Producers, arrangers & labels
Spring Studio
Producer/arranger in Prahran, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Harry Williamson produced my first 2 CDs Argo & Alexandria; 30% of Ariel; about 15% of Alabaster; half of Apple Pentacle; 40% of Djinn & a portion of forthcoming Elderbrook, playing such instruments as charango, 12-string guitar, glissander & dulcimer, and narrating characters, from Puck (Argo) to a tree-spirit (Djinn) and the Dwarf of Barberry in an upcoming song for Elderbrook. A fine example of his exquisite instrumentation is ‘Escalder’s Tree Ride’ on Apple Pentacle. Highlights are our conversations about folklore.
For more: http://www.springstudio.com.au
Pilgrim Arts
Producer/arranger in Coromandel Valley, Adelaide, South Australia
Brett Taylor produced two thirds (over 70%) of Ariel, most of Alabaster, more than half of Djinn, half of Apple Pentacle and at least 1 third of forthcoming Elderbrook. He & his family perform several instruments on our CDs such as keyboard, flute, classical guitar, percussion & bass. Brett’s style of arranging is notable for its subtle, smooth clarity, e.g. in the songs ‘Stone Lake’, ‘The Windrow’, ‘Blackbird’, ‘Yellow Leaves’, ‘Paint the Wind’ and ‘Red Balloon’. I’m also grateful for Brett’s geniality in working across studios. I love his tranquility and humility, including his abiding respect for Mark.
For more: http://www.pilgrimarts.com
Mad Cat Sound
Producer/arranger in Oakleigh, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Jack Setton is the newest participant, chosen not only for his facilities, proximity and experience (or for being an aficionado of cats!) but his calm proficiency in handling data from many studios. Jack adapted well to the stylistic, cultural and logistic challenges of our niche, with so many collaborators interstate and overseas, and handling a string quartet with consummate ease. His affinity with progressive folk-rock genres came to the fore in forthcoming Elderbrook. Welcome aboard, Jack.
For more: http://www.madcatsound.com.au
Prikosnovenie
Producer/arranger in Clisson, France
Frédéric Chaplain: As well as releasing most of my solo albums from Ariel onwards, Frédéric Chaplain’s involvement in my music included recording both volumes of Love Sessions with Gor, Daemonia Nymphe, me and his own project Lys. With hundreds of releases sourced from many nations, Fred reshaped the course of ethereal music, harbouring a distinctive fairy-world realm. This longstanding company closed during the pandemic, during which our political views diverged; I support lockdowns, masks & vaccines, vote Green, etc. I had already signed off the label, amicably. And I remain grateful for the opportunities and artistic inspiration that came from this label. Fred now has a new label, Mandalia Music, with a more ambient New Age focus.
Whilst our former French label Prikosnovenie had a Russian name (meaning ‘soft caress’), it was based in France, in the medieval village of Clisson, by a river and medieval castle. Prikosnovenie’s co-owner was Sabine-Adelaide.
Sabine Adélaïde
Graphic artist & co-founder of Prikosnovenie with Frédéric Chaplain
Fey illustrator Sabine Adelaide designed most of my CDs since the French edition of Ariel – except for an American edition of Alexandria and my most recent one, Elderbrook, and collaborations on other labels – handling cover art with Alabaster, Apple Pentacle, Djinn, also Ghost Fish (with Daemonia Nymphe, Greece) and I hear the Water Dreaming (with Oophoi, Italy).
For more: http://www.sabine-adelaide.com
Arno Pellerin
Promotion, percussion & publicity
Arno Pellerin was the label’s website manager and handled its newsletter, marketing, etc, as well as participating on catalogue selection. I am grateful for his help with merchandise at rare European shows.
Fellow musicians & artists
Olaf Parusel (Stoa)
Our collaborations include the song ‘The Seventh Ingress’ on my album Alabaster, songs ‘Broken Glass’ & ‘Palladium’ on Stoa’s album Silmand, a medieval soundtrack for MDR TV and a contribution to my forthcoming album Elderbrook. Discography of this quiet genius of Halle: Urthona, Porta VIII, Zal, Silmand.
