Showing posts with label Experimental. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Experimental. Show all posts

6/30/2020

Guitarists Jon Durant and Robert Jürjendal Release A Vibrant New Musical Collaboration "Across the Evening"


“Across the Evening,” by ambient experimental guitarists Jon Durant and Robert Jürjendal, further extends the ambient/jazz/world crossover music both musicians have traversed throughout their diverse careers. Featuring appearances from Colin Edwin (UK) on bass, Aleksei Saks (Estonia) on trumpet, and Andi Pupato (Switzerland) on percussion, “Across the Evening” is a multi-dimensional, trans continental delight.

With sounds that caress and envelop, rhythms that percolate and inspire, the two guitarists nimbly play off each other and their guests, rarely allowing the listener to imagine that they are hearing guitars.

From the sublime “Reflective Sea” to the deep middle eastern vibe of “Beguiling Eyes,” the album crosses multiple stylistic boundaries. The final two tracks, “Return to Russia” and “Balkan Blue” are live recordings from the ensemble's live performance in Tallin, Estonia in 2019.

Says Jon, “Robert and I had known each others' work for some time - I'm really fond of his group Uma (with Aleksei Saks), and between my collaborations with Tony Levin and Colin Edwin, he'd been following my work as well. But we hadn't connected personally until recently. When the idea of collaborating was floated, we met it with great enthusiasm. We are both very interested in the textural possibilities with guitar but approach it differently, both in terms of tools and techniques. In the end, the two approaches blend wonderfully, and it's often hard to believe that what you’re hearing is guitar. When we began working, we realized that while it's great to be able to work remotely, there was a strong desire to also work together in the same room. I arranged a trip to Tallinn, and Robert organized a concert at Philly Joe's Jazz Club in Tallinn. We were very fortunate to have Aleksei Saks join us on Trumpet, and Inna Kovtun came up from Kiev to sing with us. It was an incredibly inspiring evening, and two tracks on the album are from the recording of that show. The album includes ideas and concepts born out of our few days of rehearsing and improvising together, and flushed out with fantastic performances from Colin Edwin (bass) and Andi Pupato (percussion).”

THE ARTISTS

Jon Durant - Guitars

Jon Durant brings a unique sense of texture and melody to his instrument. His unique “cloud guitar” soundscapes and engaging lead work have graced numerous CD recordings and film soundtracks and his very distinctive use of fretless guitar has been widely admired. He has previously released 9 solo albums and three Burnt Belief records (with Colin Edwin). Durant's acclaimed 2018 solo release “Parting Is” was his first “solo guitar” recording and the follow up solo guitar album “Alternate Landscapes” continue to stretch the boundaries of what a guitar record can sound like. Both solo CDs have been nominated for “Best Ambient Album” in various US new age radio publications, while “Alternate Landscapes” also spent multiple weeks at the top of the NACC Chill Charts.

Robert Jürjendal - Guitars

Robert Jürjendal is an Estonian guitarist and composer who studied classical guitar and composition (Anti Marguste) at Tallinn Georg Ots Music School. In 1992-1997 he participated in Robert Fripp Guitar Craft Courses. He has written music for classical and contemporary guitar, cembalo, mixed ensembles, choirs; documentaries, art exhibitions and theater. His compositions include both traditional and contemporary elements, from folk music to post-rock and ambient-jazz. Robert Jürjendal is working as a freelancer composer / artist / lecturer. He is also the curator of the music program SOOLO at Tallinn Art Hall. Recent albums include “Source Of Joy” (Unsung Records 2013), “Balm Of Light” (iapetus - media 2014) and “Simple Past” (Strangiato Records 2016). “Another World” (with Colin Edwin) (Hard World 2018), “Five Seasons” (Albany Records 2018), With Noya and Godwin, “Samliku” (New Dog Records 2019), with Sandor Szabo “Electric Poetry” (Greydisc 2019).

To purchase:
Bandcamp: https://jondurant.bandcamp.com/album/across-the-evening

Burning Shed: https://burningshed.com/jon-durant_robert-jurjendal_across-the-evening_cd

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Across-Evening-Jon-Durant/dp/B089LYGZKT

Jon Durant's official website: http://www.jondurant.com
Robert Jürjendal's official website: http://robertjyrjendal.com

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 1-828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Guitarists Jon Durant and Robert Jürjendal Release A Vibrant New Musical Collaboration "Across the Evening"


“Across the Evening,” by ambient experimental guitarists Jon Durant and Robert Jürjendal, further extends the ambient/jazz/world crossover music both musicians have traversed throughout their diverse careers. Featuring appearances from Colin Edwin (UK) on bass, Aleksei Saks (Estonia) on trumpet, and Andi Pupato (Switzerland) on percussion, “Across the Evening” is a multi-dimensional, trans continental delight.

With sounds that caress and envelop, rhythms that percolate and inspire, the two guitarists nimbly play off each other and their guests, rarely allowing the listener to imagine that they are hearing guitars.

From the sublime “Reflective Sea” to the deep middle eastern vibe of “Beguiling Eyes,” the album crosses multiple stylistic boundaries. The final two tracks, “Return to Russia” and “Balkan Blue” are live recordings from the ensemble's live performance in Tallin, Estonia in 2019.

Says Jon, “Robert and I had known each others' work for some time - I'm really fond of his group Uma (with Aleksei Saks), and between my collaborations with Tony Levin and Colin Edwin, he'd been following my work as well. But we hadn't connected personally until recently. When the idea of collaborating was floated, we met it with great enthusiasm. We are both very interested in the textural possibilities with guitar but approach it differently, both in terms of tools and techniques. In the end, the two approaches blend wonderfully, and it's often hard to believe that what you’re hearing is guitar. When we began working, we realized that while it's great to be able to work remotely, there was a strong desire to also work together in the same room. I arranged a trip to Tallinn, and Robert organized a concert at Philly Joe's Jazz Club in Tallinn. We were very fortunate to have Aleksei Saks join us on Trumpet, and Inna Kovtun came up from Kiev to sing with us. It was an incredibly inspiring evening, and two tracks on the album are from the recording of that show. The album includes ideas and concepts born out of our few days of rehearsing and improvising together, and flushed out with fantastic performances from Colin Edwin (bass) and Andi Pupato (percussion).”

THE ARTISTS

Jon Durant - Guitars

Jon Durant brings a unique sense of texture and melody to his instrument. His unique “cloud guitar” soundscapes and engaging lead work have graced numerous CD recordings and film soundtracks and his very distinctive use of fretless guitar has been widely admired. He has previously released 9 solo albums and three Burnt Belief records (with Colin Edwin). Durant's acclaimed 2018 solo release “Parting Is” was his first “solo guitar” recording and the follow up solo guitar album “Alternate Landscapes” continue to stretch the boundaries of what a guitar record can sound like. Both solo CDs have been nominated for “Best Ambient Album” in various US new age radio publications, while “Alternate Landscapes” also spent multiple weeks at the top of the NACC Chill Charts.

Robert Jürjendal - Guitars

Robert Jürjendal is an Estonian guitarist and composer who studied classical guitar and composition (Anti Marguste) at Tallinn Georg Ots Music School. In 1992-1997 he participated in Robert Fripp Guitar Craft Courses. He has written music for classical and contemporary guitar, cembalo, mixed ensembles, choirs; documentaries, art exhibitions and theater. His compositions include both traditional and contemporary elements, from folk music to post-rock and ambient-jazz. Robert Jürjendal is working as a freelancer composer / artist / lecturer. He is also the curator of the music program SOOLO at Tallinn Art Hall. Recent albums include “Source Of Joy” (Unsung Records 2013), “Balm Of Light” (iapetus - media 2014) and “Simple Past” (Strangiato Records 2016). “Another World” (with Colin Edwin) (Hard World 2018), “Five Seasons” (Albany Records 2018), With Noya and Godwin, “Samliku” (New Dog Records 2019), with Sandor Szabo “Electric Poetry” (Greydisc 2019).

