Samuel Organ curates an ethereal folk soundscape

Welcome back to Selections, a series of artist-curated playlists from those in the know.

The lore of the natural landscape is woven throughout Samuel Organ’s work. A narrative which Organ – who is a founding member of The Physics House Band – has continued to explore in depth since the release of his 2021 solo debut A Safe Place in Cyberspace, which marked a venture into new sound worlds for the multidisciplinary creative.

His new EP Guided By Horses is an ode to the South Downs. Imbued with a folkloric mysticism, the release captures an uncanny essence of the sublime – in both the majestic pastoral and eerie supernatural sense. The tracks offer an aural journey through the Sussex landscape – famed for its chalk hills – and the surrounding mythology, here encapsulated through field recordings of chirping birds and rippling streams alongside beaming synths, ethereal vocals, lilting plucked guitar and folk violin melodies. It also hones in on the abundant, transcendent solitude to be found in the natural world.

Additionally, Organ’s work encompasses a wide-range of collaborations. He forms one half of Peter Talisman with Slugabed, has collaborated with Iglooghost, BABii and Kai Whiston and has also worked with Shygirl, Sega Bodega, Danny L Harle and Caroline Polachek – playing guitar on the latter’s recent album Desire, I Want To Turn Into You.

For his Selections playlist, Organ gives insight into some of the artists and songs that inspired Guided By Horses. In his own words, this is “a collection of pieces that create a rich sound palette of ethereal voices, strings, acoustic guitar and ambient soundscapes, featuring a mix of traditional folk and modern productions”.