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 - Mirror Guide Pt. I

Senyawa - Kiamat Reinterpretation by Mnemonik

DIY SUMMONINGS

Little Evil Angels

Kaifu - Little Evil Angels

On March 14th, our collective hosted a virtual room at COMMON MULTIVERSE INITIATIVE - a week-long interactive festival curated by Currents.

Boasting a unique blend of masterful drum processing drenched in warm ambiance, Montreal-based @gonima found his niche sound early on. Honing influences from opposites on the electronic spectrum, he melds glitchy breakcore and emotive melodies with ease – his work is as demanding as it is lush. This all-original set includes recent work as well as unreleased material from him that further pushes our label and its overall mission to showcase forward-thinking dance music.

TRACKLIST:

01. gonima - ID
02. gonima - ID
03. gonima - ID
04. gonima - ID
05. gonima - ID
06. gonima - mechanisme cognitif integré
07. gonima - ID
08. gonima - ID
09. gonima - vid knopp
10. gonima - hidden colors
11. gonima - luminescence
12. gonima - ID
13. gonima - convergence
14. gonima - hold still
15. gonima - ID
16. gonima - ID
17. gonima - slip3 gate offset
18. gonima - flashcore

FULL A/V SET

Satellite Era Presents: REMOTE ENTRY - gonima

Bandcamp

Lil Kevo 303 & Berserker -  Pure Cocaine 200f

Blunts Object - Gaming

cover art by ( @corperate-entity-7283 )

tracks by:
@numbers-numbers-numbers
@i-just-cant
@flatstak
@user-10828664
@corperate-entity-7283
@goldenfurnituremusic

numbers - shamelessly buried

let him be accursed.

They grope in the dark without light, and he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.

"I don't love you. I am the ruiner. I will hunt you. I am the ruiner."

Track for Disagreement 3 :)