To purchase:
Bandcamp: https://jondurant.bandcamp.com/album/across-the-evening

Burning Shed: https://burningshed.com/jon-durant_robert-jurjendal_across-the-evening_cd

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Across-Evening-Jon-Durant/dp/B089LYGZKT

Jon Durant's official website: http://www.jondurant.com
Robert Jürjendal's official website: http://robertjyrjendal.com

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 1-828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com

6/19/2020

Experimental Musician Billy Yfantis Releases Sci-Fi/Space Album "Entering the Solar System"


9 Songs For The 9 Planets Of The Solar System and One track featuring original sounds from Mars! 

Athens, Greece - Experimental musician and author Billy Yfantis, releases the Sci-Fi/Space album entitled “Entering the Solar System”. The album features 9 instrumental tracks composed for the 9 planets of the Solar System, plus 1 track called “Landing” consisting of re-worked sounds that were originally recorded on the planet of Mars by NASA. The album was composed and recorded in Athens, Greece by Billy Yfantis who used a mix of virtual instruments and field recordings. Each track represents the sonic aesthetic perception of each planet while “Landing” is the re-editing of sounds created by InSight's robotic arm as its camera scanned the surface of Mars.

The Solar System was formed 4.6 billion years ago from the collapse of an enormous interstellar cloud. The majority of the system's mass consists of the Sun along with the other 8 planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. The whole scientific concept was a major influence for Billy Yfantis who is deep into Science since he is an active researcher of the University of West Attica. Billy commented on the new release: “Although my Ph.D. research is on a different field, Astronomy and Space have always been my passion. I believe that it was time to explore Space musically through the path of the virtual music technology.”

“Entering the Solar System” Tracklist:
1. Earth
2. Jupiter
3. Mars
4. Mercury
5. Neptune
6. Saturn
7. Sun
8. Uranus
9. Venus
10.  Landing

Listen to the new album here:  
Napster: https://at.napster.com/artist/billy-yfantis/album/entering-the-solar-system
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7AY7LQ27eJ37zidpbk68N8?si=Lt0-eJajQYq4fDyiIedrDQ
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrrNqKZOKdN-lJYufpqMWJA

Billy is already working on the creation of several promotional videos to visualize the Sci-Fi experience of the new album. In the meantime, check out a promotional video for the older track “Floating in Space” (The Noisy Whispers Compilation album) that was recently posted on YouTube:


The new album features Space music with songs that vary from Film Music, Ambient, to Krautrock. The only way to understand the spirit of the album and visualize this interstellar exploration is to follow the instructions:
Grab your headphones!
Relax!
Tune in!
Enjoy an out of Space experience!

About Billy Yfantis
Vasileios (Billy) Yfantis holds 2 Master Degrees in Information Technology and is a Ph.D. candidate in the University of West Attica by conducting research on e-government. Billy has been working on music since the late 1990s by experimenting with tape mixing and sound design. Billy is playing digital keyboards, but prefers to express his artistic dream through the electronic sounds that come from unusual machines. He has experimented with the recording of vacuum cleaners, electric blenders and other strange sounds that have resulted in musical releases. Moreover, Billy has authored books on music, business and science while from times to times he speaks about the electronic governance at scientific conferences all over Europe.

Famous Quotes

Krautrock legend Harald Grosskopf (Ash Ra Tempel, Klaus Schulze, Cosmic Jokers): “I always like electronic music made by younger musicians who consequently follow their personal instinct, rather than trying to copy what’s already been made in the past, in the spirit of: Whenever you meet Buddha kill him. Keep on tracking Billy!”

Tom McLoughlin (Director of the movie “Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives”): “I really dug his music!! VERY cool stuff!!” 

Phil Lanzon (Uriah Heep): “I like the track 'Waiting for the battle.' Great riff. I can see this as soundtracks to Psycho - punk movies and the like.”

Steve Whitfield (Producer and engineer of The Cure, The Mission UK): “This music is crying out to be used in films but at the same time it's great to just sit back listen and immerse yourself in them without any moving images and let your imagination run wild!”

Discography
1. Entering the Solar System (Full album, 2020)
2. The Noisy Whispers Compilation (Full album, 2019)
3. The Mysterious Trip (Digital single, 2018)
4. Dust Not Found (Digital single 2017)
5. Crossing The Line (Digital single 2016)
6. The Electric Blender Session (Digital single, 2016)
7. The Missing Link (Digital single, 2015)

Bibliography
1. Is Prog Rock Really Progressive? (2020)
2. Hip Hop Goes Science: Volume I (2019)
3. Metal Goes Science: The Academic Metal Bibliography (2017)
4. Disadvantaged Populations And Technology In Music (2017)
5. City Streets Of Europe (2017)
6. Punk Goes Science: The Academic Bibliography Of Punk (2015)
7. The Lost Lyrics (2013)
8. The Commercial Exploitation Of Color As A Consumer Stimulus (2013)
Find Books by Billy Yfantis here:
https://www.amazon.com/Vasileios-Yfantis/e/B00JNNL306/

Contact details: 
E-mail:  Byfantis@yahoo.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/billy.yfantis
Twitter: https://twitter.com/billyyfantis
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/billyyfantis

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 1-828-350-8158 (US), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Experimental Musician Billy Yfantis Releases Sci-Fi/Space Album "Entering the Solar System"


9 Songs For The 9 Planets Of The Solar System and One track featuring original sounds from Mars! 

Athens, Greece - Experimental musician and author Billy Yfantis, releases the Sci-Fi/Space album entitled “Entering the Solar System”. The album features 9 instrumental tracks composed for the 9 planets of the Solar System, plus 1 track called “Landing” consisting of re-worked sounds that were originally recorded on the planet of Mars by NASA. The album was composed and recorded in Athens, Greece by Billy Yfantis who used a mix of virtual instruments and field recordings. Each track represents the sonic aesthetic perception of each planet while “Landing” is the re-editing of sounds created by InSight's robotic arm as its camera scanned the surface of Mars.

The Solar System was formed 4.6 billion years ago from the collapse of an enormous interstellar cloud. The majority of the system's mass consists of the Sun along with the other 8 planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. The whole scientific concept was a major influence for Billy Yfantis who is deep into Science since he is an active researcher of the University of West Attica. Billy commented on the new release: “Although my Ph.D. research is on a different field, Astronomy and Space have always been my passion. I believe that it was time to explore Space musically through the path of the virtual music technology.”

“Entering the Solar System” Tracklist:
1. Earth
2. Jupiter
3. Mars
4. Mercury
5. Neptune
6. Saturn
7. Sun
8. Uranus
9. Venus
10.  Landing

Listen to the new album here:  
Napster: https://at.napster.com/artist/billy-yfantis/album/entering-the-solar-system
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7AY7LQ27eJ37zidpbk68N8?si=Lt0-eJajQYq4fDyiIedrDQ
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrrNqKZOKdN-lJYufpqMWJA

Billy is already working on the creation of several promotional videos to visualize the Sci-Fi experience of the new album. In the meantime, check out a promotional video for the older track “Floating in Space” (The Noisy Whispers Compilation album) that was recently posted on YouTube:


The new album features Space music with songs that vary from Film Music, Ambient, to Krautrock. The only way to understand the spirit of the album and visualize this interstellar exploration is to follow the instructions:
Grab your headphones!
Relax!
Tune in!
Enjoy an out of Space experience!

About Billy Yfantis
Vasileios (Billy) Yfantis holds 2 Master Degrees in Information Technology and is a Ph.D. candidate in the University of West Attica by conducting research on e-government. Billy has been working on music since the late 1990s by experimenting with tape mixing and sound design. Billy is playing digital keyboards, but prefers to express his artistic dream through the electronic sounds that come from unusual machines. He has experimented with the recording of vacuum cleaners, electric blenders and other strange sounds that have resulted in musical releases. Moreover, Billy has authored books on music, business and science while from times to times he speaks about the electronic governance at scientific conferences all over Europe.

Famous Quotes

Krautrock legend Harald Grosskopf (Ash Ra Tempel, Klaus Schulze, Cosmic Jokers): “I always like electronic music made by younger musicians who consequently follow their personal instinct, rather than trying to copy what’s already been made in the past, in the spirit of: Whenever you meet Buddha kill him. Keep on tracking Billy!”

