The Strait

The full title: "The Strait (A Mythical Place and the People Who Live There)"

This album pushes boundaries much further than the last. New colors and concepts stemmed from time-altering explorations down bottomless black holes. From this came the dawning of creating a fictional place, The Strait, where very different, special types of people live—The Susceptible, The Hidden People, The Remarkables, The Stilt-Legged Transplants and so on. This opened the door to radical textures and atmospheres, off-center motifs and glitchy rhythms, from monstrous to granular. They fill this album and will put you in this new and unusual place.

This time around, my palette utilized more modular and semi-modular synthesis with the additions of the Moog Subharmonicon & DFAM and VCV Rack. Other instruments I’ve used for years, like Diva, Bazille, Buchla Music Easel, Zebra and Massive X, still constantly surprise me with the sounds I can get out of them. Everything goes through Cubase, which gives me control to shape & tweak every detail, as well as the overall form of the piece.

I’ve always wanted what I write to take the listener from one place to another within the composition. Directions changed many times while working with these rather unpredictable instruments (“happy accidents” = new ideas). Sometimes I lead the way to a space I want to explore, and sometimes it’s the sounds I discover that lead me to completely unexpected vistas. This is an inspiring & fantastic freedom to have as a composer. I love how this album came together.