For more: http://www.stoa.de
Spyros Giasafakis (Daemonia Nymphe)
Our collaborations include the album Ghost Fish with Nikodemos Triaridis, the first volume of Love Sessions, a guest part in our song ‘The Throng on the Pier’ on Alabaster, and solo project by Spyros: Improvisations in Ancient Greek Instruments. I recommend their entire oeuvre including their self-titled album & The Bacchic Dance of Nymphes – Tyrvasia & Krataia Asterope & concert DVD.
For more: http://daemonianymphe.com
Francesco Banchini (GoR)
Our collaborations include the first and second volumes of Love Sessions, a clarinet solo on my song ‘The Lily and the Rose’ on Alabaster and a tour of several European nations in 2003 with this Neapolitan virtuoso. Albums include Bellum, Iadalbaoth, Phlegraei, Qumran & Croisades.
Gianluigi Gasparetti (Oophoi)
Gigi made the ambience of ‘Approaching the Island of Sirens’ on our CD Alabaster and composed a CD with me, I Hear the Water Dreaming that sold out on our former label Prikosnovenie.
Carsten Agthe, Mathias Grassow, Rudiger Gleisberg, Dirk Schlomer (Stella Maris, Das Zeichen, Transmission Fields, etc)
Associated with my former label Hyperium, these German musicians co-wrote such songs as ‘Little Red Car made of Glass’, ‘Laocoon’, ‘Notre Dame’ & ‘Raven’ on various CDs / labels. See our guesting / compilation page for more about these collaborations.
For more: http://www.mathias-grassow.de / http://amygdalandmusic.de
Chris Mc Carter (Ikon)
Chris released two of my collaborative songs with him, ‘Ashes of Blue’ and ‘Slaughter’, on his darkwave CD Destroying the World to Save it.
For more: http://www.ikondomain.com
Nehl Aelin
Bewitching chanteuse from France who performed with me in Belgium. I particularly recommend her new CD Le Monde Saha.
For more: http://www.nehlaelin.com
Keltia
Frédérique Henrottin (Keltia) is a Belgian harpist, chanteuse & composer of exquisite, subtle depth.
She performed harp with me in Bruxelles 2003; also on my CD Djinn in the song ‘A Retinue of Mandrakes’. Keltia’s latest, haunting CD is Les Métamorphoses:
Rachael Hammond (Fantastical Fae Art)
Australian artist drawing fairies & fantasy for over a decade, designing our Feline Faery Fest posters, sharing my love of cats & dragons and co-illustrating Elderbrook.
For more: http://www.rachaelhammond.com.au
Kelly Miller-Lopez & Priscilla Hernandez
Both Kelly (of Woodland / Treguenda) and Priscilla (Yidneth) contributed to ‘Fountains’ music in Elderbrook, due 2013.
You can also hear all our voices together on Woodland’s album Seasons in Elfland – Shadows, and Priscilla’s The Underliving, and on http://www.faerieworlds.com.
For more: http://www.woodlandmusic.net — http://priscillahernandez.com
Dandelion Wine
Nicholas Albanis & Naomi Henderson (Dandelion Wine), a genre-bending duo, played on my CD Djinn, and performed with me in Belgium & at the Sydney Witches Ball & Feline Faery Fest.
For more: https://dandelionwine.bandcamp.com/
Jenni Heinrich
Jenni Heinrich plays viola & classical guitar & co-wrote ‘The Green Pentacle’ on my 5th CD Apple Pentacle Her daughter Millie Heinrich plays clarinet in forthcoming Elderbrook.
Richard Allison
Pianist, Arranger, Conductor, Producer
Richard’s contributions to our songs include ‘Salamander’ (on Ariel), ‘The Witch in the Wood’ (Apple Pentacle) & ‘Talaria’ (Elderbrook), the latter in which he scored & directed a string quartet.