Tom McLoughlin (Director of the movie “Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives”): “I really dug his music!! VERY cool stuff!!” 

Phil Lanzon (Uriah Heep): “I like the track 'Waiting for the battle.' Great riff. I can see this as soundtracks to Psycho - punk movies and the like.”

Steve Whitfield (Producer and engineer of The Cure, The Mission UK): “This music is crying out to be used in films but at the same time it's great to just sit back listen and immerse yourself in them without any moving images and let your imagination run wild!”

Discography
1. Entering the Solar System (Full album, 2020)
2. The Noisy Whispers Compilation (Full album, 2019)
3. The Mysterious Trip (Digital single, 2018)
4. Dust Not Found (Digital single 2017)
5. Crossing The Line (Digital single 2016)
6. The Electric Blender Session (Digital single, 2016)
7. The Missing Link (Digital single, 2015)

Bibliography
1. Is Prog Rock Really Progressive? (2020)
2. Hip Hop Goes Science: Volume I (2019)
3. Metal Goes Science: The Academic Metal Bibliography (2017)
4. Disadvantaged Populations And Technology In Music (2017)
5. City Streets Of Europe (2017)
6. Punk Goes Science: The Academic Bibliography Of Punk (2015)
7. The Lost Lyrics (2013)
8. The Commercial Exploitation Of Color As A Consumer Stimulus (2013)
Find Books by Billy Yfantis here:
https://www.amazon.com/Vasileios-Yfantis/e/B00JNNL306/

Contact details: 
E-mail:  Byfantis@yahoo.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/billy.yfantis
Twitter: https://twitter.com/billyyfantis
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/billyyfantis

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 1-828-350-8158 (US), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

2/10/2020

Eclectic Music Ensemble Deep Energy Orchestra to Release Second Album The Return on Feb. 21, 2020


The Return, the highly anticipated second recording by the eclectic music ensemble, Deep Energy Orchestra will be released on February 21, 2020 on Trey Gunn's 7D Media record label. Deep Energy Orchestra blends sounds and rhythms from Prog Rock, Classical, funk, Indian, and Flamenco styles and showcases the compositions of Jason Everett aka Mister E.

Featured artists on the record include, Fareed Haque (Billy Cobham, Zawinal Syndicate), V. Selvaganesh (Shakti with John McLaughlin), Trey Gunn (King Crimson), Neyvili Radhakrishna (Jonas Hellborg), Ujwal Nagar (Advaita), Suhail Yusuf Khan, and the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra.

Following the acclaimed first release, Playing With Fire, Jason was commissioned by the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra to score his music as well as pieces from Ravi Shankar, Anoushka Shankar, and Paco deLucia for a full-length concert called “From Spain to India” and one of the pieces from that concert series is included on The Return.

Another piece on The Return is an example of Jason's compositional “sonic-storytelling” called “Moksha: The Elimination of All Duality.” This nearly 17-minute piece is in four movements and tells the story of a soul, from starting in a traditional village, to a battle with death, to a liberated soul, and then the Return to this world with musical echoes of the past and present.

Jason Everett is a performer, composer, and producer who plays a variety of stringed and percussive instruments with his primary instruments being his seven-string fretless bass and acoustic six-string bass. Jason attended Northern Arizona University on a full scholarship for bassoon and started playing jazz professionally at sixteen years old.

Jason has played music outside of the mainstream for most of his career including with the avant-garde space-jazz ensemble, Little Green Men; Flamenco fusion groups, Machete', Deseo Carmin, and Acoustic Fantasy; world fusion groups, Avaaza, Tarana, and Andre Feriante; and Kirtan artists, Gina Sala’ and Girish. Jason has also been recently performing and recording with Bay Area world jazz fusion groups, Facing East and Ancient Future. Jason has created his own groups including Taal Maya, a Shakti inspired Indian fusion project and Pandamonium, which is described as “Prog Rock Jazz Funk.”



Here's what's been said about Jason Everett:

“Through his performance and compositional work, Jason has built respect with major members of the Indian music community and has been hailed by influential guitarists and bassists.” – Geoffrey Larsen, Musical Director of Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra

“Everett delivers memorable melodies rendered with Eastern vocal vibrato, and engaging ensemble improvisation – all over a spectrum of ever-shifting world grooves and natural-sounding odd meters.” – Bass Guitar Magazine

“Jason’s impressive bass work will dazzle, but his playing transcends the instrument to become a pure source of expression. His compositions are equally full of wonder and atmosphere for a sonic journey. A top-notch musician!”– Kevin Johnson NoTreble Bass Magazine

To purchase Deep Energy Orchestra's The Return: https://deepenergyorchestra.bandcamp.com/album/the-return



For more information:
www.deepenergyorchestra.com
www.facebook.com/deepenergyorchestra

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Eclectic Music Ensemble Deep Energy Orchestra to Release Second Album The Return on Feb. 21, 2020


The Return, the highly anticipated second recording by the eclectic music ensemble, Deep Energy Orchestra will be released on February 21, 2020 on Trey Gunn's 7D Media record label. Deep Energy Orchestra blends sounds and rhythms from Prog Rock, Classical, funk, Indian, and Flamenco styles and showcases the compositions of Jason Everett aka Mister E.

Featured artists on the record include, Fareed Haque (Billy Cobham, Zawinal Syndicate), V. Selvaganesh (Shakti with John McLaughlin), Trey Gunn (King Crimson), Neyvili Radhakrishna (Jonas Hellborg), Ujwal Nagar (Advaita), Suhail Yusuf Khan, and the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra.

Following the acclaimed first release, Playing With Fire, Jason was commissioned by the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra to score his music as well as pieces from Ravi Shankar, Anoushka Shankar, and Paco deLucia for a full-length concert called “From Spain to India” and one of the pieces from that concert series is included on The Return.

Another piece on The Return is an example of Jason's compositional “sonic-storytelling” called “Moksha: The Elimination of All Duality.” This nearly 17-minute piece is in four movements and tells the story of a soul, from starting in a traditional village, to a battle with death, to a liberated soul, and then the Return to this world with musical echoes of the past and present.

Jason Everett is a performer, composer, and producer who plays a variety of stringed and percussive instruments with his primary instruments being his seven-string fretless bass and acoustic six-string bass. Jason attended Northern Arizona University on a full scholarship for bassoon and started playing jazz professionally at sixteen years old.

Jason has played music outside of the mainstream for most of his career including with the avant-garde space-jazz ensemble, Little Green Men; Flamenco fusion groups, Machete', Deseo Carmin, and Acoustic Fantasy; world fusion groups, Avaaza, Tarana, and Andre Feriante; and Kirtan artists, Gina Sala’ and Girish. Jason has also been recently performing and recording with Bay Area world jazz fusion groups, Facing East and Ancient Future. Jason has created his own groups including Taal Maya, a Shakti inspired Indian fusion project and Pandamonium, which is described as “Prog Rock Jazz Funk.”



Here's what's been said about Jason Everett:

“Through his performance and compositional work, Jason has built respect with major members of the Indian music community and has been hailed by influential guitarists and bassists.” – Geoffrey Larsen, Musical Director of Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra

“Everett delivers memorable melodies rendered with Eastern vocal vibrato, and engaging ensemble improvisation – all over a spectrum of ever-shifting world grooves and natural-sounding odd meters.” – Bass Guitar Magazine

“Jason’s impressive bass work will dazzle, but his playing transcends the instrument to become a pure source of expression. His compositions are equally full of wonder and atmosphere for a sonic journey. A top-notch musician!”– Kevin Johnson NoTreble Bass Magazine

To purchase Deep Energy Orchestra's The Return: https://deepenergyorchestra.bandcamp.com/album/the-return



For more information:
www.deepenergyorchestra.com
www.facebook.com/deepenergyorchestra

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com

1/06/2020

JOEL VANDROOGENBROECK, Belgian Experimental Music Pioneer & Founder Of Legendary Krautrock Band BRAINTICKET, Passes Away At The Age Of 81


Los Angeles, CA - Joel Vandroogenbroeck was a musical pioneer in every sense of the phrase. His classical and jazz training combined with his passion for computers and electronic synthesizers united the digital and analog worlds, creating some of the most forward-thinking music of the 1970s. Born in Brussels, Vandroogenbroeck earned numerous accolades as a young pianist and was touring Europe by the time he was a teenager. But as the musical and cultural explosion brought on by the ‘60s spread throughout the world, Vandroogenbroeck found himself drifting further outside of the mainstream to a place of exploration and experimentation in psychedelic music inspired by bands such as Tangerine Dream and Amon Duul II. He formed his own band, Brainticket, and released the highly regarded debut album Cottonwoodhill in 1971. Psychonaut followed the next year and the epic Celestial Ocean capped things off in 1973. These early albums along with the later period Brainticket recordings constitute some of the finest electronic psych music ever laid down.

