RECORDINGS BY THE DARKENING SCALE are all available as FREE downloads here .
Sonic Archaeology
“A kaleidoscope of sampled instruments put into an avant-garde symphony. Without question, this release shows that sampling is a true art form …........ during part 2 it turns into what can only be described as bizarre carnival music, as if one were lost in some Neil Gaiman landscape.†ReGen Magazine
Six Things Recycled
"While it's hard to really try and compare The Darkening Scale to any other artist, this release is worth checking out for the simple fact that it's free and also because it's a breath of fresh air to the ears. Those looking for something different, dark, but playful should go and download this today." - ReGen Magazine
The Entomology of Sound
The Darkening Scale is the solo project of David Janssen, better known for his work with Renaldo and the Loaf .
Renaldo and the Loaf came into being after David met long-time collaborator Brian Poole at school. Over a period of a number of years their musical experiments distilled themselves into the entity known as Renaldo and the Loaf.
In 1978 they released the cassette version of Renaldo and the Loaf play Struve and Sneff, A copy found its way to The Residents ears and this led to the duo signing with Ralph Records.
A number of albums ensued;
Songs for Swinging Larvae (1981)
Arabic Yodelling (1983)
Title in Limbo (1983) – with The Residents
Renaldo and the Loaf Play Struve and Sneff - LP version (1984)
Olleh Olleh Rotcod (1985)
1986 saw Renaldo and the Loaf also signing to Some Bizzare Records and the following were released jointly with Ralph.
Hambu Hodo – single (1987)
The Elbow is Taboo (1987)
After The Elbow is Taboo, Renaldo and the Loaf ceased to be, and David was musically inactive until a reunion with Brian in 2006. Encouraged by Brian, David began working on remixing some old Renaldo and the Loaf material
It was a short step from these remixes to working with non-Renaldo and the Loaf samples and The Darkening Scale was born. The name derives from the first piece that David worked on, being (almost) an anagram of The Lark Ascending.
David’s first solo compilation, The Entomology of Sound was released in 2006, followed by a second release Sonic Archaeology in 2007 and the free download Six Things Recycled.
Musically David now divides his time between various projects. In addition to The Darkening Scale he has an ambient music solo project, Lightness Ascending , and is working on new Renaldo and the Loaf material and remixes. In 2007 Renaldo and the Loaf released their first new material for 20 years; 2 songs for the soundtrack to the film Kirk Mannican’s Liberty Mug.David is also working on a number of collaborations. He has contributed material to Andrew Liles’ Vortex Vault project, and is also collaborating with Charles Klee , the Pedantic Pedestrian , Logan 5 and Sylvie Walder .
David's own website A Brief History of Renaldo and the Loaf gives his own personal recollections of Renaldo and the Loaf from 1970 to the present day.