For more: http://brunswickarranging.com
Adrienne Piggott, Bronwyn Lloyd & Kim Brown
Bronny played hurdy-gurdy on my 5th album Apple Pentacle & appears again on forthcoming Elderbrook. She also accompanies me whenever possible (across our states) on hurdy-gurdy & accordion, together with Kim on bouzouki & Adrienne on vocals. Adrienne leads her vibrant group Spiral Dance, Australia’s leading mythic folk-rock band, of which Bron was also a founding member. Associated groups with these & others in our South-East Australian circle include Lark on the Tor, Green Wytch Grove & Morris Dancers Hot for Joe & Hedgemonkey.
http://www.hedgemonkey.morris.org.au/
Other Australian artists in our circles, scenes or tribes
Of The Wonderwings Fairy Shop / Fairground ring (storytellers & other fairies):
Anne Atkins (founder, Wonderwings), Dee Waight (Myths & Legends Fairy Shop, Gisborne), Anne E Stewart, Mary-Lou Keaney, Helen Walsh, Muriel Cooper, Barbara Elise, Sara, Moth, Matteo, Marion & many more. We mourn beloved fairies Nell and Libby.
Of Storytelling Australia Victoria (formerly the Guild) & broader storytelling community:
Jackie Kerin, JB Rowley, Cora Zon, Gael Cresp, Claudette D’Cruz, Teena Hartnett, Kate Lawrence (Story Wise), JJ Sheills, Cindy-Lee, Janet Tucker, Ronda Gault, Roslyn Quin (also of Golden Owl Events & Australian Fairy Tale Society), Toby Eccles & many more, including some of those aforementioned in the Wonderwings ring. In 2016 we lost Nell Bell, storytelling mentor for so many.
Musicians, including former or current collaborators:
Andrew Persi (Fionvarra), Liz Van Dort (Faraway), Samantha Taylor & children, Lindsay Buckland, Eden, Ashera, Seventh Dawn, Theodore Wohng, Peter Allan & Kristine Allan (Sleeping Beauty), Adrienne Piggott, Ingrid Hapke, Nick Carter, Paul Gooding, David Bentley, Rick Kearsley, Brillig, Wendy Rule, Aphrodite Rose (The Mermaid Room, Phantosea); Penelope Swales, Helen Wells & Caeseal Mor, Simon Lewis (Melbourne Djembe), Phil Setton and Caerwen Martin (Silo String Quartet):
Silo String Quartet:
Violin 1: Aaron Barnden
Violin 2: Jessica Bell
Viola: Ceridwen Davies
‘Cello: Caerwen Martin
Kristine Allan’s solo masterpiece ‘Dragonfly’ (fore more: www.cdbaby.com/cd/kristineallan).
Writers (some of whom are academics, storytellers or visual artists):
Patricia Poppenbeek, Gabi Brown, Danielle McGee & Fionnuala Smyth (writers in the Vic Fairy Tale Ring, to name a few), Rebecca-Anne Do Rozario (fairy tale scholar), Belinda Calderone (editor), Thang Dac Luong (Refugee Wolf), JB Rowley, Maribel Steel, Bee Williamson (Hive & Bee’s Boutique Books: www.hive.id.au), Louise Radcliffe-Smith (journalist/ sub-editor hailing from The Age newspaper & the Footscray Women’s Circus), Tegan Webb, Carole Weave-Lane, and internationally acclaimed fantasy authors Sophie Masson & Kate Forsyth.
Visual artists:
Spike Deane (glass artist), Lorena Carrington (photographic illustrator), Liz Cincotta (Caravanserai beads), Melissa Rose Tonkin (Melissa Rose Melbourne), Ian Clarke (videographer), Kim Brown (graphic/ website design) Linda Jackson (design ikon)
Spellcrafters, Healers, Practitioners of The Magick Arts & Hosts of Goddess gatherings:
Spellbox, Holistic Fairy Festivals, Catherine Williamson, Carly Dean (Pallasophia), Wendy Rule, Lizzy Rose, Pagan Awareness Network, Gaia’s Garden, Golden Owl Events, Greenman Grove (Bardic Circles, Spiral Dance, Phantosea), Zen House, Elfame Apothecary
Founders of The Australian Fairy Tale Society:
Jo Henwood (storyteller & cultural heritage guide) & Reilly McCarron (fairy bard)
Other:
Anna & George (Aneva, formerly Imandeco imports), Peter Bach, Catherine Snell (teacher & fairy), Robyn Floyd (ditto), Zeinab & Soroush Yazdanfar, Jacobi Candle Company, Burning Bliss, Claudette D’Cruz (No Worries Curry), the Hatigan children, the Cincotta clan, Belinda John, Catherine Goss, Rebecca Coman & their families.