Vandroogenbroeck teamed with Los Angeles-based indie label Cleopatra Records to reissue his catalog of albums along with unreleased and rare live recordings for Cleopatra’s Purple Pyramid imprint. He also revived Brainticket in 2015 with what will be their final album Past, Present & Future helped by the likes of UK Subs guitarist Nicky Garratt and German industrial artist Jürgen Engler of Die Krupps.

“I am honored & lucky  to have known him. He was such a gifted & talented person, he will be truly missed by everyone at Cleopatra & all who loved his music” - Brian Perera, Cleopatra Records

The Cleopatra Records family will greatly miss Joel Vandroogenbroeck and would like to extend its deepest condolences to his friends and loved ones.

Press inquiries: 
Glass Onyon PR
Billy James
PH: 828-350-8158
glassonyonpr@gmail.com



PURPLE PYRAMID RECORDS,
A division of CLEOPATRA RECORDS, Inc.
11041 Santa Monica Blvd #703
Los Angeles CA 90025
www.CleopatraRecords.com

PURPLE PYRAMID RECORDS
Facebook @PurplePyramidRecords
https://www.facebook.com/PurplePyramidRecords/
Instagram @Purple.pyramid
https://www.instagram.com/purple.pyramid/
Twitter @PurplePyramid1
https://twitter.com/PurplePyramid1
Youtube @ Purple Pyramid
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwiCec6bS6mX3c7dpitfYRQ
Purple Pyramid Store @
https://cleorecs.com/store/product-category/record-label/purple-pyramid/

JOEL VANDROOGENBROECK, Belgian Experimental Music Pioneer & Founder Of Legendary Krautrock Band BRAINTICKET, Passes Away At The Age Of 81


Los Angeles, CA - Joel Vandroogenbroeck was a musical pioneer in every sense of the phrase. His classical and jazz training combined with his passion for computers and electronic synthesizers united the digital and analog worlds, creating some of the most forward-thinking music of the 1970s. Born in Brussels, Vandroogenbroeck earned numerous accolades as a young pianist and was touring Europe by the time he was a teenager. But as the musical and cultural explosion brought on by the ‘60s spread throughout the world, Vandroogenbroeck found himself drifting further outside of the mainstream to a place of exploration and experimentation in psychedelic music inspired by bands such as Tangerine Dream and Amon Duul II. He formed his own band, Brainticket, and released the highly regarded debut album Cottonwoodhill in 1971. Psychonaut followed the next year and the epic Celestial Ocean capped things off in 1973. These early albums along with the later period Brainticket recordings constitute some of the finest electronic psych music ever laid down.

Vandroogenbroeck teamed with Los Angeles-based indie label Cleopatra Records to reissue his catalog of albums along with unreleased and rare live recordings for Cleopatra’s Purple Pyramid imprint. He also revived Brainticket in 2015 with what will be their final album Past, Present & Future helped by the likes of UK Subs guitarist Nicky Garratt and German industrial artist Jürgen Engler of Die Krupps.

“I am honored & lucky  to have known him. He was such a gifted & talented person, he will be truly missed by everyone at Cleopatra & all who loved his music” - Brian Perera, Cleopatra Records

The Cleopatra Records family will greatly miss Joel Vandroogenbroeck and would like to extend its deepest condolences to his friends and loved ones.

Press inquiries: 
Glass Onyon PR
Billy James
PH: 828-350-8158


PURPLE PYRAMID RECORDS,
A division of CLEOPATRA RECORDS, Inc.
11041 Santa Monica Blvd #703
Los Angeles CA 90025

PURPLE PYRAMID RECORDS
Facebook @PurplePyramidRecords
Instagram @Purple.pyramid
Twitter @PurplePyramid1
Youtube @ Purple Pyramid
Purple Pyramid Store @

11/15/2019

Italian Music Artists EMILIANO DEFERRARI & MARCO MACHERA To Release Free-Form Improvisation Album On November 15, 2019


Italian music artists EMILIANO DEFERRARI & MARCO MACHERA are releasing their debut self-titled album of free-form improvisation on November 15, 2019. Long-time musical friends, Emiliano and Marco had never worked together, but always liked each other's music, and attended each other's performances. Emiliano's band Nanaue used to cover one of Marco's great tunes “The Ugly Song.” Throughout the years, the two musicians discovered very similar taste in music, from no-wave jazz, to art rock and more non-conventional styles. So, when Marco moved to Brussels from Italy, it felt quite natural to do something together. They could have started writing songs, but eventually they preferred to start with “something completely different”.

Emiliano explains, “They call it non-idiomatic free improvisation. We don’t agree 100% with the definition, it’s a philosophical quarrel, but that is what we do. We are both improvisers, inspired by free-form music and wanted to perform together this way. The album is documenting an excerpt from two recording sessions on cold mornings in March and May 2019 in Brussels, at Monty Studio. Two condenser microphones in the room plus a dynamic one pointed on a twin reverb, to capture the sound of us on prepared acoustic and jazz guitars, baglama, violin and objects found in the studio. No overdubs, no post-production, a rough mixing and a transparent pre-mastering. The beauty of the moment without pre-ordered languages to fit into, not against but beyond rules.”

Watch the promotional video:


“We took a walk through Matonge, the Congolese neighbourhood of Brussels, and had fun mixing (us Italians), with those picturesque African vibes on a cold northern European afternoon, last October. That’s the joy of living in an open city like Brussels.” 



Marco says, “We have decided to release this material outside of any self-indulgent snobbery, we just decided to give something to the listeners so they could satisfy their possible curiosity. We liked the atmosphere we created, the interplay and the amount of chance which helped the development of those four improvisations. We are eager to perform live and have fun with our audience. You may also consider this album as ‘another side of us’. In fact, for instance, we realize now that we didn't sing during the sessions, even though both of us are frontmen. We were so focused on creating the momentum that we forgot rules, roles and habits.”

From Brussels the duo will start presenting the album and performing live on November 30th at seeU, the ephemeral neighbourhood at the old 'Casernes d'Ixelles'.”

EMILIANO DEFERRARI

Emiliano was born in Genoa, Italy, in 1977. He started playing guitar at 6 and recording his own music at 11. He played and sang jazz, rock and world music with different bands in Italy. In 2005, after settling in Rome, he produced his first solo album “SO_LO” with Rattsburg Records, with good reviews. Since then he started touring Italy with his solo show with guitar, voice and effects. Between 2007/2011, Emiliano toured as The Loop Duo with Adriano Arena, with guitars, voices and live loops, producing an album (THE LOOP DUO/BMA and Rattsburg, 2009). In 2009/2010, he produced a new EP (O.S.T./Rattsburg, 2009) and LP “LIGHT EARS” (Rattsburg 2010). Since 2008 he's been working on the project Nanaue with Matteo Nahum. Between 2011 and 2017 they published 8 singles (Rattsburg Records and Gutenberg Music) and 1 album (Nanaue/Gutenberg Music, 2013) plus 3 recordings for tribute albums of Italian prog label Mellow Records. In 2014 Emiliano moved to Brussels, Belgium where he re-published his seminal album “Small Engines” (2002, Rattsburg) and in 2018 he released “MONTY” (Rattsburg) which received great recognition from the art-rock, prog and jazz reviewers.

