Wounded Warrior

Aorta Project - Asylum

The Lying Den

Debut Release from AORTAPROJECT 
Written and performed by Steven Sheffield & Allanah Maarten 
Mix & Mastered by Ashton Nagle 
B.A.M. Records - X5 Music Group

Perfect Form was the first song created for Dark Secrets sessions, I just wanted to make an EDM like track for fun and PF is what unfolded. It set  tone for where the rest of the album to come. Allanah truly shines through on this track, in the end I believe there are about 12-15 vocal lines working together.  She really leveled up the track. Many of the extra sounds are vocal extras ran through a noise gate to make them more glitch like.

05 - Perfect Form

Debut Release from AORTAPROJECT 
Written and performed by Steven Sheffield
Mix & Mastered by Ashton Nagle 
B.A.M. Records - X5 Music Group

Evil Twin, This track was meant to be the "hard song" of the record. It was the 4th track written for DS and a juxtaposed composition to the former. ET is directly influenced by NIN-the fragile, Pertubator - Dangerous Days and Deadmau5 - While (1<2). I attempted to capture the process of sacrificing innocence for growth the world requires in ambiguous situations. I struggled for quite some time with the break to have a transition to capture the spirit I was seeking. Many incarnations existed to find the right one. The main synth line is 3 synths with different frequencies scooped out.

04 - Evil Twin

Debut Release from AORTAPROJECT 
Written and performed by Steven Sheffield 
Mix & Mastered by Ashton Nagle 
B.A.M. Records - X5 Music Group

The Last Sunrise was the 2nd song recorded for Dark Secrets. Not a single note or pattern from the original idea of this track made it into the final song. it is a testimate to having to sacrifice to achieve something great. The meaning of this song as changed over time, as when writing this I was in a different space> I was trying to capture a feeling of loss. But shortly after I completed it, my father passed away from cancer. Since then it's been dedicated to him. TLS was inspired by NIN-the fragile and Deadmau5 - While (1<2). Both these albums worked their way through all the songs in DS with the pianos and song structures. If you listen carefully to those albums you'll find direct influences on certain tracks.

03 - The Last Sunrise

Debut Release from AORTAPROJECT 
Written and performed by Steven Sheffield & Allanah Maarten 
Mix & Mastered by Ashton Nagle 
B.A.M. Records - X5 Music Group

This was the 3rd song created for Dark Secrets and originally titled "Eight." The song was completely structured before Allanah was able to add her elements. This was the first song we collaborated on.  Disco-goth kept coming up in conversation as we built the vocals around the song.   With no true verse-chorus structure we had to find a pattern to be repeated without being too repetitive. The intro was the last section to be added by me, but was the first stamp of her presence in the song. It really set the tone for what was to come later. I wanted a lush Deadmau5-ish chord build up, but have the structure of the song keep building and building until the end with a carthic-release. I think we achieved that. The Sleeping With Ghosts title came through Allanah's lyrics and a dualist approach to toxic relationships and the parts we play in them.

02 - Sleeping With Ghosts

Debut Release from AORTAPROJECT 
Written and performed by Steven Sheffield 
Mix & Mastered by Ashton Nagle 
B.A.M. Records - X5 Music Group

I'm digging a little deeper and putting more depth into the descriptions here. I'm not promoting SC, so if you're taking the time to read this then here is the extra others won't see. This was the last song created for Dark Secrets. The entire process had few, but strict rules: only two weeks per song. Choose sounds within 5 like choices, use only a laptop/headphones, and work at least 2 hrs every night. It is heavily influenced by Streetfever - Afflictions EP and Pertubator - Dangerous Days. The song did have vocals, but unfortunately they were never finalized. I hope one day it will surface. While composing this track,  I intentionally used an absurd amount of risers to see how many I could get away with. 

Instruments: Waves-Element, Serum, & Alchemy. 
Composed in Logic Pro X 10.1.4

01 - Rogue Waves

FREE DOWNLOAD: A melancholy rendition of Rogue Waves w/ Vocals, slowed + reverb. A different take on RW that can breathe on its own. Under a different light.

FREE DOWNLOAD Rogue Waves (Slowed + Reverb Vocal Mix)

FREE DOWNLOAD: A slowed + reverb mix of SwG to bring out a more melancholy element.

FREE DOWNLOAD Sleeping W: Ghosts (Slowed + Reverb Mix)

FREE DOWNOAD of a slowed + reverb rendition of PF.

FREE DOWNLOAD Perfect Form (Slowed + Reverb Mix)

To The Uninitiated

If matter is neither created nor destroyed, aortaproject turns it from one form to another. A catalyst for catharsis, aortaproject transforms our darkest moments into transcendent epiphanies of self expression and reflection. 

Rooted in the murky tumult that is Texas, aortaproject is the result of a ten year musical cultivation and inspiration journey by project leader, producer, multi-instrumentalist and composer, Steven Sheffield. A founding member of Recovery Room and collaborator for WE HAVE A GHOST, S.S. has always favored spirit over composition and collaboration over recognition. Always working to create something more than the sum of its parts, with his latest release he joins like-minded vocalist Allanah Jackson, the ever-elusive, ever-evocative, shapeshifting songstress otherwise known as Imitara. 

Dwelling in a volatile vulnerability that cuts with Reznor-like authority and lacing reality with subtle intricacies in the vein of Jon Hopkins, aortaproject assembles compositions with free flowing movements of intoxicating emotion. Deep bass, fragile melodies, and powerful climaxes intertwine and perforate to sculpt a life-like landscape of cinematic narratives. It is dark, alternative electronica at its best.

aortaproject

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