Stygian Stride - Stygian Stride
Label.........................: Thrill Jockey
Genre.........................: Ambient
StoreDate.....................: Mar-13-2013
Source........................: CDDA
Grabber.......................: Exact Audio Copy (Secure Mode)
Encoding Scheme...............: Lame 3.98.4 V0 VBR Joint-Stereo
Size..........................: 61.25 MB
Total Playing Time............: 34:53
Release Notes:
Stygian Stride is Jimy SeiTang, a New York based musician in the NNCK
axis who, as a member of Psychic Ills and most currently with Rhyton,
was brought up in the midst of the groundswell of avant-garde and
improvised psychedelic music in New York City over the past decade. On
this, his debut solo release, SeiTang has moved away from rock music
completely, instead turning his attention to gauzy electronic music
reminiscent of Gas and the classic era of Mille Plateaux and Chain
Reaction, with nods to Manuel G÷ttsching and Tangerine Dream.
What made SeiTang such an integral part of the improv based bands heÆs
worked with, his ability to listen and communicate, reacting in time to
his bandmates' aesthetic and musical choices, is the same thing that
makes Stygian Stride a successful endeavor. When writing and recording
the album, he was reacting similarly to the different facets the
machinesÆ unique temperaments, learning the particular personalities of
each piece of equipment and facilitating the creation of something
greater than the sum of its parts.
While melodic and rhythmic repetitiveness are the backbone of Stygian
StrideÆs music, each piece subtly evolves at its own pace and in its own
way. ôHindsightö is pushed forward by a steady, muted kick, and washes
of synth that coalesce into a ghostly melody. ôDriftö features
multi-layered rhythmic textures that shift in and out of phase, anchored
by a a heavy drone, and ôTaigaö features a similarly phased synthesizer
arpeggio. The album is bookended by two beatless tracks. While
ôCelestial Stemsö opens the album with gentle, hypnotic sequencer
patterns, closer ôFade Into Bolivianö is one long, slow-moving
foreboding organ melody over a deep, anxious drone.
Rather than composing and recording on a laptop, SeiTang sought out and
collected vintage, analog equipment and conceived the album without MIDI
synching. It was recorded by Jason Meagher at Black Dirt Studios (D.
Charles Speer, Jack Rose, Expo Æ70, Blues Control), and mastered by CGB
ay Dubplates & Mastering in Berlin. Stygian Stride shows a side of
SeiTangÆs artistry coming to light that has up to this point laid
dormant, just under the surface. This album is the beginning of an
exploration of the intersection of the mind- expanding and the
mechanized.
Tracklisting
01. Celestial Stems 6:34
02. Hindsight 5:52
03. Drift 4:36
04. Taiga 6:36
05. Athanor Ascension 6:40
06. Fade Into Bolivian 4:35
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