Nicholas Elert
RIYL: Tim Hecker, Fennesz, Roly Porter, Brian Eno, Nine Inch Nails, Daniel Bjarnason, Ben Frost, Library Tapes, John Carpenter, Dead Texan, Brian McBride and Loscil
Triple Eye Industries is always working to collaborate with artists whose visions we believe in, as well as presenting our listeners with new and exciting sounds that we here at the label feel passionately about. While much of our output has focused on the noisier side of guitar-driven music, we’ve also had a passion for the otherworldly sounds of electronics.
While Nicholas Elert spent the better part of the last decade pushing the limits of extreme music, he has always had an equal passion for more ambient types of sounds, additionally composing music for film and contemporary concert halls. Following a memorable solo performance at last year’s Triple Eye Fest, a working relationship was born, and the idea was pitched for a singular side’s worth of music.
The result is Speculative Fiction, a three track and 17 minute offering from Elert that features the sounds of vintage analog synthesizers layered to perfection.
“The title references my gravitation towards retro-futuristic and dystopian stories that attempted to envision life in the 21st century that was at times surprisingly accurate,” says Elert, “but also way off the mark of our current times.”
While the tools used may differ from what we’ve previously known him for, Speculative Fiction shares a common thread with much of his work — making patiently-crafted compositions that demand to be listened to, rather than merely heard.
Opening with a toneburst that immediately conjures up the golden-age of cassettes, “Exploded View” begins with a spacious soundscape of upper-register sequencing over an ocean bed of warm low end. Eventually building towards a thunderous layer of saws and patches, “Exploded View” gives the listener a window into what lies ahead.
“Big Shock” presents minimal but powerful bursts of frequencies that both bombard and soothe the listener before launching into a gorgeously layered assortment of sounds that are cinematic and visceral.
Closer “Phase Machines” features an almost Glass-esque minimalist sequence that, with the help of a variety of darker textures and other layers, creates a dense and swirling landscape with an incredibly broad stereo image.
While this is music made with older technology, this is not at all an attempt to recreate the sound or mood of a bygone era. Speculative Fiction takes technology from the past, in the present, to create a sound that is anything but antiquated.
“The music also addresses my own pull towards nostalgia and retro culture.” says Elert. “This is an attempt to acknowledge that aesthetic but also to push through it to make things that hopefully wouldn’t exist in any other era.”
Limited to just 30 copies, Triple Eye Industries is proud to make this release available as part of our limited series of lathe cut 12″s. Speculative Fiction is the perfect release to enjoy at home on your hi-fi or in headphones. As always, turn it up and enjoy.
