"In your hands, the birth of a new day... " (Limahl)

16 September 2013

Recordiau CALC Records


Recordiau CALC yw enw'r label rwyf yn defnyddio ar gyfer fy CDs. Wedi ei sefydlu yn fy ngegin yn 2010, fe wnes i cofrestri'r label yn 2011 gyda chwmni ar-lein Ditto Music, a'm helpodd i lanlwytho fy alawon i'r cyfryngau digidol megis itunes. Ysbrydolwyd enw (a lliwiau) label "CALC" oherwydd y golffiwr Mark Calcavecchia, a oedd yn Bencampwr yr "Open" ym 1989, pan oeddwn yn dechrau ymddiddori mewn cerddoriaeth gwerin. Mae "CALC" hefyd yn cynnig yr acronym handi "Crap ar Label Carwyn".

CALC records is the label I use for my CDs. Formed in my kitchen in 2010, I registered the label in 2011with the on-line company Ditto Music, who enabled me to upload my music onto digital platforms such as itunes. The name and colours of the CALC label are inspired by the golfer Mark Calcavecchia, who won the Open Championship at the time I was getting into folk music in 1989. "CALC" also provides the handy Welsh acronym "Crap ar label Carwyn".

CALC 001: "Cywaith Calon"

CALC 001 oedd siwr o fod fy menter mwyaf amhroffesiynol ac, o bosib, anghyfrifol! Recordiwyd "Cywaith Calon" yn y tŷ ym mis Awst 2010 gyda peiriant recordio digidol llaw i safon anerbyniol, wrth edrych yn ôl. Wnes i cynhyrchu'r clawr gwreiddiol adref gyda phapur "Pritt Stick", nes fy mod wedi gwerthu digon i dalu am lyfryn cymharol safonol o siop argraffu lleol (v. 1.2 a 1.3). Pwrpas "Cywaith Calon" oedd ariannu CD mewn stiwdio proffesiynol maes o law. Rhywstud, perswadiwyd pobl de-orllewin Cymru i brynnu 184 copi o "Cywaith Calon" yn ystod Hydref 2010.

CALC 001 was probably my most unprofessional and possibly most irresponsible venture! "Cywaith Calon" was recorded in my own house in August 2010 with a handheld digital recorder. In hindsight, the recording was unacceptable by my own admission, and should not have been released for public consupmtion! The original CD cover was hand-made with paper and Pritt Stick, until I had sold enough to pay for a reasonably designed cheap booklet from a local printer (v. 1.2 and 1.3). The purpose of "Cywaith Calon" was to fund a professionaly-recorded CD in due course. Somehow, I persuaded people across south west Wales to buy 184 copies of "Cywaith Calon" on the streets in Autumn 2010.
























CALC 002: "Carolau o'r Stryd" / "Carols from the Street"
CALC 003: "Carolau ar y stryd" E.P. Nadolig / "Carols from the Street" Christmas E.P.

Erbyn Tachwedd 2010, roedd yn rhaid cynllunio ar gyfer y cyfnod bysgio Nadolig gyda CD o garolau Nadolig. Recordiwyd CALC 002/003 yn stiwdio bach Kayleigh Morgan (Llanbedr Pont Steffan). Paratowyd EP o'r traciau cryfach i'w ddosbarthu i'r radio. Cafodd traciau o'r recordiad hwn eu gynnwys ar raglen "Celtic Heartbeat" gan Frank Hennessey ar BBC Radio Wales, ac ar podlediad FolkCast

By November 2010, I needed to plan for the Christmas busking period by doing a CD of Christmas Carols.CALC 002/003 was recorded at the small studio of Kayleigh Morgan (Lampeter). An EP of the strongest tracks was prepared to send out to radio stations. Tracks from this recording were played on Frank Hennessey's "Celtic Heartbeat" programme on BBC Radio Wales, and on the FolkCast podcast.























CALC 004: "Alawon o'r Stryd"




Fy CD cyntaf "go-iawn". Recordwyd yng Nghanolfan Telyn Cymru, Llandysul yn Ionawr 2011, wedi ei chynhyrchu gan Owen Shiers, gydag artistiaid gwadd Imogen O'Rourke (Ffliwt) a Dan Morris (Ffidil). Mae traciau o'r CD wedi cael eu chwarae ar BBC Radio Wales a BBC Radio Cymru.

My first proper CD. Recorded at the Harp Centre of Wales, Llandysul in January 2011. Produced by Owen Shiers, with guest artists Imogen O'Rourke (Flute) and Dan Morris (Fiddle). Tracks from the CD have been played on BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio Wales.

CALC 005: "Awen ac Aber"


Gan bod "Alawon o'r Stryd" yn gwerthu'n dda ar y strydoedd ac mewn cyngherddau, penderfynais yn fuan i recordio ail albym. Daeth yn amlwg y byddai recordio cyngerdd fyw yn ffordd hwylus o wneud hyn, ac felly trefnwyd cyngerdd yn theatr "Y Drwm", Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Aberystwyth ym mis. Daeth cynulleidfa o tua 30 a recordiwyd y gig gan Gwyn "Maffia" Jones. Golygwyd a chymysgwyd y recordiad yn Stiwdio Bos, Llanerfyl, Powys, ym mis Mehefin 2012. Tynnwyd y lluniau gan Keith Morris - byd gwahanol i'r papur a'r Pritt-Stick a r fersiwn cyntaf CALC 001!

Bellach, mae'r cân cyntaf ar "Awen ac Aber", sef "Criw Porth Tywyn", wedi cael ei mabwysiadu gan driawd gwerin yn y gogledd sydd yn cynnwys y cerddordion gwerin amlwg Stephen Rees a Huw Roberts.

As "Alawon o'r Stryd" had sold well on the streets and in concerts, I decided shortly afterwards to record a second album. It appeared that one handy way of doing this would be to record a live performance, and so a concert was organised at "Y Drwm" theatre at the National Library in Aberystwyth. An audience of around 30 people came along, and the gig was recorded by Gwyn "Maffia" Jones. The recording was edited and mixed at Stiwdio Bos, Llanerfyl, in June 2012. The photography was done by Keith Morris - a world away from the paper and Pritt Stick of the first version of CALC 001!

Recently, the first song on "Awen ac Aber", namely "Criw Porth Tywyn" -  has been covered by a folk trio in north Wales which includes the prominent musicians Stephen Rees and Huw Roberts.

CALC 006: "Tanddwr"

This is most recent CD, launched in Spring 2016. It is my most ambitious recording to date as it features Geraint Cynan (Keyboards) as well as Imogen O'Rourke (Flute) and myself on two harps and elctric guitar, not to mention vocals and backing vocals.