23 by Ceremonial Abyss
KTBTK 021
"Is creativity anything more than impassioned curiosity? Is there anywhere a signifier that will tell us it’s time? To tap in to a current that is not a reflection? But a well of innumerable schema impersonal and in-exchangeable as currency? Without a certain point or counterpoint of direction? In meeting the axis of vision and memory? 23. 23. 23. 23. 23. 23. 23. 23. 23. 23. 23. 23. 23. 23. 23. 23. 23. 23. 23. 23. 23. 23."
Continuing after 2022’s ‘Death and Imagination’ and ‘Tape Study for Four Variants’, ‘23’ documents an artist at work in the unending search for something else, through the development and collage of in-house source material.
Recorded and mixed in a marathon two-week session, ‘23’ finds Abyss working with layers of cassette tape, analog sequencers, processed electric piano, and synthesizer — demonstrating a newfound precision in adapting harmonic ideas and techniques in composition.
‘23’, as a title, has been excavated from a rather enigmatic lineage; Ceremonial Abyss fully taps in, thematically, to a channel once-explored by Brion Gysin, William Burroughs and Robert Anton Wilson. Melodic interplay and tape hiss conspire to suggest a hazy outline of where this current may find its river-mouth.
“There is enough polyphony to keep the mind attentive, yet all the textures and tonalities give that elusive idea of “positive change”… well, occasionally, there are hints of a distant storm brewing… but not enough to cause anxiety! The overall experience is pleasant—hard to find in today’s clamorous world. Can be played repeatedly… but save it for lucky opportunities of solitude or quietude.”
- V.Vale (RE/Search Publications) : https://www.researchpubs.com
Tracklist
| 1. | The Hourglass | 3:59 |
| 2. | The Garden | 4:34 |
| 3. | Moonlight | 3:38 |
| 4. | The Path | 5:13 |
| 5. | The Torch | 4:23 |
| 6. | House of Wax | 3:02 |
Credits
All music composed and recorded by Ceremonial Abyss at Hyperboreal Audio in May 2023
Additional mixing and mastering by Michael Buchanan in July 2023
hyperborealaudio.com
