The Crystal Ark return with a double pack 12” containing some wildly engaging, stripped-down mixes of 4 tracks from their 2012 debut album on DFA. Contains brand new extended versions of the songs Rain, Paradise, Ascension, and We Came To.

The band has the following to say about these remixes:

“Mixing The Crystal Ark album was a deep process. Viva Ruiz and I spent a month in the studio with Matt Thornley and as we mixed the tracks we discovered that certain parts of them sounded so wonderful and driving when stripped down that we did some extra mixes to highlight this aspect. It felt connected to the "Dub" or "Techno" mixes you'd find on late 80's - mid 90's dance 12"s, which were often much more pounding than the original versions of the tracks, more geared to the dance floor than the radio.”
-Gavin Russom, The Crystal Ark

"We wanted to create some more DJ friendly versions of some of the songs, so we approached it like we would a traditional remix, with the difference of doing most of the moves live on analog gear. Kind of old school DUB style. This way it captured more energy and spontaneity than if we had planned every move before hand. "
-Matt Thornley, The Crystal Ark

“At the end of the very intense process of mixing the tracks for the record, Gavin, Matt and I were excited to approach these tracks with an entirely different perspective. In my mind, I saw these tracks going out to the people holding down the dance floor, those people who are the VIPS at any function, so for me essentially these dubs are dedicated to the dancers.”
-Viva Ruiz, The Crystal Ark

DUBS EP

The Crystal Ark return with a double pack 12” containing some wildly engaging, stripped-down mixes of 4 tracks from their 2012 debut album on DFA. Contains brand new extended versions of the songs Rain, Paradise, Ascension, and We Came To.

The band has the following to say about these remixes:

“Mixing The Crystal Ark album was a deep process. Viva Ruiz and I spent a month in the studio with Matt Thornley and as we mixed the tracks we discovered that certain parts of them sounded so wonderful and driving when stripped down that we did some extra mixes to highlight this aspect. It felt connected to the "Dub" or "Techno" mixes you'd find on late 80's - mid 90's dance 12"s, which were often much more pounding than the original versions of the tracks, more geared to the dance floor than the radio.”
-Gavin Russom, The Crystal Ark

"We wanted to create some more DJ friendly versions of some of the songs, so we approached it like we would a traditional remix, with the difference of doing most of the moves live on analog gear. Kind of old school DUB style. This way it captured more energy and spontaneity than if we had planned every move before hand. "
-Matt Thornley, The Crystal Ark

“At the end of the very intense process of mixing the tracks for the record, Gavin, Matt and I were excited to approach these tracks with an entirely different perspective. In my mind, I saw these tracks going out to the people holding down the dance floor, those people who are the VIPS at any function, so for me essentially these dubs are dedicated to the dancers.”
-Viva Ruiz, The Crystal Ark

Ascension (Deep Mix)

Paradise (Space Mix)

Rain (XXXtended Mix)

We Came To (House Mix)

The Crystal Ark is Gavin Russom's body-centric, New York avant-pop collaboration with Viva Ruiz. The group began when Russom asked Ruiz to write and sing Spanish lyrics over a pair of instrumentals he had created blending his signature hypnotic synthesizer sound with distinctly danceable beats. Ruiz's vocalizations, which blended song, spell and rallying cry, took these pieces to new heights and the result was the group's first two singles released on New York's DFA label: "The City Never Sleeps" and "The Tangible Presence of the Miraculous".  The second single featured percussionist Alberto Lopez's fierce polyrhythmic drumming as a supplement to the already driving electronic pulse.  A desire to carry the sound forward and expand it further solidified the collaboration. The nucleus of the band began to crystallize as they drew together a group of dynamic individuals with different creative and cultural backgrounds; including Lopez, vocalists Jaiko Suzuki and Sokhna Heathyre Mabin (whom Viva had worked with previously), bassist Tyler Pope and electronics expert Matt Thornley (both of whom Gavin had worked with during LCD Soundsystem's final tour) and 2nd bassist Eliza Douglas.

Gavin and Viva created a collection of new music, specifically designed as an album, and gathered the group to record their self-titled full length debut. Released in October 2012, the album showcased the collective’s adventurous multidimensional soundscape. Featuring tracks like “We Came To”, “Rain”, “Ascension” and “Morir Soñando”, the set vividly reflected the surging intensity of New York City itself through pulsing meditations about possibility, transformation and opening up to the forces of nature.

The live show expands this recorded output into a multi faceted ultra-sensory performance, often adding dancers Discos and Alberto Cortes and a video crew comprised of Bec Stupak and Johnny Woods, to fully realize their celebratory sonic and visual aesthetic. Always eager to bring the party, they hit the road in many combinations - from a 5 person core group to a 13 person art ensemble - performing all over the world at premiere venues such as the Sydney Opera House, Palais De Tokyo, The Hirshorn Museum and MOMA PS1, festivals like Noise Pop and Serralves em Festa, as well as many sweaty, dark night clubs.  