Celocity was recorded at the Fitchsounds studio, which overlooks the Cooley Peninsula and is situated at the edge of the Boyne Valley. The energy created by this magical place is evident in the influence of ancient and modern celtic Ireland. Claire uses a Thomas Smith cello which was made in 1774.

"Playful melancholy" is how Celocity has been described. The core of which draws on a rhythmic energy not previously seen in the other Ambiencellist releases. Take a musical journey into the world of acoustic-electric cello soundscapes. Let your consciousness be awakened by the hypnotic sound of Claire Fitch's cello playing.

Two other albums, Ambiencellist and Ambiencellist Part II, are also available

Claire Fitch started to play the cello at 14, then studied at Birmingham Conservatoire and the Royal Academy of Music.

The Ambiencellist project was started in 2002 and currently has 2 CDs and 1 digital download in it's catalogue. Written and produced by Claire Fitch, they are closely linked to the summer and winter solstice and are evocative of the magic of ancient celtic Ireland.

As a recording artist she has contributed to various film soundtracks, such as The Tailor of Panama, The Tie That Binds, The Boxer, Some Mothers' Son, War Of The Buttons, Thumbelina and Lassie. Claire owns a music production company www.fitchsounds.com and has written music for games, film, corporate video, theatre and television.

Claire Fitch has performed on stage and in the studio with artists such as U2, Kate Bush, The Corrs, Shania Twain, Riverdance, Elmer Bernstein, Brian Kennedy and Smokey Robinson. In 2007 Claire toured with jazz singer Dorothy Murphy and, more recently in 2008, with Carmel Conway.

Claire works with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, the Orchestra of Saint Cecilia and the Irish Film Orchestra.

The Thomas Smith cello was made in 1774, in a pub called the "Harp and Hautbois" in Pall Mall, London. "Hautbois" is French for "Oboe" and the original label can still be seen inside. To put it's age into perspective, in 1774 Handels' Messiah had just been written, Louis XVI was on the Throne in France and Captain Cook was exploring the world.

In 1989 the cello was sitting in a cupboard in Birmingham, England. It was covered in spots of white emulsion paint, badly damaged and not getting much attention. My parents approached the owner to buy the cello, but the deal was that they had to pay for another cello to be refurbished at the same time. So we took advice from J & A Beare in London and decided it was well worth the risk. Four months later a totally refurbished Thomas Smith was carried out of the repair shop. It had been bought back to life and I've been playing it constantly ever since.

The sound is rich and mellow, a constant pleasure to play. Just to think of the age of the wood is mind blowing, let alone the other cellists that might have played it. I have an aim to try and find out the history of it at some point, there needs to be some serious research done.

I use Belcanto Gold strings, have fitted a Big Twin, K & K Pickup and have a Stahlhammer endpin.

The computer I use for music making is a Mac G5 Dual 2ghz with 4gb RAM. I write and improvise using Logic Studio software and a variety of software synthesizers and effects. Absynth, to name one, is a software synthesizer built by Brian Clevinger. Sounds that I can only dream of are made possible by the clever programming of sound designers such as Colin Fraser and Tim Conrady. Ben Gillet of Camel Audio has created a beast of an effect in Camelspace, which is total sonic inspiration. Also the guys at Ohmforce need a mention with their wacky, creative effect design. The sounds I play are all routed through these software effects and the results just keep on getting better. Acoustic-Electro-Ambient cello music is born!

Ambiencellist

Ambiencellist Part II

Another Day

Celocity