5000000 miles

Billy Bultheel - Two Cycles
Label: PAN
Cat.No.: PAN 138
Release Date: 08 March 2024
Purchase: pan.lnk.to/TwoCycles

Billy Bultheel's debut solo album is an ambitious distillation of the composer's,' sprawling litany of influences and his unique approach to site-specific composition. A compilation of pieces created between 2016 and 2023, the album is a forceful testament to Bultheel's expansive performance practice and collaborations with cutting-edge visual artists like Anne Imhof and James Richards.

Drawing inspiration from industrial music and metal as well as medieval and baroque polyphony, Bultheel devised a way to present this collection of works side-by-side. The record is split into two distinct cycles: the Snow Cycle, which collects Bultheel's electro-acoustic and compositional work, and the Game Cycle, which assembles his electronic productions. These two suites have unmistakable symmetry; Bultheel's traditional compositions are bolstered by his understanding of electronic production, while his electronic pieces are moulded by his knowledge of classical and traditional music. "Two Cycles" is an album that exhibits duality, embodying the dichotomy of Bultheel's roles as both an ensemble composer and an electronic producer.

The haunting opening track of the 'Snow Cycle', 'The Arcades Project', — named after the unfinished compendium of architectural contemplations penned by the eminent German philosopher, Walter Benjamin - places four tubas in strategic towers surrounding the audience, creating an immersive auditory experience. Conversely, 'The Snows of Venice' — named after Alexander Kluge and Ben Lerner collection of short stories and poems — was conceived for two flautists directed to intertwine their melodies as they traversed through knee-high water.

The 'Game Cycle' meanwhile places a strong emphasis on rhythm, crafting a sonic landscape that resonates with overdriven metallic clanks and sharp stabs. Drawing upon his extensive experience in composing for choreography, Bultheel envisions a series of jittery dances that purposefully deviate from conventional timelines. 'Decreation' infuses techno with the visceral qualities of noise music and 'Game Theory' offers an unsettling skeletal barrage of saturated, precisely tuned percussive hits. Bultheel brings 'Two Cycles' to a close with 'Gigue,' a reference to the 6/8 baroque court dance that traditionally marked the conclusion of a dance suite; by merging marching rhythms performed by two percussionists on a single drum set with chaotic and evocative synth leads, he establishes a tantalizing counterpoint.

'Two Cycles' is a musical compilation that explores the themes of locale and landscape, elucidating the intricate dynamics that arise between the musicians and their audience, the ears and the architecture. Considering timbre, density and the psycho-acoustic qualities of communal spaces, from the warehouse to the cathedral, Bultheel draws indelible lines between seemingly distant concepts, merging the celestial with the terrestrial.

The double album cover, one for each side and cycle on the record, features a collage created by the Welsh video artist James Richards that merges medieval iconography with snippets of queer memorabilia.

All tracks written by Billy Bultheel
Mixed by James Ginsburg
Mastered by Enyang Urbicks

Billy Bultheel - The Thief's Journal (Game Cycle) (PAN 138)

a new hope

SPA presents I DARE YOU II – a continuous blend of textures, chords and soundscapes by Xzavier Stone. Inspired by and following its predecessor I DARE YOU (self-released in 2022), IDY II consists of 18 individual short compositions, fused together into one unyielding soundscape. The 26-minute piece perfectly captures the gloss and sentiment of Stone’s musical world, while showcasing his versatility as a composer. Xzavier Stone has become recognizable by his subtle and deft spins on rap and RnB music and his penchant for playfulness and experimentation. The sonic palette of IDY II ranges from traditional instruments and shimmering textures to soulful sketches and fragmented piano chops, stretched into something that flawlessly integrates into the world of SPA. While the music of IDY I was combined with a room spray, IDY II now comes with incense sticks. The burn time per stick lasts approximately as long as the music plays, thus serving as a timekeeping device. The incense sticks are handmade in collaboration with In'n'out Fragrances and packaged in a gracefully crafted handmade box. Their fragrance consists of galbanum, frankincense, hinoki, coniferous needle woods, white birch tar, honey comb and muscenone. These scents will put you in a gentle trance as you listen to Stone’s classically infected ambient compositions, mutating sound objects and playful harmonic spheres, softly evoking the aromas of RnB and Jazz.

Written, Produced & Mixed by @xzavier_stone 
Additional Instrumentation by Mattia Facchini, Yukari Aotani & Tobias Pfister 
Mastered by Modulaw 
Artwork by Babybrush & Xzavier Stone

II RELEASE

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Owned and Operated by @aurat09 and Trickfinger, Evar Records is a Los Angeles based experimental electronic label. We like weird stuff and good stuff and weird good stuff.

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