Where To Now? Electronic & Dance 6 Items

A few copies arrived with a Seamsplit Cover. We're therefore selling it on a reduced price.

Sam Wenc is a composer and multi-instrumentalist working with sound, text, and objects. He utilises guitar, pedal steel guitar, vibraphone, electronics, field recordings, and found objects to compose both structured and formless pieces that attempt to blur concepts of what constitutes “folk music”. He has released music on labels such as Noumenal Loom, Obsolete Staircases, Moon Villain, and his own label, Lobby Art. Below are Wenc’s own thoughts on his work and approach, which frankly do a far better job of capturing the essence of his spiritual, minimal, and transcendent pieces than we could… “‘Heart Music’ was recorded over the course of 2019 and 2020. The initial intention was not necessarily to produce an album, but rather to explore composing from a percussive perspective and trying to avert relying heavily on the pedal steel guitar and guitar as primary modes of composing. The pedal steel guitar lends itself to such a soft sound palette so even in pieces that are highly structured (Always for Pleasure, Going Right to the Praying Mantis), I wanted to avoid the propensity to let the composition amble along, and rather create a brisk, biting percussive component. This can particularly be heard on "Del Mero Corazon", which pulses along with the droning bowing of the banjo and marimacho before drums kick in and later on the vibraphone. Thematically, much of the music (to me) takes on a somewhat ceremonial feeling and explores the trajectory of exploring intrapersonal contradictions and what it means to navigate a disharmonious public sphere. Films was also a major inspiration for songs and their titles: Wiilka & Phaxsi (named for the characters in the film Wiñaypacha), Always for Pleasure (named for the Les Blanks film) was an attempt at writing something akin to a processional march, "Going Right to the Praying Mantis" & "That's the Boss, Not Some Human!" was a quote of Milford Graves pulled from the film "Full Mantis". On that note, the title of the album, "Heart Music", is in recognition of Milford's exploration of the internal data, knowledge, and ultimately music that is present within our bodies. More so than on previous albums, I felt myself letting rhythm, intuition, and improvisation guide the work, often resulting in longer form pieces that allows myself (and hopefully the listener) to listen deeply, observing moments of tension and harmony tangled, dependent, and resolved by one another. One other noticeable addition is the introduction of poetry into "Madness is a Fully Instrumented Score" and "Evidence" (both spoken by Anna Jeters of the band Ancient Pools). This was touched on in my last album on the track "David's Death", but by bringing in the voice to create both parallel and perpendicular narratives, it creates another line to follow and bring the listener into a deeper state of listening. I like playing with blurred narratives, homespun ideas of conventional thoughts that are ever changing in a climate where fixed ways of relating to sound and composition can become something new and mangled in its own right.” If you dig the following then this is most certainly one for you… Susan Alcorn, Alice Coltrane, Phil Cohran, Bobby Hutcherson, Henry Flynt, Jon Gibson, Mind Over Mirrors, Natural Information Society, Johnny Coley, Oren Ambarchi, Tortoise, Yasuaki Shimizu, Califone.

Where To Now? are proud to present the new album from Irish born, NY based Orlando FitzGerald. Previously recording as ‘Orlando’, FitzGerald has released music via ‘Local Action’, ‘Gobstopper’, and All City affiliated label ‘First Second’. Where Orlando’s previous works have focused on the dance floor, here we see a pivot towards a Cello led sound which embraces experimentation, space, and solitude. FitzGerald's approach to music is born from punk, and he carries this DIY approach towards the weighty world of the Cello. With no formal training FitzGerald instead takes an intuitive approach, quietly seeking out expression and treating his sounds to create a unique basin of tension, warmth, and paced release. With percussive contributions from Matthew Byas (of Phony Ppl), restrained Sax skronk from the brilliant Kate Mohanty, synth work from Evan Shornstein (also known as Photay), and vocals from none other than NY Post-Punk legend Anna Domino, FitzGerald has created a cinematic record that moves between worlds of unnerving dread, and lush, hopeful melancholy. ‘Slow Drift’ opens with the unsettling ‘Infinite Life’, where layered Cello and Sax murmur set the scene and accompanying bass rattle evokes the feeling of mechanical motor drift. This melding of the mechanical and organic will become a central theme to the album. ‘Anticipate The Heat’ follows, with the album's most Jazzwise moment - where Byas' scattered hand drums punctuate Mohanty’s mellow flutters. ‘Wind’ is where we find Orlando at his most cinematic and melodic, presenting a serene, bubbling movement where hushed picking and restrained playing recalls the quiet ambience of Helios, or the melancholy of Bruce Langhorne at his most desert swept, staring into an endless horizon. ‘Unfolding’ opens with Anna Domino’s unmistakably fragile, sensual, and affecting vocals, for which the Cello compliments in call and response fashion, allowing Anna’s vocals to lead, creating a moment which appears to explore themes of regeneration, loss, and hope - which again, is refracted and responded to by Orlando. Next we have a triptych of ‘Grid’ movements, which continue to explore the above themes, drifting between meditative minimalism and abstract discordance with hypnotic effect - Orlando approaches these pieces with such considered interplay, fully embracing space, silence, and cyclical repetition to create a devastatingly emotive, and desolate landscape, which continuously attempts to regain focus, yearning for stillness. Finally the album ends with "One" a meditation on wholeness and unity where moody, yet serene guitars balance wailing cello.

