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Ether was an experimental music project by John Watts, released under the name Fischer-Z. After releasing two successful solo albums and one album of remixes, since the last Fischer-Z album, Stream, John Watts had started to take an interest in creating big beat music. After creating a whole big beat style album in 1999 entitled Bigbeatpoetry, Watts carried on in a similar style for Ether. He recorded a number of songs, featuring only his guitar and voice, and then put them over cut-up beats as a rhythm track. Watts had also added a filmic touch to the project, he travelled throughout Europe and post-9/11 New York City to find musicians at random and record them using his laptop, in their homes and on the street. Sarah Vermeersch filmed & edited the process into a road movie. Ether was further released as a John Watts solo album (see: Ether Music & Film), including the road movie DVD and a CD of tracks from the Ether album that appeared in the movie.
Track listing
- "Ether"
- "Jukebox"
- "Supernatural"
- "Famous"
- "Glorious"
- "Beep"
- "Eclipse"
- "Amnesty"
- "Promenaders"
- "Fury"
- "Home"
- "Plummeting"
- "Anything"
- "Over"
- "Valley"
- "Only"
Personnel (as credited on CD)
- John Watts - vocals, guitars, keyboards, plus
- Tristan Banks - drums, programming, percussion & laid-back enthusiasm, Queen's Park
- Pete Sinden - bass & stability, Flat 5. Brighton
- Graham Bonnett - "Mr. Soundgood", Brighton & Saffron Walden
- Felix Gauder - "Jukebox" production, Daylight Studios, Stuttgart.
- Jens Krause - "Eclipse" production, wise words & warmth, Hanover.
- Christof Stein-Schneider - rock 'n' roll guitar, Hanover.
- Danny Dziuk - Hammond from the tower, Berlin.
- Hans Rohe - slide guitar, atmospherics, Berlin.
- Moe Jaksch - stand-up bass, Berlin.
- Rausch - sex & drugs & rock climbing, Koln.
- Phil Evans - devil's advocate production, clapping, keyboards, vocals on Greenpeace Roof, Antwerp & Brussels
- Raoul Del Campo - accordion & cajon, Korte Achterom, Antwerp
- Nikko Weidemann - organ, guitar & bonhomie, NYC
- The 3 Rappers - rhymes in Times Square, Manhattan
- Scott Allen - the funk cello, Blue Beach, Nice
- Lucie, Emillie & Leila Watts - vocals, Flat 5, Brighton.
- Ben Stobart - ragga, alto saxophone, Barcelona.
- Rupert Cobb - muted trumpet, Flat 5, Brighton & trumpet at Rupe's Place
- Dan Rehahn - fruity trombone
- Kerry Wilson - tenor saxophone
- Rob Reed - purple alto saxophone at Rupe's Place
- Steve Cropper - electric guitar, The Grand Hotel, Amsterdam
