I, Absentee : Wooden Spaceship

Wooden Spaceship

Wooden Spaceship is Micko Westmoreland, born in 1971 in Leeds. Micko had an ear for music from a very young age, learning guitar, keyboards and bass. After years of dabbling in more traditional instrumentation, in 1990, after his decks and records were stolen, he decided to purchase an Atari and synth. In college, Micko worked alongside and was tutored by Brian Eno.

By the mid 1990s, Micko had honed his skills as an electronic producer and The Bowling Green was born. He signed with the Blue Planet label, where his "Mingle" EP was released in 1996. Several additional EPs surfaced, featuring collaborations with such legendary producers as Luke Vibert, µ-Ziq, Si Begg and more. The Bowling Green also appeared on several scene-defining compilations for labels such as Rising High, Law & Auder, Shadow Records and many more. His debut full-length, "One Pound Note", was released in 1998 and subsequently picked up by Trent Reznor's Nothing Records in the USA to wide acclaim. A sophomore album, "Fabrications", followed in 2001 for the Spiky label.

Through this time, Micko also worked in film, playing Jack Fairy for director Todd Haynes' 1998 film, "Velvet Goldmine," alongside Ewan McGregor. Micko's brother, Wash Westmoreland, also received international recognition as a filmmaker, with Micko frequently serving as his composer, for films such as "The Fluffer" and "Quinceañera", the latter of which won Grand Jury Prize at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.

In 2009, Micko returned with his first non-dance album, for Terry Edwards' Sartorial Records, entitled "Wax & Wayne". Taking a more personal direction, the album was the first to be released under his given name. Around this time, I, Absentee came into contact with Micko via e-mail, expressing our longtime admiration for his work. We were invited to participate in the album's companion disc, "Wax & Wayne - The Remixes", which came to fruition in the form of an RFP (Red Falcon Projects) remix.

Micko also offered to deliver a few tracks to I, Absentee. These were recorded after "Fabrications", but before "Wax & Wayne", in the years somewhere between The Bowling Green and his current output. These tracks were given the name of "Wooden Spaceship", a return to form to his electronic productions and a nice bridge between Micko's past and present.

Releases:
Wooden Spaceship (IA039)