the garden we know that good music isn't about having a good signal to noise ratio. If you are looking for such things may we direct you in the direction of some audio test records.

Another cutting engineer at a company more used to the ways of the underground music world cut the record with little problem!

Azalia has 2 releases on the garden of delights label:

She also has a track on the compilation LP "Seek Refuge..."