Ways of Seeing

Ways of Seeing is a beautifully produced and melodically rich suite of electronic pieces from The Advisory Circle and was inspired by late 70s and early 80s melodic electronic library music. Jon Brooks cites Alan Hawkshaw, Francis Monkman, Suzanne Ciani, James Asher, and John Hyde’s work as Astral Sounds as influences on his sound. But Brooks’ production has a definite contemporary feel making it something more than a simple reconstruction or homage and setting these sparkling tracks adrift outside of time. Two members of Friendly Fires make guest appearances; Ed Macfarlane on vocals on No Way Back, and Edd Gibson co-production on Scuba.

The Advisory Circle is the work of Jon Brooks, melodic and often melancholic electronic music inspired in part by soundtracks and library music of the 70s and 80s. Brooks is a stalwart of the Ghost Box label and an extraordinarily prolific artist. He has released five albums and four collaborative singles as The Advisory Circle. He also records as The Pattern Forms with Ed Macfarlane and Edd Gibson of Friendly Fires. He works with vocalist Tim Felton as Hintermass, and along with Ghost Box founder Jim Jupp he is half of The Belbury Circle. Under his own name and several pseudonyms, he has released albums on Clay Pipe Music and his own Café Kaput label. Before joining the Ghost Box family in the early 00s Brooks recorded for Lo Records as King of Woolworths. As a producer and mastering engineer, Brooks is a contributing presence on most Ghost Box releases. He has years of experience as a commercial and library composer and his mastering and audio restoration skills are much in demand, particularly on re-issue labels such as Trunk Records.