In a powerful fusion of history, art, and environmental awareness, a limited-edition vinyl record embedded with coal dust is set to launch at Durham’s landmark Pitman’s Parliament this November. Titled Ancestral Reverb, the 20-minute musical and spoken track unites over a century of colliery music with the words of miners and their families, echoing the past while inviting reflections on climate and community futures.
Ancestral Reverb is believed to be the world’s first vinyl record to incorporate actual coal dust into its pressing, a creative choice that makes the physical medium itself a tribute to the region’s coal mining legacy.
Adam Cooper, Bert Verso, and Jacob Polley at Redhills. By Andy Martin.
As Adam Cooper, director of climate arts organisation Threads in the Ground, explains, “Chunks of coal collected from local beaches were smashed and visibly embedded into transparent vinyl records, turning the material legacy of mining into a sensory experience people can touch and hear.”
This tactile connection between medium and message elevates the record from mere music format to a profound cultural artefact, symbolising the powerful legacy of coal in shaping community identity and industrial history. Only 100 copies will be pressed, destined for archives and families who shared their stories and voices in the project.
DMA Band Recording – by Scott Liddell.
Resonating Voices from Mines and Music
The track itself is an evocative soundscape, blending the earliest known audio recordings of colliery brass bands dating back to 1903 with new performances by the Durham Miners’ Association brass band. Musicians recorded digital “reverb” down the drift mines at Beamish Colliery to capture the cavernous acoustic signature of the coal tunnels, layering these ghostly echoes into the music.
Liam Gaughan sampling reverb at Mahogany Drift Mine.
This visceral sound journey is matched by a spoken word piece curated by North East poet Jacob Polley, featuring interviews with some of the last living deep coal miners, along with their children and grandchildren. Their words ripple through themes of pride, struggle, and the complex emotions tied to a historic way of life confronting the urgent realities of climate change.
Richard Dawson, the acclaimed Newcastle indie folk singer who lends his voice to reciting the miners’ testimonies, describes the piece as “a beautifully balanced, thought-provoking cascade evoking pride and dismay, hope and fear.” These layered textures invite listeners into the intimate experiences of communities once united by coal, now navigating a new chapter.
The Collaborations that Shape a Carbon Legacy
Ancestral Reverb is the product of a uniquely collaborative creative process. The project draws on an array of northern talent, from musicians and poets to photographers like Andy Martin and Rachel Deakin, who documented the project using innovative Victorian tintype techniques.
[Above] Tintype portraits, Lorraine Malyan and Steve Fergus by Andy Martin.
Artist Dr Katayoun Dowlatshahi used community-collected coal dust to produce carbon prints of portraits of participating miners and their families, embodying the project’s ethos of reuse and remembrance.
Adam Cooper chatting with Jim Hughes at the Blackhall Listening Party, by Rachel Deakin.
Adam Cooper describes the project’s aim as “a reinvention of what it means to be human in this new climate reality—honouring a carbon heritage defined by centuries of labour, solidarity, and activism, while catalysing conversation about our carbon future.”
Alison Paterson, manager of Blackhall Community Centre and descendant of miners, highlights the project’s importance beyond history: “It celebrates the resilience, creativity, and community values that define our coalfield regions today, offering a hopeful and forward-looking narrative amid ongoing challenges.”
Luca Ball, Blackhall Coal Picking by Rachel Deakin.
Bridging Past and Future at Pitman’s Parliament
The record’s launch at the restored Pitman’s Parliament—once the seat of municipal power and working-class solidarity in Durham—strikes a poignant note. Here, voices of the mining community once wielded formidable influence, and now their echoes are harnessed to engage a broader dialogue on energy transition and climate change.
Lorraine Maylan, a community activist during the Miners’ Strike, reflects on the enduring significance of voice and union strength: “Ancestral Reverb is about valuing people’s voices and learning from history… We live in divisive times, but this project reminds us that collective power still matters.”
Blackhall Listening Party by Rachel Deakin.
An Artistic Conversation on Climate
At its core, Ancestral Reverb is more than homage; it is a living conversation between generations—a creative exploration of how the carbon legacy shapes identity, memory, and responsibility.
The musical composition by DJ Bert Verso weaves electronica with brass band heritage and the haunting acoustic signatures of the coal mines, creating an experience described as “Moby meets Brassed Off.”
Blackhall Listening Party by Rachel Deakin.
This blending of tradition with innovation echoes wider hopes that art can be a democratic, visceral force to amplify climate conversations, resonating deeply within communities historically bound to fossil fuel extraction yet now looking to a sustainable energy future.
For those keen to experience this unique artistic and cultural convergence, Ancestral Reverb will be previewed at Durham Energy Institute’s renewable energy transition conference [3-4 November]. With only 100 records pressed, this fragile artefact serves as a compelling symbol of the past, present, and future—a tangible echo from the heart of coal country to the world.
You can listen to the track at threadsintheground.bandcamp.com.
Lead image: Ancestral Reverb Sleeve Artwork, by Supanaught.
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