Colin Edwin

Last updated

Colin Edwin Balch
Porcupine Tree COLIN EDWIN TS Wisla Krakow 001 (cropped).jpg
Background information
Birth nameColin Edwin Balch
Born (1970-07-02) 2 July 1970 (age 53)
Melbourne, Australia
Origin Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England
Genres
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)
Years active1993–present
Member of
Formerly of
  • Porcupine Tree
  • Ex-Wise Heads
  • Metallic Taste of Blood
  • Random Noise Generator
  • Astarta/Edwin
  • Twinscapes
  • Obake
  • Endless Tapes

Colin Edwin Balch is an Australian musician, specialising in fretted and fretless bass guitar, double bass and guimbri.

Contents

Edwin first came to public attention as a member of the British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree, in which he was bass player from 1993 to 2011. Currently, Edwin is a member of Ex-Wise Heads, a long running collaboration with multi instrumentalist Geoff Leigh which mixes ethnic, ambient, and post-modern influences. He is also a member of metal-influenced project Random Noise Generator, and the bands Metallic Taste of Blood [1] and progressive metal act O.R.k., as well as participating in numerous collaborations and releasing solo work.

Biography

Colin Edwin Balch was born in Melbourne on 2 July 1970. During his childhood, his family moved to Hemel Hempstead, England, where he became a schoolfriend of the young Steven Wilson.

In December 1993, he joined Wilson's progressive rock band Porcupine Tree, in which he played bass guitar, double bass and guimbri. His time in the band lasted until its initial dissolution in 2011, and covered nine studio albums and thirteen live albums. Edwin also played double bass on occasion for Wilson's other main project No-Man, notably for 1993 radio sessions and on 2001's Returning Jesus album.

In 1999, Edwin teamed with former Henry Cow instrumentalist Geoff Leigh and percussionist Vincent Salzfaas to form the instrumental ethno-fusion trio Ex-Wise Heads, who have gone on to record six albums (with the project later becoming a duo of Edwin and Leigh augmented by percussionist Rick Edwards and various guests).

Since 2009, Edwin has also been releasing solo work, including two solo albums (Third Vessel in 2009 and PVZ in 2012) [2] both available through Burning Shed. [3] He continues to regularly release standalone solo tracks via his Bandcamp page.

In 2011, Edwin formed the band "Metallic Taste of Blood" with Italian musician Eraldo Bernocchi, Hungarian drummer Balazs Pandi and Keyboard player Jamie Saft, releasing an album on RareNoiseRecords. [1] With a new line-up featuring former Prong drummer Ted Parsons and keyboard player Roy Powell, Metallic Taste of Blood released a second album "Doctoring the Dead" in May 2015, also on RareNoise. [4]

Edwin has continued working with Eraldo Bernocchi in the newest line-up of the band Obake, alongside vocalist Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari with their second album entitled Mutations, which was released in October 2014 on RareNoise. [5]

Also in 2011, Edwin worked with American guitarist Jon Durant on the album Dance of the Shadow Planets [6] and the two collaborated further on the album Burnt Belief [7] released on the Alchemy Records label in 2012. [8] Their third collaboration, Etymology, was released in October 2014. [9]

Edwin has also collaborated with Italian bassist Lorenzo Feliciati, resulting in the album Twinscapes, released on RareNoise in 2014. [10] The Twinscapes album also features contributions from Nils Petter Molvær, David Jackson, Roberto Gualdi and Andi Pupato, and was mixed by bassist and producer Bill Laswell [11] Edwin is known to have an interest in photography and also took the cover image for the album. [12]

In mid 2014 it was announced that Edwin would be joining experimental jazz rock band Henry Fool [13] as well as participating in recording new material for a future album.

