It is very early in the morning, wide awake, getting close to dawn. And I’m sitting in my chair, typing down the next review from the wonderful world of MoonJune Records, hearing the next adventure from the mind of British guitarist Mark Wingfield. Mark is someone that I’ve always championed, going back to I believe my blogging years on Music from the Other Side of the Room when I reviewed his 2016 album Proof of Light which consisted of bassist Yaron Stavi and drummer Asaf Sirkis. That was ten years ago. My, how time flies when it comes to real good music.
Mark has always been on the cutting edge, taking listeners to these other parallel universes with his music. From his collaborations between Kevin Kastning, Nicolas Meier, Dwiki Dharmawan, The Wrong Object, Roland Buhlmann, to Gary Husband, and Domnique Vantomme.
For Mark, he’s been pushing the boundaries, taking these massive leaps of faith to see where his albums will go next. From Tales from the Dreaming City, The Stone House, Lighthouse, to Zoji and The Gathering. And then, his latest album released in 2025, Elemental.
Elemental feels like the perfect choice of sleep music where you can finally relax, get away from the craziness while being stuck in morning traffic, then going to work from 9 to 5, heading home, taking a shower, and sleep during the weekend. Without using any gimmicks and overdubs, Wingfield has proven to show he’s going as far beyond the stratosphere, visioning what the outdoor world is like by setting it to music.
He’s not trying to be like Eddie Van Halen, Jimmy Page, Steve Vai, Joe Satrianai, and Jimi Hendrix. No, Mark is being Mark. He captures the images throughout the ten tracks that is on Elemental like going through the passages of time, visioning a world where this album could have been an ECM release, tipping his hat to the great maestro himself, Terje Rypdal.
I know he’s going to be compared to Rypdal, but that’s okay. He’s not trying to rip him off, he’s honoring the Norwegian legend, continuing where he had left between Odyssey and Waves. Whenever Mark goes into challenges, including going into some of the electronic expo, a-la dance music at times, he is comfortable of being himself and having this free range of making his instrument, howl out into the cold and wintry night at the heart of an English countryside in the middle of the Rivelin Valley.
And that’s what Elemental is, a trip down to the countryside, looking at the amazing view of trees, green hills, churches cottages, and diverse landscapes in all of its glory to be away from the big cities, and be free, living outside where it’s safe, relaxed, and mystical in all of its wondrous beauty Mark has unleashed.