Where to Now? are proud to present the debut LP from Peru based and born Areliz Ramos. ‘Frio’ seeks to explore the common reality of isolation and melancholy which exists when stepping away from our roots towards a solo global exploration of culture and place. Recorded between spells in London, Berlin, and Lima, 'Frio’ attempts to soak up experimental & electronic subcultural scenes within these environments, resulting in a body of work which seeks to connect, longs to feel, and yearns to regain a sense of belonging.

Previously recording under the moniker ‘Milkshlk’ (Female Pressure, Napp), Areliz’s sound shuffles all over the place - from occupying the same deep haze, ethereal, smudged, and downtempo space championed by the likes of Boards of Canada, Odd Nosdam, Seefeel etc, to carrying an unassuming boom bap sensibility and confidence at times, to stepping back and opening widely to experimentation, extended field recordings and tonal subtleties.

The LP begins with title track ‘Frio’, an orchestral and meditative movement in which inaudible, hushed conversations flicker in and out of focus, before the playful piano samples of ‘This Track Is For You’ swing into motion, with a prolonged sampling of a loving ‘pep talk’ from father to daughter welcoming jazzwise flutters and swirling melodies, eventually collapsing under a wave of distortion.

‘Euduvin’ switches focus to what we can only assume is a nod to the warmth and belonging felt for Areliz’s native Peru home, where a long form field recording captures distant nature, environment, and hushed intimate conversations, floating below a swell of warm ambience. All this is intentionally juxtaposed with the start of the next piece ‘Sang’, instantly evoking anxiety and dread, signifying the disconnect between the comfort of ‘home’ and the disconnect felt when moving on… ‘Samos’ develops into a melee of dizzying underwater bass and percussive experimentation, before returning to a wandering dread.

‘Emails’ tells tales of the heart and communication breakdown over what could be a lost cut from Los Angeles era Flying Lotus before we hear the most unnerving cut on the record ‘Kabal’, again conveying isolation and unease via it’s shards of sharp tone and off kilter rhythm, building into a emotive, heads down clash.

‘Driller 1’ sees the return of Areliz’s more exuberant side, where dense, straight faced ambience skittishly flips to sudden joyful bass dives and unpretentious sample phases. ‘Ava’ rounds us out with the hum of Cicada’s, drifting throughout the album’s closing 8 minutes, becoming buried under layers of hopeful texture, and serene warmth.

Sam Wenc is a composer and multi-instrumentalist working with sound, text, and objects. He utilises guitar, pedal steel guitar, vibraphone, electronics, field recordings, and found objects to compose both structured and formless pieces that attempt to blur concepts of what constitutes “folk music”. He has released music on labels such as Noumenal Loom, Obsolete Staircases, Moon Villain, and his own label, Lobby Art. Below are Wenc’s own thoughts on his work and approach, which frankly do a far better job of capturing the essence of his spiritual, minimal, and transcendent pieces than we could… “‘Heart Music’ was recorded over the course of 2019 and 2020. The initial intention was not necessarily to produce an album, but rather to explore composing from a percussive perspective and trying to avert relying heavily on the pedal steel guitar and guitar as primary modes of composing. The pedal steel guitar lends itself to such a soft sound palette so even in pieces that are highly structured (Always for Pleasure, Going Right to the Praying Mantis), I wanted to avoid the propensity to let the composition amble along, and rather create a brisk, biting percussive component. This can particularly be heard on "Del Mero Corazon", which pulses along with the droning bowing of the banjo and marimacho before drums kick in and later on the vibraphone. Thematically, much of the music (to me) takes on a somewhat ceremonial feeling and explores the trajectory of exploring intrapersonal contradictions and what it means to navigate a disharmonious public sphere. Films was also a major inspiration for songs and their titles: Wiilka & Phaxsi (named for the characters in the film Wiñaypacha), Always for Pleasure (named for the Les Blanks film) was an attempt at writing something akin to a processional march, "Going Right to the Praying Mantis" & "That's the Boss, Not Some Human!" was a quote of Milford Graves pulled from the film "Full Mantis". On that note, the title of the album, "Heart Music", is in recognition of Milford's exploration of the internal data, knowledge, and ultimately music that is present within our bodies. More so than on previous albums, I felt myself letting rhythm, intuition, and improvisation guide the work, often resulting in longer form pieces that allows myself (and hopefully the listener) to listen deeply, observing moments of tension and harmony tangled, dependent, and resolved by one another. One other noticeable addition is the introduction of poetry into "Madness is a Fully Instrumented Score" and "Evidence" (both spoken by Anna Jeters of the band Ancient Pools). This was touched on in my last album on the track "David's Death", but by bringing in the voice to create both parallel and perpendicular narratives, it creates another line to follow and bring the listener into a deeper state of listening. I like playing with blurred narratives, homespun ideas of conventional thoughts that are ever changing in a climate where fixed ways of relating to sound and composition can become something new and mangled in its own right.” If you dig the following then this is most certainly one for you… Susan Alcorn, Alice Coltrane, Phil Cohran, Bobby Hutcherson, Henry Flynt, Jon Gibson, Mind Over Mirrors, Natural Information Society, Johnny Coley, Oren Ambarchi, Tortoise, Yasuaki Shimizu, Califone.