In 2015 Edwin joined Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari, guitarist Carmelo Pipitone and drummer Pat Mastelotto in a new band "O.R.k." releasing the albums Inflamed Rides. [14] [ failed verification ], Soul of an Octopus., [15] and Ramagehead,. [16]

Edwin recorded the bass lines for the instrumental rock musical collective Armonite, releasing the albums The Sun is New each Day in 2015 [17] and And the Stars above in 2018, the latter published by Cleopatra Records. [18]

Edwin has also collaborated with Ukrainian female vocal duo Astarta, playing concerts in London and Ukraine [19] and releasing a full-length album in April 2016. [20]

Style and equipment

Edwin performing with Porcupine Tree in 2007 Porcupine Tree at State Theatre, Falls Church 2007 - Colin Edwin.jpg
Edwin performing with Porcupine Tree in 2007

Edwin is a jazz fan, and incorporates an atypical jazz-inspired style into his playing for a rock band. He also has a strong interest in world music and in electronica, reflected particularly in his work with Ex-Wise Heads and in his solo releases.

In between 1994 and 2004, Edwin's main bass was a 1994 Wal Mark I four-string fretless bass, until he gave it "a break" and semi-retired it from the rigours of live touring. He subsequently used a Music Man StingRay and, for the Deadwing Tour, a Music Man Bongo which can be viewed in action on Porcupine Tree's DVD release Arriving Somewhere... .

During that time period Edwin was introduced to Spector basses and purchased a EuroLX 4-string model in Natural Oil. The company then gave him one of their extended scale-length models (35" as opposed to the "standard" 34" scale for 4-string basses), a Euro 4LX-35 [21] in transparent black. This proved to be useful as over half of their 2007 album, Fear of a Blank Planet was downtuned C/F/Bb/Eb to which the 35" scale length give better definition to the lower notes. For the second leg of the Fear of a Blank Planet Tour starting in October 2007 a ReBop Deluxe FM [22] unlined fretless bass in Natural Oil was used for the song "A Smart Kid" among others, and well as using his Music Man Bongo bass guitar as his spare or encore bass.

As of late September 2009 Edwin was back to using his fretted and fretless Wal Mark I 4-string basses for the majority of the tour supporting the Porcupine Tree release of The Incident. He played approximately 85% of The Incident song-cycle on his Wal basses. His black Spector Euro 4LX-35 was used for the other 15% "heavy parts" which were down-tuned to C Standard. Edwin still endorses the Spector and Basslab basses as well as EBS amplifiers, speaker cabinets, and effects pedals. He endorses Ernie Ball Bass Strings for use on his Wal fretless bass [23] and Spector Medium Stainless Steel Bass Strings on his fretted Spector basses. [24]

Discography (Outside of Porcupine Tree)

Solo Albums
YearTitleLabel
2009Third VesselHard World
2012P.V.Z.Hard World
2015Mesh E.P.Hard World
2020Infinite RegressHard World
With Ex-Wise Heads
YearTitleLabel
2002No Grey MatterHard World
2003Time and Emotion StudyHard World
2006Holding Up the SkyHard World
2007Liquid AssetsHard World
2010Celestial DisclosureTonefloat
2011SchemataHard World
With Lorenzo Feliciati as Twinscapes
YearTitleLabel
2014TwinscapesRareNoise
With Armonite
YearTitleLabel
2015The Sun Is New Each DayMerry-Go-Sound
2018And the Stars AboveCleopatra Records
With Metallic Taste of Blood
YearTitleLabel
2012Metallic Taste of BloodRareNoise
2015Doctoring the DeadRareNoise
With Obake
YearTitleLabel
2014MutationsRareNoise
2016DraugrRareNoise
With Jon Durant
YearTitleLabel
2011Dance of the Shadow PlanetsAlchemy
2012Burnt BeliefAlchemy
2014EtymologyAlchemy
2016EmergentAlchemy
2021Mutual IsolationAlchemy
With O.R.k.
YearTitleLabel
2015Inflamed RidesHard World
2017Soul of An OctopusRareNoise
2019RamageheadKscope
2022ScreamnasiumKscope
With Tim Bowness
YearTitleLabel
2014Abandoned Dance Hall DreamsInside Out
2015Stupid Things That Mean The WorldInside Out
2017Lost In The Ghost LightInside Out
With Astarta as Astarta/Edwin
YearTitleLabel
2016Astarta/EdwinCompMusic
With Endless Tapes
YearTitleLabel
2013Endless Tapes EPHard World
2016Brilliant WavesHard World
With Gaudi
YearTitleLabel
2017MagneticRarenoise
With Jon Durant and Inna Kovtun
YearTitleLabel
2019Edwin Durant KovtunAlchemy

