Playing in a space which does not exist

Artist: Giant Claw
Album: Mirror Guide
Format: Digital / Vinyl
Release: May 7 or 14, 2021

Music by Keith Rankin
Visual art by Ellen Thomas and Keith Rankin
Mastered by Starkey

Artist Statement:

I have been recording Mirror Guide off and on since my previous album Soft Channel came out in 2017, working on pieces in my spare time while co-running Orange Milk Records and trying to make a living as a freelance visual artist. 

I wanted Mirror Guide to feel less frenzied than some of my previous music, and decided to use a hyperreal string sound as a lead instrument the rest of the sounds could orbit around. I improvised long stretches with the digital instrument and picked moments that elicited some emotional response in me as the foundation for each piece. It helped to imagine a small synthetic ensemble playing every additional part, considering the choices an individual might make if they were focused primarily on their instruments’ role within the group. 

In my improvised sessions I also gravitated towards what I called a ‘bouncing ball’ rhythm - later described to me as an exponential rhythmic sequence. After thinking about how genres often center around a core rhythmic pattern I adopted the sequence as another consistent feature for the album. 

In the past I’ve cut up pop acapellas as vocal elements, but on Mirror Guide decided to work with several artists I had come to know from three very different music scenes. I traveled to Pittsburgh for a few days and recorded with vocalist Tamar Kamin (from the band the Van Allen Belt) generating hours of improvised and lightly prepared melodic material that I later edited into several songs. I also incorporated more poetic almost spoken word vocals from Japanese musician and photographer NTsKi and a small segment of screeching moans from fellow Ohioan Diana Gruber. 

More generally I found inspiration from artists like Paul Lansky, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and the range of emotion in the music of Geinoh Yamashirogumi Orchestra, best known for scoring the Akira soundtrack which is a longtime favorite. I was also encouraged to complete Mirror Guide through conversations with the late composer, tape collage pioneer, and friend Noah Creshevsky, who gave me several boosts of confidence after hearing early versions of the music.

Giant Claw - Thousand Whys (vocals: Tamar Kamin & Diana Gruber)

❦ Nightcore vs Vaporwave ❦
Reimagining of Mariah's We Belong Together 
Bootleg from a digital live set in 2020 
❦
png vortex by estle ଘ(ᵕ˵ ૩ᵕ)━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

House Of Mirrors Ft Mariah

Water Colour

nola shade - emile [hf002]

I'm Yours [reCONFIGURED // reIMAGINED]

Dec. 25th

12 - 28 - 21

ARTIST: Erica Eso
ALBUM: 192

to be released on CD and tape on 4/29/2022 on Hausu Mountain
ericaeso.bandcamp.com/album/192

Erica Eso - Home Is A Glow

Session 003

usatye ndinewe

TΛS - Fragmented Reality

ooWoo

Soft Serve

Luun Uo

all songs produced, written, and engineered by sv1
art by sv1
type/logo by 5outho

LOVE STORY 2

nola shade - emile [hf002]

her face

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