The Dovetail Consort was originally The East and West Quartet, until it was pointed out that there was already a group with that name. The East and West part lives on in the title of this ep.

Devotional
I have various albums of Indian music, and my favourite are the classical ones. The religious albums are described as "devotional" in much the same way as European church music would be described as "sacred". I just loved the word devotional, out of its Indian context it could mean a piece written in devotion of a person as easily as a religion. I like the idea of music inspired by devotion to someone or something.

Three Weeks
The tracks on this ep were taken from a collection of 14 tracks I recorded in a three week period at the end of 2008. Although editing them took a further three months, the initial recording had been (by my standards) spectacularly quick. In the past I'd mainly recorded electronica which leant itself to ponderous revision over months or even years. When I'd read rock biographies, I'd always been jealous of artists who completed albums in just a few weeks, so this piece recognises brevity of process.

1919
My absolute favourite band is the much maligned goth pioneers Bauhaus. They were originally known as Bauhaus 1919 after the year the German design school opened. Like many fans obsessed by the band that soundtracked their teenage years, I have loyally followed them through side projects, offshoots and solo careers of wildly varying quality. It becomes a matter of principal and loyalty, and this song is dedicated to all those who have the same relationship with a band.

Elastic Folk
The first album by jazz-rock band Nucleus is called Elastic Rock. The phrase reminded me of the "white guys play black music" phenomena which gave the The Beatles' Rubber Soul its name. In these recordings I played in genres which I'd never tried before, so there's always a part of you that thinks the result might sound fake, thus Elastic Folk.

Holes In Space
I recorded these tracks tracks by playing a knot of lead parts over a repeating rhythm. The lead parts often conflicted with each other and sounded a mess, so each part was subject to extensive editing. The structure owes more to the stripping away of parts than the creating of them, like a sculptor creating by chipping away at material instead of adding to it. Holes In Space are the gaps that allow the music to make sense.

Mainsail
This title doesn't suggest an idea so much as a mood. I love the feeling music can give you when you feel nostalgia for a time and place you never experienced. The word Mainsail makes me think of David Crosby's boat and the Beach Boys performing Sloop John B.