S/T by Cherushii & Maria Minerva
In the fall of 2013 Maria Minerva mapped an 8-show United States trek up the west coast and across to Chicago but, being newly emigrated from Estonia without car or driver’s license, needed a traveling companion who did. Given the grueling itinerary only one road warrior / joie de vivrist came to mind: dear friend, penpal, and SILK sister Chelsea Faith AKA Cherushii. The two covered over 3,000 miles together, performing in bars and towns not known for leftfield electronic patronage (i.e. VFW halls in Missoula, Montana). Though attendance was occasionally minimal they bonded deeply, in ways specific to arduous American DIY touring.
In subsequent years the pair shared bills, traded tracks, and remained close – even playing live together a few times – yet the dream of a proper collaboration always loomed. The tragic Oakland fire of December 2016 cut short such plans but not before they’d written, recorded, and mixed the better part of six songs. With the devoted assistance of David Last, Adam Gunther, and Brian Foote these recordings were posthumously polished and finalized and it’s our heart-aching honor to share them with the world.
Drawing on Minerva and Faith’s most vibrant Venn diagram overlap, the tracks evoke mirror-lined music video sets, downtempo night drives, rainbow eyeshadow, glittering skylines, and sweaty discotheques, flowing from lush to lavish, highly finessed and full of feeling. It’s the sound of true union, Faith’s divine dancefloor DNA threaded through Minerva’s chic pop hooks, rhythmic and revelatory, the best of two beautiful worlds.
The collection closes with a swooning ambient edit by Glassell Park hardware-whisperer Leech, Maria’s voice dubbed into a gauze of otherworldly emotion: “I’m going astray.”
Special thanks to Colleen Dolan and Sabrina Fox.
Tracklist
| 1. | A Day Without You | 5:34 |
| 2. | This Must Be The Place | 7:07 |
| 3. | Boyfriend Shirt | 6:36 |
| 4. | Out By Myself | 3:57 |
| 5. | Nobody's Fool [Vocal Version] | 7:00 |
| 6. | Thin Line | 4:52 |
| 7. | A Day Without You [Leech edit] | 4:43 |
Credits
Additional production by David Last and Brian Foote.
Additional vocals recorded by Adam Gunther.
Mixed by David Last and Brian Foote.
Mastered by Eric Hanson.
Design by Britt Brown.
FINAL COPIES:
midheaven.com/item/cherushii-ampamp-maria-minerva/st-by-cherushii-maria-minerva
License
All rights reserved.
Cherushii is Chelsea Faith, an electronic musician, producer, radio host and live performer based in San Francisco. Her passion for dance music history is evident in her work, which takes cues from Detroit techno, Chicago house, and classic rave sounds. She used her gear savvy and innate musicianship to create lush, retro-futurist productions, until her passing in 2016.