Richard Bundy, Anna Phoebe

Conceived by Kent-based composers Richard Bundy and Anna Phoebe, and supported by a host of other musicians and artists, the album sits at the heart of their Dover Unlocked project — a body of work that reimagines and quietly subverts the accepted narrative of this UK coastal border town. 

At its core is a simple idea: to use music to open up hidden, overlooked historic spaces and let them be heard again. These include sites such as the Grand Shaft - a Napoleonic-era spiral staircase that descends 140 feet through the iconic chalk cliffs - as well as St Edmund’s Chapel, the Maison Dieu, and Fort Burgoyne, built in the 1860s to guard the high ground just north of Dover Castle.

The project is rooted in the act of performing within these places. Each space has its own character and resonance, which affects the sound and influences the performance within it. The music itself takes many forms, from the delicate acoustic and electronic textures of the opening passages to the rhythmic intensity of the Sacconi Quartet recorded in St Edmund’s Chapel. Anna Phoebe’s violin weaves through the LP, linking dusty electronic beats and choral voices, while Richard Bundy’s piano adds moments of expressive clarity. Beyond the music, the outside world - like the A20 road - seeps into the recordings, becoming an unseen performer. Jazz drums, uptempo synths, and resonant bass combine to create a world where history and music intertwine.