Current equipment

Previously used equipment

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References

  1. 1 2 "Metallic Taste Of Blood | This is the website of Metallic Taste of Blood". metallictasteofblood.com. Archived from the original on 10 September 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  2. ↑ "Colin Edwin, Bass Musician Magazine Q&A". bassmusicianmagazine.com. 11 April 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  3. ↑ "Debut solo album from Porcupine Tree bass player Colin Edwin". Third Vessel. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
  4. ↑ "Metallic Taste of Blood - Doctoring the Dead". May 2015.
  5. ↑ "RareNoiseRecords - obake-store". rarenoiserecords.com. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  6. ↑ "Untitled Page". jondurant.com. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  7. ↑ "Unsung Melody - Trees and Beliefs. An interview with Colin Edwin of Porcupine Tree". unsungmelody.com. 10 February 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  8. ↑ "Burnt Belief". Archived from the original on 8 August 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  9. ↑ "Burnt Belief - "Etymology" due out October 21 on Alchemy Records - The Prog Report". progreport.com. October 2014. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  10. ↑ "Through the looking glass: a peek at RareNoiseRecords releases for 2014 « Dense[Signals]". densesignals.com. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  11. ↑ "THE Bill Laswell Pages". silent-watcher.net. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  12. ↑ "The Fisheye Snaps New Album Cover from Colin Edwin of Porcupine Tree · Lomography". lomography.com. Archived from the original on 12 January 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  13. ↑ "Colin Edwin joins Henry Fool - Prog". prog.teamrock.com. 22 April 2014. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  14. ↑ "O.R.k. - 'Inflamed Rides' (Review) | TMMP". Archived from the original on 11 June 2015.
  15. ↑ "O.R.k. – Soul of an Octopus Review". 27 February 2017.
  16. ↑ "O.R.k."
  17. ↑ "Armonite - Music" . Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  18. ↑ "Armonite - And the Stars above" . Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  19. ↑ "Colin Edwin, Musical Chemistry and Following Instincts – Bass Musician Magazine, June 2017 Issue". June 2017.
  20. ↑ "TPA News – April 2016 – the Progressive Aspect – TPA". Archived from the original on 29 June 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  21. ↑ "Spector Bass – Europe Series 4LX-35". Archived from the original on 10 April 2008. Retrieved 14 April 2008.
  22. ↑ "Spector Bass – Europe Series ReBopDLX Bolt-On". Archived from the original on 10 April 2008. Retrieved 14 April 2008.
  23. ↑ "Ernie Ball – News". Archived from the original on 3 April 2008. Retrieved 14 April 2008.
  24. 1 2 3 4 5 "Colin Edwin on Riding A Sonic Storm". Bass Player Magazine. September 2007. Archived from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 13 April 2008.
  25. ↑ "Builder Profile: Spector Custom Shop - YouTube". youtube.com. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  26. ↑ "Image: ColinEdwin4_lrg.jpg". spectorbass.com. Archived from the original on 8 August 2007. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  27. ↑ "Image: colin_edwin3.jpg, (397 × 549 px)". basslab.de. 29 December 2006. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  28. ↑ "Image: coln_edwin1.jpg, (1550 × 2372 px)". basslab.de. 21 May 2006. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  29. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 5 July 2007. Retrieved 22 June 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  30. ↑ "Some of you know Porcupine tree???". Ernieball.com. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
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