Shpongle

Shpongle is an Ambient Psychedelic group centred around Psy-Trance pioneers Simon Posford Ronald Rothfield.  The two have been producing as Shpongle since 1996 and have recorded four studio albums.   Their work is widely recognized as being ground breaking and innovative.

Early Years: 1996 to present

The two central members of Pshpongle are established names in the Psy-Trance scene, Simon Posford as Hallucinogen and Ronald Rothfield as head of TIP Records and as half of 1200 Micrograms.

They first met at Butterfly Studios in South London when working on their respective projects (Posford: Purple Om, and Rothfield: The Infinity Project).  Both were known for up-tempo Psy-Trance, but they decided to team up to work on some down tempo music.

They hit upon a working structure where Posford creats most of the programming and synth work while Rothfield brings creative direction and flute arrangements.  The pair often sit down to conceptualize tracks before they start writing and producing.

Shpongle’s first release came in 1996 with the single ‘Vapour Rumours’ (Twisted Records 1996), the first album followed two years later: ‘Are You Shpongled?’ (Twisted Records 1998).  The album showcased Shpongles distinct mix of electronic synths and beats combined with world music samples and melodies.

When Shpongle play live they use a full live band featuring drums, percussion, guitar, chello, bass, flute, synths and vocals.  Their first live performance was in was at the Solstice Music Festival held at Motosu Highland in Japan in 2001 under the shadow of Mount Fuji.  Rothfield has said that this was one of his most treasured Shpongle moments.

Shpongle toured Australia in 2011 and footage of those gigs and others in 2011 are slated for inclusion in a live album to be released in 2012.

Shpongle have released four studio albums in total, with the last coming in 2010: ‘Ineffable Mysteries From Shpongleland’ (Twisted Records 2010).

In Shpongle Simon Posford and Ronald Rothfield have created a creative outlet that showcases their creative talents to wider and more diverse audiences than their Psy-Trance work.  They have clearly hit upon a unique creative chemistry that continues to push the boundaries of electronic music and create complex soundscapes.  Whilst many ambient productions often meander without any real direction, Shpongle’s productions stand out as elegant but utterly non-traditional musical compositions.

The origins of Shpongle lie in when Simon Posford and Ronald Rothfield when the pair bonded after viewing a solar eclipse in India in 1996. Rothfield came up with the name for the group long before: when asked how he felt midway through a Goa Trance party he replied ‘I feel shpongled’.