Clementine, the new two-track EP from Fine Form (Brodie Conley) & Nic Hyatt documents two friends collaborating across distances. The two former bandmates (ex-Future States) have been talking about collaborating on new music since Hyatt moved north from Ontario to Whitehorse, Yukon in 2018. In late 2020, they began trading improvised musical sketches. One of these early sketches, a short loop of drum machine and synthesizer created by Conley stood out to Hyatt, who responded to the initial musical prompt in the form of multiple improvised acoustic piano takes. Together, the initial musical seed ideas and improvised piano form the basic building blocks for what became Clementine. Over 2021, the pair worked slowly, together, to rearrange the original musical source material into the EP tracks, Clementine & Satsuma. Outside of the musical collaboration, this process became a way for the two musicians to maintain their friendship. Zoom-based work sessions turned into life catch-ups. Music informed friendship and vice versa. The final leg of the process was driven by audio engineer, Jordy Walker, whose studio wizardry placed the piece in context through the addition of lush reverb and finishing with some analog-chain magic. Together, the two songs on Clementine function as a story of the EP’s creation. ‘Clementine’ presents the final, fully arranged, piece of music, and details the end-point of the collaborative process. In contrast, ‘Satsuma’ provides a window into the creation process, with the track highlighting the basic building blocks for ‘Clementine’. In ‘Satsuma’, the listener hears the original electronic textures alongside two of Hyatt’s improvised piano takes. Perceptive listeners will hear snippets of sound and melody in ‘Satsuma’ that also appear in the final version of Clementine, albeit in a new context. Music by Fine Form (Brodie Conley) & Nicolas Hyatt // Produced by Brodie Conley, Nicolas Hyatt and Jordy Walker // Mixed by Jordy Walker at Stackwall Sound // Mastered by Taylor Deupree at 12k Mastering // Artwork by Rebecca Manias
