White1 was originally released in 2003 by Southern Lord as a CD and very limited 3 sided LP edition of 540 copies (in a white sleeve with a sticker, packaged in an embroidered pillowcase and containing a sleeping pill.)
Sunn O))) co-founders Stephen O’Malley & Greg Anderson originally conceived the White albums to be “acoustic” but the sessions at Fontanelle’s Magnetic Park studios in Portland Oregon quickly took a far different route toward the psychedelic and the electronic/synthetic, with trance and drone experiments.
The White1 album was a bold step forward into the experimental and highly collaborative area which Sunn O))) has metamorphosed via and travelled since. Together with the generosity and talent of the unique and great guest artists Julian Cope, Joe Preston, Rex Ritter, Ulver and Runhild Gammelsæter the concept of Sunn O))) was brought forth from the shadows of the earth unto the broader cosmic spheres.
For these reissues Sunn O))) returned to the original full length unedited premasters/final mixes and brought them to Matt “The Alchemist” Colton at Alchemy Mastering in London for a complete high resolution 88K/24bit mastering and, crucially, cut the lacquers using Alchemy’s half-speed method on their Neumann SX 74 cutterhead. The outstanding results allow the original full length mixes to be pressed at high fidelity on the vinyl format.
The new White1 masters reveal a broader frequency response, the bottom end is deeper and more intense, low mids are lusher, high frequencies are smoother and the stereo image is vastly improved, seeming more 3 dimensional spacially and more dynamic.
The sound is clearer, sharper, more direct.
Southern Lord Recordings is pleased to present the historical Sunn O))) White albums in their fundamental and proper forms.