PRESS for Emiliano

“Monty is a fascinating journey through the wild mind of a maverick.” - PROG magazine, UK

“Monty, the surprise of the year” - (tr.) Fabio Zuffanti’s TOP 5, PsycandProg, Italy

“Experimental and disturbing, Monty is a bold mix of jazz, world and avant-garde” - (tr.) Corto, Music Waves, France

“Nothing is impossible for one who’s ready to go all the way and make a strange land his own...” - Dmitry M. Epstein, DMME Let it Rock, Canada

“The music rises, it takes us up, and from up there, it shows us how we can be satisfied when listening to – finally – a disruptive album” - (tr.) Enrico Storti, Asterischi di Musiche, Italy

MARCO MACHERA

Marco Machera is an Italian singer-songwriter. He likes to say: “I don't play music – I make it happen.” He released the debut-album “One Time, Somewhere” in 2012: the recording, a unique melting pot of pop and art rock, won early stamps of approval from the likes of Peter Gabriel bassist Tony Levin and ex-Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett, who praised its “interesting atmospheres and contrasting moods.” His second solo effort, “Dime Novels” (2014), is once again a uniquely fresh take on the pop song formula, and features incredible musicians Pat Mastelotto, Tony Levin, Markus Reuter, among others. A third solo record, “Small Music From Broken Windows,” was released in 2017: an intimate and reflective concept album inspired by “The Outsider,” a short story by H.P. Lovecraft. Since 2014, Marco has also been collaborating with American bassist Julie Slick (from the Adrian Belew Power Trio) and drummer Alessandro Inolti on the EchoTest project. In the ever-evolving and experimental worlds of modern progressive rock and avant garde jazz rock, their free-flowing improvisations and strongly melodic songwriting have combined to help them shape an unique identity and garner a growing reputation for their intriguing and surprising albums and their rare and captivating live shows alike.

PRESS for Marco

“Along the way, Dime Novels finds Marco furiously pushing at the walls of musical convention. There are moments when the album sounds like prog, others when it sounds like an ambient fever dream, others still when it sounds like something that couldn’t be farther away from either construct. Dime Novels is as challenging as it is entertaining — and a huge leap forward for Machera.” - Nick DeRiso, Something Else Reviews, US

“[EchoTest] has just released its latest album, 'Daughter of Ocean,' whose nine songs form one vast movement of music that weaves thematic crescendos with ominous and dark undertones. The interplay of Slick and Machera is highly rhythmic throughout, often finding peaks in melodic moments like 'Sleep' and 'Tiger Races.' [...] the album is as enjoyable, wildly impressive, and unconventional as it gets.” - Jon D'Auria, Bass Magazine

To purchase “Emiliano Deferrari, Marco Machera”:
Available for download and streaming on all major digital stores from November 15th
https://show.co/5HhTWd9

Available on CD from December 1st
https://store.cdbaby.com/Artist/EmilianoDeferrari
Direct mail-order possible on Bandcamp (best choice for Europe)
https://emilianodeferrari.bandcamp.com/

Social Media Links
http://facebook.com/EmilianoDeferrariOfficial
https://www.facebook.com/macheram/
https://twitter.com/emideferrari
https://twitter.com/boywiththegun

Websites
www.rattsburgrecords.com
www.emilianodeferrari.com
wwww.marcomachera.com

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 1-828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Italian Music Artists EMILIANO DEFERRARI & MARCO MACHERA To Release Free-Form Improvisation Album On November 15, 2019


Italian music artists EMILIANO DEFERRARI & MARCO MACHERA are releasing their debut self-titled album of free-form improvisation on November 15, 2019. Long-time musical friends, Emiliano and Marco had never worked together, but always liked each other's music, and attended each other's performances. Emiliano's band Nanaue used to cover one of Marco's great tunes “The Ugly Song.” Throughout the years, the two musicians discovered very similar taste in music, from no-wave jazz, to art rock and more non-conventional styles. So, when Marco moved to Brussels from Italy, it felt quite natural to do something together. They could have started writing songs, but eventually they preferred to start with “something completely different”.

Emiliano explains, “They call it non-idiomatic free improvisation. We don’t agree 100% with the definition, it’s a philosophical quarrel, but that is what we do. We are both improvisers, inspired by free-form music and wanted to perform together this way. The album is documenting an excerpt from two recording sessions on cold mornings in March and May 2019 in Brussels, at Monty Studio. Two condenser microphones in the room plus a dynamic one pointed on a twin reverb, to capture the sound of us on prepared acoustic and jazz guitars, baglama, violin and objects found in the studio. No overdubs, no post-production, a rough mixing and a transparent pre-mastering. The beauty of the moment without pre-ordered languages to fit into, not against but beyond rules.”

Watch the promotional video:


“We took a walk through Matonge, the Congolese neighbourhood of Brussels, and had fun mixing (us Italians), with those picturesque African vibes on a cold northern European afternoon, last October. That’s the joy of living in an open city like Brussels.” 



Marco says, “We have decided to release this material outside of any self-indulgent snobbery, we just decided to give something to the listeners so they could satisfy their possible curiosity. We liked the atmosphere we created, the interplay and the amount of chance which helped the development of those four improvisations. We are eager to perform live and have fun with our audience. You may also consider this album as ‘another side of us’. In fact, for instance, we realize now that we didn't sing during the sessions, even though both of us are frontmen. We were so focused on creating the momentum that we forgot rules, roles and habits.”

From Brussels the duo will start presenting the album and performing live on November 30th at seeU, the ephemeral neighbourhood at the old 'Casernes d'Ixelles'.”

EMILIANO DEFERRARI

Emiliano was born in Genoa, Italy, in 1977. He started playing guitar at 6 and recording his own music at 11. He played and sang jazz, rock and world music with different bands in Italy. In 2005, after settling in Rome, he produced his first solo album “SO_LO” with Rattsburg Records, with good reviews. Since then he started touring Italy with his solo show with guitar, voice and effects. Between 2007/2011, Emiliano toured as The Loop Duo with Adriano Arena, with guitars, voices and live loops, producing an album (THE LOOP DUO/BMA and Rattsburg, 2009). In 2009/2010, he produced a new EP (O.S.T./Rattsburg, 2009) and LP “LIGHT EARS” (Rattsburg 2010). Since 2008 he's been working on the project Nanaue with Matteo Nahum. Between 2011 and 2017 they published 8 singles (Rattsburg Records and Gutenberg Music) and 1 album (Nanaue/Gutenberg Music, 2013) plus 3 recordings for tribute albums of Italian prog label Mellow Records. In 2014 Emiliano moved to Brussels, Belgium where he re-published his seminal album “Small Engines” (2002, Rattsburg) and in 2018 he released “MONTY” (Rattsburg) which received great recognition from the art-rock, prog and jazz reviewers.

PRESS for Emiliano

“Monty is a fascinating journey through the wild mind of a maverick.” - PROG magazine, UK

“Monty, the surprise of the year” - (tr.) Fabio Zuffanti’s TOP 5, PsycandProg, Italy

“Experimental and disturbing, Monty is a bold mix of jazz, world and avant-garde” - (tr.) Corto, Music Waves, France

“Nothing is impossible for one who’s ready to go all the way and make a strange land his own...” - Dmitry M. Epstein, DMME Let it Rock, Canada

“The music rises, it takes us up, and from up there, it shows us how we can be satisfied when listening to – finally – a disruptive album” - (tr.) Enrico Storti, Asterischi di Musiche, Italy

MARCO MACHERA

Marco Machera is an Italian singer-songwriter. He likes to say: “I don't play music – I make it happen.” He released the debut-album “One Time, Somewhere” in 2012: the recording, a unique melting pot of pop and art rock, won early stamps of approval from the likes of Peter Gabriel bassist Tony Levin and ex-Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett, who praised its “interesting atmospheres and contrasting moods.” His second solo effort, “Dime Novels” (2014), is once again a uniquely fresh take on the pop song formula, and features incredible musicians Pat Mastelotto, Tony Levin, Markus Reuter, among others. A third solo record, “Small Music From Broken Windows,” was released in 2017: an intimate and reflective concept album inspired by “The Outsider,” a short story by H.P. Lovecraft. Since 2014, Marco has also been collaborating with American bassist Julie Slick (from the Adrian Belew Power Trio) and drummer Alessandro Inolti on the EchoTest project. In the ever-evolving and experimental worlds of modern progressive rock and avant garde jazz rock, their free-flowing improvisations and strongly melodic songwriting have combined to help them shape an unique identity and garner a growing reputation for their intriguing and surprising albums and their rare and captivating live shows alike.