More (former or forthcoming) collaborators from overseas
Keltia; Olegh Kolyada; Hungry Lucy, Molly Niffen & Scotty Perrey of The Sugar Beats; Alexandra Froeb;
Seventh Harmonic; and Collection D’Arnell Andrea.
Stay tuned for more on the above…
This website is a creation of Made by Karl. I discovered his art in the site of Belgian harpist/singer Keltia heralding her album Les Métamorphoses, which I recommend: one of the most exquisitely haunting albums ever to whirl my soul. Keltia has performed with me on stage in Europe & on my CD Djinn.
Thanks & Hugs
Thank you Richard O’Donovan (Hands-On Learning) for my earlier site (& floating mermaid);
also Karan Wicks, for covers for 2 of our albums, Alexandria and Ariel & the blue tree.
Most of all, I thank my co-writer of 20 years, husband Mark Krol, who taught me a lesson still in the learning: that silence is an instrument. A fine example of his direction is the song ‘Alexandria’, title-track of an album that saw 3 editions on 3 labels in 3 countries. For two decades he’s composed many melodies that I hummed into a microphone, which others replayed, from oboe / cor-anglais in ‘Madame Alchemier’ (Alexandria) to ‘cello in ‘The Seagiant’ (Ariel) and swirling ‘Yellow Leaves’ (Djinn). He co-writes many lyrics, or introduces me to books that inspire them. In some cases both lyrics and melodies are his, e.g. ‘Paper Door’ (Alexandria), ‘Beads of Rain’ (Ariel), ‘The Throng on the Pier’ (Alabaster), ‘Which of these Worlds?’ (Apple Pentacle), ‘I am the Djinn’ & ‘Beautiful Lie’ (Djinn) and ‘Kloh’ (forthcoming Elderbrook).
We hail these contemporaries…
Alexandra Froeb (painter in Germany), Elisabeth Mantovani of La Rose Noire: www.elisabethmantovani.com/LaRoseNoire, Mary Vareli (Paradox Ethereal), Craig Gidney (contemporary magic-realist author); Ray Simpkins (DJ in America), Philip David Morgan (Rosegarden Media & Entertainment: www.rosegardenmedia.us), Melbourne Books (publishers), Elegy Magazine (France), Jakub Niedziela (artist, also known as Kuba), Michael De Maria, Rajna (great French duo), World of Froud, The Storytelling Guild of Australia, Imaginosis (Transmedia company), Sandrine Gestin (illlustrator, France/Belgium), Faerieworlds (largest fairy festival in the world), Arcana (darkwave band, Sweden), The Koorie Heritage Trust, Seventh Harmonic, Gossamer Glen, The Women’s Circus, Fae Magazine (UK), Trillian Green (US band), Faun (German neo-medieval band), Ataraxia (poetic Italian band), Bush Heritage Trust, Oxfam, Cancer Council, Amnesty International, Cheltenham Cat Rescue & other animal rescue missions, World Wildlife Fund & The Listening Earth (native Australian birdsong).
Further Inspirations:
We highly recommend the fiction, poetry, political commentary and fractal art of Shawn Michel de Montaigne, in particular his novel
“Melody and the Pier to Forever”
& blog: https://shawnmicheldemontaigne.blogspot.com.au
and the handcrafted gems of Kyla Cardinalis of Balthasar Craft:
Lovingly made from Mother Earth’s gifts; no two items are ever the same!
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/balthasarcraft
Portfolio on DeviantArt: https://balthasarcraft.deviantart.com/
Le Fantastique; Frederic Cotton; Khimaira Magazine; Trolls et Legendes; Autumn Tears; The Moors; Dark Symphonies; Billy Scudder (Green Man); Ben Okri; Crista Galli; The Mermaid Room; The Small Tapestry; Burton Imagery; Fabled Workshop; Irfan; Giorgos Christianakis; Tolis Elephantis; Spheres Magazine; Caprice; Stellamara; Alan Lee; The Folio Society, Melissa Rose Melbourne, Once Upon A Blog by Gypsy Thornton, The Monash Fairy Tale Salon (until its closure 2017) & Australian Fairy Tale Society.
Full credits are listed with each album on this site. If you’re aware of any oversights, please let me know.
In gratitude & goodwill,
Louisa