Fiona Soe Paing

Description

SAND, SILT, FLINT is the second solo album from Aberdeenshire multimedia artist, singer and producer Fiona Soe Paing.

Described by Songlines Magazine as “a sublimely powerful and lingering experience” the album re-imagines ancient stories and songs from the darker side of Northeast Scotland’s balladry tradition, with a delicately blended palette of shimmering electronic textures and traditional Scottish sounds.

Sparked by discovering she’s related to one of the region’s renowned ballad singers, John Strachan, Fiona returned to her roots to create the album SAND, SILT, FLINT. Taking inspiration from the landscape and folklore of Aberdeenshire, the music is rooted in place, but otherworldly in spirit, forging a re-enchanting connection between past and present.

Combining Fiona’s arrangements of five traditional ballads from the Child, Greig-Duncan and Carpenter collections, with five original compositions, the album includes contributions from some of the area’s premier instrumentalists: cellist Alice Allen, fiddle player Paul Anderson, clarinettist Joanna Nicholson, clarsach player Irene Watt, guitarist Thee Manual Labour and drummer David McKay.

Initially released as a digital only album in 2022, SAND, SILT, FLINT received widespread critical acclaim, including Four Stars reviews from The Guardian and Songlines Magazine, and a recommendation from rock icon Iggy Pop on his BBC 6 Music show “Wow, that’s advanced, and beautiful!”