PRESS for Marco

“Along the way, Dime Novels finds Marco furiously pushing at the walls of musical convention. There are moments when the album sounds like prog, others when it sounds like an ambient fever dream, others still when it sounds like something that couldn’t be farther away from either construct. Dime Novels is as challenging as it is entertaining — and a huge leap forward for Machera.” - Nick DeRiso, Something Else Reviews, US

“[EchoTest] has just released its latest album, 'Daughter of Ocean,' whose nine songs form one vast movement of music that weaves thematic crescendos with ominous and dark undertones. The interplay of Slick and Machera is highly rhythmic throughout, often finding peaks in melodic moments like 'Sleep' and 'Tiger Races.' [...] the album is as enjoyable, wildly impressive, and unconventional as it gets.” - Jon D'Auria, Bass Magazine

To purchase “Emiliano Deferrari, Marco Machera”:
Available for download and streaming on all major digital stores from November 15th
https://show.co/5HhTWd9

Available on CD from December 1st
https://store.cdbaby.com/Artist/EmilianoDeferrari
Direct mail-order possible on Bandcamp (best choice for Europe)
https://emilianodeferrari.bandcamp.com/

Social Media Links
http://facebook.com/EmilianoDeferrariOfficial
https://www.facebook.com/macheram/
https://twitter.com/emideferrari
https://twitter.com/boywiththegun

Websites
www.rattsburgrecords.com
www.emilianodeferrari.com
wwww.marcomachera.com

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 1-828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com

9/09/2018

Experimental Musician BILLY YFANTIS Releases New Music And Video


Athens, Greece - Experimental musician and author Billy Yfantis, reveals a new digital single entitled "The Mysterious Trip." The song is an exploration of the analog synth sound as it was defined by artists such as the Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, Klaus Schulze and other pioneers of the experimental electronic music. The recording of the song took place in Athens, Greece during a mysterious and trippy live session.

Billy commented on the new release: "After the experimentation with strange sounds and machines, I decided to invest time and effort in straight edge electronic music. A late midnight live session close to a noisy Athenian road, led to the decision about this recording. It is a mysterious trip to isolate yourself from the surrounding noise and focus on your emotions."

Billy Yfantis also released a new video so as to visualize aesthetically the analog synth sounds of his new track. The promotional video deals with the concept of the analog machines from the 1970s era.

Listen to the new single here:  
https://billyyfantis.bandcamp.com/track/the-mysterious-trip
https://us.napster.com/artist/billy-yfantis/album/the-mysterious-trip
https://open.spotify.com/track/1uGtLO9ga3uJdgSSC4zjkP

Watch the video here:


Books by Billy Yfantis
https://www.amazon.com/Vasileios-Yfantis/e/B00JNNL306/

About Billy Yfantis
Billy Yfantis holds 2 Master Degrees in Information Technology and has been working on music since the late 1990s by experimenting with tape mixing and sound design. Billy is playing digital keyboards, but prefers to express his artistic dream through the electronic sounds that come from unusual machines. He has experimented with the recording of vacuum cleaners, electric blenders and other strange sounds that have resulted in musical releases. Moreover, Billy has authored 6 books on music, business and science while from times to times he speaks about the electronic governance at scientific conferences all over Europe.

Contact details: 
E-mail: Byfantis@yahoo.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/billy.yfantis

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Experimental Musician BILLY YFANTIS Releases New Music And Video


Athens, Greece - Experimental musician and author Billy Yfantis, reveals a new digital single entitled "The Mysterious Trip." The song is an exploration of the analog synth sound as it was defined by artists such as the Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, Klaus Schulze and other pioneers of the experimental electronic music. The recording of the song took place in Athens, Greece during a mysterious and trippy live session.

Billy commented on the new release: "After the experimentation with strange sounds and machines, I decided to invest time and effort in straight edge electronic music. A late midnight live session close to a noisy Athenian road, led to the decision about this recording. It is a mysterious trip to isolate yourself from the surrounding noise and focus on your emotions."

Billy Yfantis also released a new video so as to visualize aesthetically the analog synth sounds of his new track. The promotional video deals with the concept of the analog machines from the 1970s era.

Listen to the new single here:  
https://billyyfantis.bandcamp.com/track/the-mysterious-trip
https://us.napster.com/artist/billy-yfantis/album/the-mysterious-trip
https://open.spotify.com/track/1uGtLO9ga3uJdgSSC4zjkP

Watch the video here:


Books by Billy Yfantis
https://www.amazon.com/Vasileios-Yfantis/e/B00JNNL306/

About Billy Yfantis
Billy Yfantis holds 2 Master Degrees in Information Technology and has been working on music since the late 1990s by experimenting with tape mixing and sound design. Billy is playing digital keyboards, but prefers to express his artistic dream through the electronic sounds that come from unusual machines. He has experimented with the recording of vacuum cleaners, electric blenders and other strange sounds that have resulted in musical releases. Moreover, Billy has authored 6 books on music, business and science while from times to times he speaks about the electronic governance at scientific conferences all over Europe.

Contact details: 
E-mail: Byfantis@yahoo.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/billy.yfantis

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Experimental Musician BILLY YFANTIS Releases New Music And Video


Athens, Greece - Experimental musician and author Billy Yfantis, reveals a new digital single entitled "The Mysterious Trip." The song is an exploration of the analog synth sound as it was defined by artists such as the Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, Klaus Schulze and other pioneers of the experimental electronic music. The recording of the song took place in Athens, Greece during a mysterious and trippy live session.

Billy commented on the new release: "After the experimentation with strange sounds and machines, I decided to invest time and effort in straight edge electronic music. A late midnight live session close to a noisy Athenian road, led to the decision about this recording. It is a mysterious trip to isolate yourself from the surrounding noise and focus on your emotions."

Billy Yfantis also released a new video so as to visualize aesthetically the analog synth sounds of his new track. The promotional video deals with the concept of the analog machines from the 1970s era.

Listen to the new single here:  
https://billyyfantis.bandcamp.com/track/the-mysterious-trip
https://us.napster.com/artist/billy-yfantis/album/the-mysterious-trip
https://open.spotify.com/track/1uGtLO9ga3uJdgSSC4zjkP

Watch the video here:


Books by Billy Yfantis
https://www.amazon.com/Vasileios-Yfantis/e/B00JNNL306/

About Billy Yfantis
Billy Yfantis holds 2 Master Degrees in Information Technology and has been working on music since the late 1990s by experimenting with tape mixing and sound design. Billy is playing digital keyboards, but prefers to express his artistic dream through the electronic sounds that come from unusual machines. He has experimented with the recording of vacuum cleaners, electric blenders and other strange sounds that have resulted in musical releases. Moreover, Billy has authored 6 books on music, business and science while from times to times he speaks about the electronic governance at scientific conferences all over Europe.

Contact details: 
E-mail: Byfantis@yahoo.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/billy.yfantis

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com

6/19/2017

Experimental Guitarist Rex Shepherd To Release New Album "Never Buy My Self Volume III"


Guitarist and composer Rex Shepherd will be releasing the third installment of the “Never Buy My Self” series digitally on June 29th. The first two volumes, released in 2014, featured Shepherd playing solo and in various duets, and volume three continues the series with a new set of all solo music consisting of both improvised and composed pieces. The new release features four new compositions and ten more improvised tunes that demonstrate Shepherd's musical range from thoughtfully written jazz ballads to fuzzed out guitar mayhem including one piece in which Shepherd again uses the Theremin for self accompaniment.

