My Inspiration: break_fold – Planner EP

break_fold is the ambient electronic project of Tim Hann, first introduced in 2017 with debut album 27_05_17 – 21_01_18 on boutique label analog horizons. Emerging from Bradford’s music scene, Hann has steadily honed a distinctive sound—fractured textures offset by moments of euphoria, a balance he describes as “pessimism and optimism in equal measure.”

The new Planner EP marks his first full-length release since 2023’s This Was Forever, and turns its focus to Hann’s North East roots. Originally from Hartlepool, he draws on the dialectal traits of his family in the 1990s to shape the narrative of each track, weaving heritage and memory into his evolving musical identity.

Sonically, Planner twists fractured electronics into layers of hiss, pulse and shimmer. Glitch and ambience collide, with flashes of melody cutting through the haze. It’s an immersive listen—gritty and euphoric in equal measure, pulling you into a soundscape that feels both raw and strangely uplifting.

Here, Tim tells us more about the EP’s inspirations…

Planner EP is the first of two EPs which are inspired by family memories, colloquial phrases, nicknames and misheard expressions – all originating from my hometown of Hartlepool. I moved away twenty years ago for West Yorkshire, but I visit regularly and still have strong ties to the town.

I’ve got quite a big extended family and there are many characters with stories, silly names for things, unusual expressions, like all families have. It’s rooted in nostalgia, like nickname origins, for example, ‘Planner’ is the nickname my dad gave to himself when he was in work mode. There is a second EP which will be released throughout next year called ‘Tracker’. This was my dad’s nickname when he was away from work and on holiday (although I remember he once lost the Eiffel Tower in Paris so this nickname had less power after that incident).

‘10+ (Big Licks)’, the first track on this project, is something my dad used to say when I was revising for my GCSEs to encourage me to work harder. I didn’t have a clue what he meant at the time, it’s an odd expression to come up with, but it does properly amuse me now when I’m a lot older.

Each song has a story behind it, most of them are funny, and most have my dad at their core (as he is the ‘chief word-coiner’ when I listed out all of the phrases I could remember).

I wanted to capture all of the things I’ve heard over the years, particularly from the older generation, and put them in a collection which can serve as a time capsule of memories, characters and their catch phrases. Whenever I read the titles on this EP, and the one to follow next year, they always make me smile because of the funny and interesting people behind them.