Foxy Digitalis
I’ve always been drawn to Ted Byrnes’s solo percussion work because of its tactile nature and meditative qualities. These are scattered sound worlds to get lost in, but not because they are full of sweeping open expanses and slow-moving, contemplative tones. It’s the opposite, really. Within the quick-paced passages and condensed spaces, Byrnes urges focus. […]
In the opening moments of Victoria Cheong’s latest album as New Chance, there’s a sense of disorientation within the woozy electronic tones of “Eye of the Storm.” Each chord slightly shudders under gentle vibrato, the cadence climbing a rickety ladder against a floating backdrop of her voice in layers and a rising bassline. Questions about […]
The opening minute or so of Eiko Ishibashi’s “Torn Page” is a ruse. Granular tones echo through darkened tunnels, a quickened heartbeat expecting the worst. Yet, the worst never comes. Solemn drones breathe into the air, pushing back the darkness as disembodied voices invite the light to return. The seamless transition from one pole to […]
It’s hard not to find the concept Nicoletta Favari Christopher Salvito’s latest as Passepartout Duo, Daylighting, is built around fascinating. Custom-built, personalized electronic instruments were used throughout, in conjunction with the duo’s portable set of small percussion. These instruments were designed to functionally integrate textiles and synthesizer circuits and from this design, a host of new, […]
Classical and sacred music vocalist Maria Valentina Chirico creates airy magic on this stunning single from invisibilia editions. Based on verses from Rainer Maria Rilke, “Initiale” resonates with a glowing sadness in her transcendent melody backed by plucked strings and a whirring carillon. Lighting the way toward a higher calling, Chirico’s arrangement builds tension and […]
There are so many occasions where two great artists come together to make a record and the results are so-so. Often, especially in cases where they bring an encyclopedic history with them, it can be difficult to cede space and find new ground. None of this is the case with Lucy and Aaron. Reading the artists’ […]
Karkhana is a seven-headed hydra featuring musicians from Beirut, Cairo, Istanbul, and Chicago. Recorded live in 2019, the group is ascendent on Al Azraqayn. Finding a psychedelic island somewhere between classic Middle Eastern folk, avant jazz chaos, and heavy jazz-fusion grooves, Karkhana’s music is free and flowing like a river on fire. Al Azraqayn shifts through six different […]
I’m not sure much more needs to be said beyond the short track description: “A jam between Panda Bear and Maral,” and yet I’m going to. Maral blew me away with Push last year, and this alien dub treat continues that trajectory. Panda Bear’s vocal inflections flicker over churning, psych-infused synths while Maral laces Iranian music samples […]
Illuminating the inside of Asemix, the collaborative force of Mari Maurice (aka more eaze) and Nick Zanca (aka Mister Lies), are ideas in constant motion. These are musicians with distinct voices and ideas spread across vast discographies, yet Asemix finds its own euphoric lane. Living on the diamond’s edge, their first missives careen through a […]