Says Rex, “I released a solo set in 2016 called 'Meditations,' and doing a new solo thing runs the risk of repetition but 'Meditations' was done in just a few sessions and was textural and harmonically focused and the new stuff returns to my tendency to play and write in a linear melodic way and the music on 'Never Buy My Self, Volume III' reflects that way of thinking, and it's also different in that it was recorded over a span of about two years and, like volume I, it includes one particular composition that is very personal and is only for me to play. I have aspirations for new projects with larger ensembles and to return to the No End of Now jazz rock thing too so this will probably be the last solo thing I do for a good while, and given the current socio-emotional environment these days I don't want to come off as a narcissistic anti-social type. So I hope people enjoy and connect with this music and, as always, much peace, happiness, and music to all people, everywhere.”

Guitarist Rex Shepherd also recently released three albums digitally: “Ohio”, “Sonority” and “Duets”. Combining elements of jazz improvisation and harmony with an approach to guitar playing heavily influenced by diverse players such as Jim Hall, Robin Trower, Fred Frith, and sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar, Rex Shepherd has forged a niche for himself with original music that typically lies somewhere just outside the usual genre labels but is still music that is approachable.

Says Rex, “This new music was recorded in my personal studio, much of it with other musicians in duets, and at various times throughout the last few years. The past several years have delivered to me a greater understanding of the fleeting nature of this lifetime, so I decided to release much of what I had accumulated, in part to satisfy my own need to communicate musically with the world outside of my little sphere of existence, but also I wanted to honor the musicians who played this music with me. It is these musical and personal relationships that are at the heart of creating music, whether composed or improvised, and for the people who listen to it I hope it also creates a connection between us. Much peace and music to all people, everywhere.”

Having been described as “Robin Trower meets Miles Davis”, Shepherd's music spans from full on instrumental jazz rock tunes to traditional jazz compositions with a good dose of free improvisation and sound experimentation using “prepared” and effected guitar sounds and instruments such as the “oceanharp” and the Theremin.

Shepherd's band, sometimes going under the name No End of Now, employs a revolving cast of the most creative players he can find who are willing to take part in a project that is often arranged while playing and with no limitations on the players' expression of the music. The compositions are also a blend of influences, from Wayne Shorter to John Cage, and most often are directly inspired by people, literature and other art forms, and experiences that hold significant meaning in Shepherd's life.

Previously released albums:

“Ohio”: With the exception of “Desire”, a ballad Rex wrote several years ago, the music on this recording is all improvised. The songs consist of duet recordings captured in his studio after he had returned home to Ohio for a short time. https://rexshepherd.bandcamp.com/album/ohio

“Sonority”: This recent recording features a set of improvised tunes that were arrived at after John and Rex conducted their usual pre-roll discussions about the state of current affairs in the U.S. https://rexshepherd.bandcamp.com/album/sonority

“Duets”: Except for the improvisations “Etude #2” and “April 9th”, this release features compositions by Rex that have existed anywhere from 15 years, in the case of “In the Shade”, to just two days before being recorded like “Happy Little Trees”. https://rexshepherd.bandcamp.com/album/duets

To purchase Rex Shepherd's “Never Buy My Self Volume III”: https://rexshepherd.bandcamp.com/album/never-buy-my-self-vol-iii

For more information:
Website: https://rexshep.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/musicpagerexshepherd/

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com

3/20/2017

Experimental Music Ensemble Zero Times Everything To Release New Album “Sonic Cinema” - April 21, 2017


NYC - Experimental music ensemble Zero Times Everything will be releasing their eagerly anticipated new album “Sonic Cinema” on April 21, 2017! Avant-garde post-industrial pre-cambrian pan-ethnic serial noise proto-punk neocortex music. It lives at the intersection of “My Life in the Bush of Ghosts” and Autechre, mixing glitchcore, ambient, and progressive rock.

Says band member Richard Sylvarnes, “In film making it is critical to create a sense of space; a world wholly imaginary that we can enter completely and without reservation. That is the first critical step in the creative process of Zero Times Everything. We strive to create worlds with sounds for a film that is either real or imagined. Hence the title: 'Sonic Cinema'. Although largely an instrumental recording there are passages of spoken texts; either through a disembodied heroine’s chant from a 1930’s gangster film, robot voices reciting Marxist texts, a child’s recitation of 'Twenty-first Century Schizoid Man', to a chorus of angry protesters whose calls against war resemble a liturgical chant. The totality of these texts describe a malignant world within the throes of a breathless apocalypse. And, yet, the record ends on a celestial note - a treated, improvised guitar loop - that inspires hope and resilience within the storm.”

Zero Times Everything is:
Richard Sylvarnes – Kaoss Pads, Loops, Synths, Rhythms, Guitars, Vocals
Pietro Russino – Guitars, Loops, Violin
Tony Geballe – Guitars, Synths, Loops
(with special guest Sønje Sylvarnes, vocals on Schizoid)

Tony, Richard, and Pietro first met at Robert Fripp's Guitar Craft Seminars at Claymont Court, then formed a group to provide live music for Richard Sylvarnes' epic film “The Last Words of Dutch Schultz”. ZXE continued playing live to Richard's works, developing a rich vocabulary of music and exploration far beyond their original intention. “Sonic Cinema” is the result – music to accompany films: the ones made by Richard Sylvarnes and the ones playing in your head. The music of ZXE is improvised over a framework of known landmarks and ideas.

Once they made their debut with “Dutch Schultz”, ZXE was asked to play at the inaugural NY Festival of Light in 2013, and then to perform at the opening ceremony of the 2014 NYFOL. Working with Howard Ungerleider, longtime lighting designer for Rush, ZXE presented an audiovisual extravaganza with a spectacular light show under the Manhattan Bridge. ZXE has also performed at the Filmmakers Co-op Benefit with Laurie Anderson, John Zorn, Philip Glass, and JG Thirlwell. In 2015, ZXE provided the musical soundtrack for “Valkyrie Octopus” by the celebrated Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos, at the MGM Grand Casino in Macau, China.

Says Richard, “ 'Sonic Cinema' was recorded over the past several years. Our first live performances were in art galleries, avant-garde cinemas, and performances spaces in New York City. The music grew from these performances, and in the studio.

“All the music was recorded in a small studio in a heavily industrialized, dirty, noisy section of Brooklyn. The studio sits underneath a bridge that separates Queens from Brooklyn and is presently being taken apart and rebuilt at the same time. The studio is also surrounded by metal refuse companies that day and night haul heaps of metal and junk from torn down buildings into dingy, contaminated yards. Amidst this cacophony the record was made, which certainly lent to the overall feeling of the music.

“We followed the music and listened for where it was going. This was the guiding principle to recording the CD. An idea, or the germ of an idea, would be presented to the band and from that would emerge possible directions fueled by each musician's passion, panic, and/or response to what they were hearing. Sometimes this can be comparable to walking on a high-tension line where success and failure are both one step away. A particular example would be the piece ‘Accident,’ where all that was presented was a dark, looped techno drum beat, and a single spoken phrase of a woman calling the police. No chordal arrangements or charts were given. No fixed goals in mind. From that small idea developed a forty-five minute musical exploration that was edited into its final eleven minutes of whose mood, quality, and intensity no one could have predicted, which then was further processed and distorted in the mixing phase. We record all of our rehearsals and treat those recordings as malleable material to create worlds both serene and disquieting.”

The Band:

Richard Sylvarnes is an artist and composer. Richard's works have been exhibited internationally in galleries and museums and published in such media as the New York Times and Rolling Stone. A long-time member of ASCAP and the Filmmakers Co-op, his films have been shown in Greece, Germany, England, Brazil, Russia, France and various countries in Asia, as well as twice being featured in the Tribeca Film Festival. Richard’s music has been released on 4 CDs with Sylvarluxe and the Underworld Oscillator Corporation on the Skrymir label.