Max Winter’s music seeks to traverse a breadth of styles – a world where freewheeling jazzwise drum workouts linger behind silk bass and glooming electronics, where compositional flurries of flute, cello, keys, and violin playfully exchange with restrained melodic ambience, where driving & pummelling big drop productions resurface as introverted pop stunners, where crystalline vocal melodies float above terminator slap bass sessions… it’s literally all going on…and all at the same time. Max holds that rare ability to serve as a vector for his own sweeping ideas, to think something and ‘just do it’ – coming from a jazz & classical compositional background Max writes everything, plays everything, and masterfully grasps everything. To be frank, ‘One Thousand Lonely Places’ has ended up being one of the most mysterious and exciting things we’ve ever put out. Max strives to bring a very human element / approach to his electronic compositions, perhaps a result of the tactile nature of his classical training, he injects a unique rawness into his sound world via vocal experiments which breathe (literally) emotional states into much of the work, building and elevating his sound with the big room pieces, and pushing the other end extreme of anxious isolation deeper into the walls. There’s no denying the strong pop sensibility that permeates ‘One Thousand Lonely Places’, hushed vocal parts are shared between Max and recurring guest Imogen, and there’s a definite structure within the chaos, but this is mostly an odd, isolated, experimental take on formal song structure - walking the same restrained, understated pathways forged by bands such as Talk Talk and The Necks one moment, and then the next minute pointing towards the likes Arto Lindsey & Bill Laswell’s more playful forms of No Wave, and then from there gazing towards the future focus of musically informed, genre less freedom explored by artists such as Laurel Halo, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith. All of these touchpoints are subtly underpinned with an understanding and appreciation of classical & quiet music forms of composition encompassed and explored by masters such as Akira Rabelais, Harold Budd, David Sylvian.

Canaan Balsam’s work revolves around the exploration of the dead space between ambient and new age music, the liminal zone between the harshness of industrial, and the beatific serenity of devotional music. ‘Eternity lies within or nowhere’ builds on the themes of loneliness, Isolation, and vulnerability, first explored on their debut album ‘Cruise Utopia’ (Modern Obscure Music). Responding to the context where ever-expanding modes of communication seem only to blur the line between connectivity and solitude, Canaan often returns to the theme of Isolation in his work, creating a deep melancholy - exploring how it can grow and metastasize, until it becomes incommunicable, resistant to empathy; an alien host overtaking the body. Canaan’s considered, emotionally aware experimentations hold that unique power to stop our world dead in its tracks, lulling the listener through the darkness but ultimately towards the light - there is intense hope within Canaan’s work, where pieces guide us through a crushingly low emptiness, but always towards glistening introspective peaks. “I wanted a music that spoke to solidarity, that in a quiet manner offered solace, a brief step outside of this world - not a meditation, nor a background ambient shimmer, or anything vague. That inspired to an almost religious intensity of serenity. Something with the potential to engender empathy and clarity. A music you could wear like an amulet, like a spell, like a religious medal around your neck. Music as protection.” Canaan often uses spoken word to further bring his soundscapes to life, but these self penned passages are far from being clumsily walloped vocal tinglers, instead Canaan’s use of voice compliments and contextualizes the states explored within his pieces with hauntingly evocative precision, where carefully curated guest speakers lament a often bleak scene of dread, despair, and longing recollection. The album culminates with the incredible ‘Requiem for a Wolf’, encapsulating the hints of light that have flickered the album, but blooming them to become 6 minutes of pure celestial minimalism, where bells swing in and out of focus, and radiant zither play looms below Canaan’s swelling ambience. Produced and mixed by Canaan Balsam. Mastered by Rupert Clervaux. Art design by James Hines and Liam Cosford. All tracks by Canaan Balsam except for 'I AM Skeleton' by Canaan Balsam / Saint Jude's Infirmary. 'Rat in a skull '- narration by Daniel Mutch. 'You are the architect of your own utopia' & 'A passive apocalypse': narration by Alex Johnston. 'You fell into a screen as you had no place left to fall': narration by Cosima Cobley Carr. 'I am Skeleton': narration by Jack Vettriano, taken from the track by Saint Jude's Infirmary.