Robin Richards sampled working blacksmiths for new track "Gefail Yr Ynys"

"Gefail Yr Ynys" is the second track to be lifted from Castel, after last month's lead single "Toompea".

The industrial new bop was created using samples of blacksmiths working in the Gefail Yr Ynys forge in Caernarfon, Wales.

Speaking about the new single, Richards says, "When I first visited the Gefail Yr Ynys forge at the start of my artist residency in Caernarfon, I wanted to utilise the room’s sonic potential and craft rhythms out of the incidental sounds recorded while the blacksmiths were working. I spent a day recording Dylan Parry sculpting a Welsh dragon from iron in the forge. The initial rhythm heard is the sound of the blacksmith banging the metal dragon into shape and knocking ash off the hammer. I noticed that the blacksmith’s thudding had a natural 120bpm rhythm to it."

He adds, "It also features recordings of the boats docked in the harbour and a steam train, adding layers to a piece dedicated to the industrial heritage of the Welsh town and its people."

Alongside the Welsh-titled track, Richards' Castel EP features two Welsh-language tracks, "Cofi" and "Llongau Caenarfon".