Pietro Russino is a Sardinia-born guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer who combines rock traditions with classical finger picking, his own blend of improvised Mediterranean folk melodies, and looping. Pietro's music has been featured on MTV and on John Shaefer's WNYC show “New Sounds,” and on RAI Television in Italy. He was music director of Da Ugo, a music venue-restaurant-bar located on the beach of Porto Taverna, Sardinia. Pietro created the genre of “Hypnofolk,” and released a CD by that name in 2011.

Tony Geballe is a guitarist, composer, and sound designer, member of the La Compagnia de' Colombari theater group and the progressive darkwave band Braindance. His works have been performed at the Huntington Theater in Boston, Classic Stage Company (NYC), New York Theater Workshop, the Hartford Stage and many other venues in the USA and internationally. Tony was also a member of The Trey Gunn Band, and his CD “Native of the Rain” was released by Robert Fripp's label Discipline Global Mobile.

Zero Times Everything is currently recording its follow up release (working title: “Sound of Music”) and embarking on several shows in the New York Metropolitan area including a record release party in late April. The group continues to make films for their music and intend to work with other visual artists in a live atmosphere, especially the multi-visual group called “Optipus”. They continue to make the band's live shows a visual as well as sonic experience.

In closing Richard has this to impart about Zero Times Everything's forthcoming album, “ 'Sonic Cinema' is challenging; at times discordant, unmoored with a feral energy, and descriptive of bleak, desolate landscapes. At the very same time 'Sonic Cinema' is lush, expansive, and vivid; an exploration of all that is luminous in this world.”

To purchase Zero Times Everything's “Sonic Cinema” CD: 
https://zerotimeseverything.bandcamp.com/album/sonic-cinema
http://music.7dmedia.com

For more information:
Official website: http://zerotimeseverything.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zerotimeseverything

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Experimental Music Ensemble Zero Times Everything To Release New Album “Sonic Cinema” - April 21, 2017


NYC - Experimental music ensemble Zero Times Everything will be releasing their eagerly anticipated new album “Sonic Cinema” on April 21, 2017! Avant-garde post-industrial pre-cambrian pan-ethnic serial noise proto-punk neocortex music. It lives at the intersection of “My Life in the Bush of Ghosts” and Autechre, mixing glitchcore, ambient, and progressive rock.

Says band member Richard Sylvarnes, “In film making it is critical to create a sense of space; a world wholly imaginary that we can enter completely and without reservation. That is the first critical step in the creative process of Zero Times Everything. We strive to create worlds with sounds for a film that is either real or imagined. Hence the title: 'Sonic Cinema'. Although largely an instrumental recording there are passages of spoken texts; either through a disembodied heroine’s chant from a 1930’s gangster film, robot voices reciting Marxist texts, a child’s recitation of 'Twenty-first Century Schizoid Man', to a chorus of angry protesters whose calls against war resemble a liturgical chant. The totality of these texts describe a malignant world within the throes of a breathless apocalypse. And, yet, the record ends on a celestial note - a treated, improvised guitar loop - that inspires hope and resilience within the storm.”

Zero Times Everything is:
Richard Sylvarnes – Kaoss Pads, Loops, Synths, Rhythms, Guitars, Vocals
Pietro Russino – Guitars, Loops, Violin
Tony Geballe – Guitars, Synths, Loops
(with special guest Sønje Sylvarnes, vocals on Schizoid)

Tony, Richard, and Pietro first met at Robert Fripp's Guitar Craft Seminars at Claymont Court, then formed a group to provide live music for Richard Sylvarnes' epic film “The Last Words of Dutch Schultz”. ZXE continued playing live to Richard's works, developing a rich vocabulary of music and exploration far beyond their original intention. “Sonic Cinema” is the result – music to accompany films: the ones made by Richard Sylvarnes and the ones playing in your head. The music of ZXE is improvised over a framework of known landmarks and ideas.

Once they made their debut with “Dutch Schultz”, ZXE was asked to play at the inaugural NY Festival of Light in 2013, and then to perform at the opening ceremony of the 2014 NYFOL. Working with Howard Ungerleider, longtime lighting designer for Rush, ZXE presented an audiovisual extravaganza with a spectacular light show under the Manhattan Bridge. ZXE has also performed at the Filmmakers Co-op Benefit with Laurie Anderson, John Zorn, Philip Glass, and JG Thirlwell. In 2015, ZXE provided the musical soundtrack for “Valkyrie Octopus” by the celebrated Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos, at the MGM Grand Casino in Macau, China.

Says Richard, “ 'Sonic Cinema' was recorded over the past several years. Our first live performances were in art galleries, avant-garde cinemas, and performances spaces in New York City. The music grew from these performances, and in the studio.

“All the music was recorded in a small studio in a heavily industrialized, dirty, noisy section of Brooklyn. The studio sits underneath a bridge that separates Queens from Brooklyn and is presently being taken apart and rebuilt at the same time. The studio is also surrounded by metal refuse companies that day and night haul heaps of metal and junk from torn down buildings into dingy, contaminated yards. Amidst this cacophony the record was made, which certainly lent to the overall feeling of the music.

“We followed the music and listened for where it was going. This was the guiding principle to recording the CD. An idea, or the germ of an idea, would be presented to the band and from that would emerge possible directions fueled by each musician's passion, panic, and/or response to what they were hearing. Sometimes this can be comparable to walking on a high-tension line where success and failure are both one step away. A particular example would be the piece ‘Accident,’ where all that was presented was a dark, looped techno drum beat, and a single spoken phrase of a woman calling the police. No chordal arrangements or charts were given. No fixed goals in mind. From that small idea developed a forty-five minute musical exploration that was edited into its final eleven minutes of whose mood, quality, and intensity no one could have predicted, which then was further processed and distorted in the mixing phase. We record all of our rehearsals and treat those recordings as malleable material to create worlds both serene and disquieting.”

The Band:

Richard Sylvarnes is an artist and composer. Richard's works have been exhibited internationally in galleries and museums and published in such media as the New York Times and Rolling Stone. A long-time member of ASCAP and the Filmmakers Co-op, his films have been shown in Greece, Germany, England, Brazil, Russia, France and various countries in Asia, as well as twice being featured in the Tribeca Film Festival. Richard’s music has been released on 4 CDs with Sylvarluxe and the Underworld Oscillator Corporation on the Skrymir label.

Pietro Russino is a Sardinia-born guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer who combines rock traditions with classical finger picking, his own blend of improvised Mediterranean folk melodies, and looping. Pietro's music has been featured on MTV and on John Shaefer's WNYC show “New Sounds,” and on RAI Television in Italy. He was music director of Da Ugo, a music venue-restaurant-bar located on the beach of Porto Taverna, Sardinia. Pietro created the genre of “Hypnofolk,” and released a CD by that name in 2011.

Tony Geballe is a guitarist, composer, and sound designer, member of the La Compagnia de' Colombari theater group and the progressive darkwave band Braindance. His works have been performed at the Huntington Theater in Boston, Classic Stage Company (NYC), New York Theater Workshop, the Hartford Stage and many other venues in the USA and internationally. Tony was also a member of The Trey Gunn Band, and his CD “Native of the Rain” was released by Robert Fripp's label Discipline Global Mobile.

Zero Times Everything is currently recording its follow up release (working title: “Sound of Music”) and embarking on several shows in the New York Metropolitan area including a record release party in late April. The group continues to make films for their music and intend to work with other visual artists in a live atmosphere, especially the multi-visual group called “Optipus”. They continue to make the band's live shows a visual as well as sonic experience.

In closing Richard has this to impart about Zero Times Everything's forthcoming album, “ 'Sonic Cinema' is challenging; at times discordant, unmoored with a feral energy, and descriptive of bleak, desolate landscapes. At the very same time 'Sonic Cinema' is lush, expansive, and vivid; an exploration of all that is luminous in this world.”

To purchase Zero Times Everything's “Sonic Cinema” CD: 
https://zerotimeseverything.bandcamp.com/album/sonic-cinema
http://music.7dmedia.com

For more information:
Official website: http://zerotimeseverything.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zerotimeseverything

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com