Description
Product Description
Content Introduction Matthewdavid, who previously debuted on Flying Lotus's Brainfeder and is the founder of Leaving Records (which has launched the careers of Julia Holter, Laraaji, Bauhaus, Sam Gendel, Sam Wilkes, Green-House, Ana Roxanne, William Tyler, Arushi Jain, Zeroh, Ras G, Odd Nosdam, etc.), presents his first official full-length ambient album in approximately five years, full of generative energy! ?gMatthewdavid always prefers to work at the subconscious level, showering the audience with hallucinatory collages?h ? Pitchfork ?gFoamy synth sequences and surreal textures alternate, leaving you mesmerized?h ? Resident Advisor The title ?gMycelium?h refers to mycelium. Mycelium is a vast underground fungal network used by plants, and indeed all living things, for communication. Individual mycelium are said to be the largest organisms on Earth. However, this network also distorts and confuses our long-held perception of individual organisms. Mycelium emerges as proof of long-held clich?s about nature and existence: that all life is interconnected, that humans are porous, and that we are indebted to this planet. Matthewdavid, who rose to prominence in the Los Angeles beat scene, spent several years immersed in the rich, neglected, and often ridiculed archives of New Age sound and culture, drawing out a kind of New New Age sensibility. His album, *Mycelium Music*, constitutes a kind of alchemical marriage of these aesthetics, where digital and organic, earth and ethereal, flower and decay all collide and coexist. How does mycelium sing? While other sound artists attempt to capture phenomena with field recorders, Matthewdavid responds with a series of concise, impressionistic, and diary-like "songs" (though, like mycelium, it's not easy to tell where one song/organic matter ends and another begins). The opening track of *Mycelium Music*, "Norns," is aptly named after the script-based, open-source instrument on which much of the album was composed. Allowing for both improvisation and chance, Norns (Matthewdavid's long-standing online DIY community) is used here to create generative music in multiple senses. Sound-rendered *Mycelium Music* evokes familiar, strange shapes, but it doesn't resemble a time-lapse photograph?a single stem of a (umbrella-shaped) mushroom pops out of the ground, blossoms, and then quickly withers. Of course, the textures are beautiful, and there are moments and shocks that stimulate old thoughts. However, upon first listening, one is truly surprised to find that this record is the product of a serious reflection on the meaning, problems, and promises of interdependence. Having a family, having lost both biological and chosen parents, struggling with aging and its embodiment, having founded a record company, and cultivating a rich and expansive community of musicians, artists, and enthusiasts (against the usual probabilities and motivations), Matthewdavid's nails are quite deeply embedded in the soil of life. Sifting through these experiences, 'Mycelium Music' is a humble work that strips away the ego of the DJ/producer myth. This album is a meticulously crafted record, and, to borrow the words of philosopher Simone Weil, attention is a form of prayer. Note that the CD release is Japan only, and includes six tracks from the EP 'On Mushrooms', which was released prior to this album as a primer, as bonus tracks. 01. Norns 02. Liquidity 03. Perpetuity 04. Phased Moon 05. Zithertronica 06. Grain 07. X 08. Spills 09. Zithercelium 10. MLR 11. Zithertronix 12. Harvest CD Bonus Tracks (On Mushrooms EP) 13. Culebra with Wilkes (feat. Sam Wilkes) 14. Under a Tree 15. A New Ambient 16. Dampener 17. Too High to Play Bear?fs Campout (feat. Brin) 18. One4G Media reviews and more Previously debuted on Flying Lotus's Brainfeder, and Leaving Records (Julia Holter, Laraaji, Bauhaus, Sam Gendel, Sam Wilkes, Green-House, Ana Roxanne, William Tyler, Arushi Matthewdavid, founder of (which has produced works by artists such as Jain, Zeroh, Ras G, and Odd Nosdam), presents his first official full-length ambient album in approximately five years, full of generative energy! (C)RS