The document in hand is manual by nature - a cut up, dramatized micro-history suggesting accounts of aural engagement between myself and the South Loop of Chicago Illinois, and the public and private spaces therein, between the summers of 2012 and 2014. As a narrative device, it conveys an aestheticized recounting of the daily relationship between a lone recordist and a damned urban soundscape. The resulting composition could be considered a byproduct of a rigorous marshalling practice, justly tuned interferences and procedurally arranged fidelities. 

All performances, sound recordings and samples, including the inhumed Fanfare for Bowed Tape, are original in the sense that I wrote, performed and recorded them solely for this record and none other, unless noted otherwise. 

MAY CHICAGO BURN AGAIN 
& ROT UNDER A BED OF WHITE FLOWERS 

TS 

2014 

Untitled No. 2


https://troyallenschafer.bandcamp.com/album/untitled-no-5

___________

the object depicted in the photo above is the manifestation of the release's physical form as opposed to the digital version here

released July 1, 2016 

original sound and image by Troy Schafer 
Bret Hartl performed auxiliary synth on segments of track 1

Untitled No. 5 - track 1

released on cassette via Klangverhaeltnisse 10.31.12

recorded at the Bornless Sanctuary in Madison Wisconsin, from 2010 to 2012

"The unique and compelling experimental violin works of Troy Schafer combine the primordial, the spiritual and the unexpected, to form challenging, droning pieces of chamber music. His soundscape is obscure and solemn at the same time.

Supreme Happiness Forever links the poetic warmth of symphonic music and the decomposing approach of some radical modern classical music, merges the unsophisticatedness of traditional music with the experimental approach of avantgardism."

-Klangverhaeltnisse
www.klangverhaeltnisse.de/recordings/kvh009-troy-schafer-supreme-happiness-forever-c20/

_______________________________________________________________

"An odd note about experimental music: we often support an artist’s desire to go all-out atonal avant-garde, dissonance shrieking from warring strings, once we know that the artist doesn’t have to go this route. In other words, once an artist proves that he is perfectly capable of performing amazingly melodic, intelligent music, we realize that the experimentation is truly experimentation rather than the weirdness of an untrained dilettante. This is what makes Supreme Happiness Forever such a fun release; it’s a C-20 that drops like an M-80.

Imagine being introduced to a new person and punching them before shaking their hand. Or in a kinder sense, meeting an attractive person and frenching them before saying hello. With only 20 minutes to work with, Troy Schafer (Rain Drinkers, Burial Hex) doesn’t have time for niceties. ”The Breath of Life Is But a Kiss” takes a single second to introduce itself as an amplified, unoiled barn door thrust back and forth between two lawnmowers. Woah. But it’s not all noise; there’s devilish intention behind the clash and gnarl. On the surface, the bow is dragging willy-nilly, but underneath, the real action is unfurling like a snake that has just finished digesting. When the transition occurs in the sixth minute, the listener is caught completely off guard; it’s not until subsequent plays that one can hear it coming. At this point, dual violin patterns edge and swirl around each other, creating a crater of enormous beauty.

“Hail, True Body” is even better, a single piece that bursts with multiple genres. First, there’s the bell, a charming start that leads to a Disney-like introduction, replete with trumpet fanfare. Where did this come from? The modern classical piece then shakes off its straightjacket and redefines itself as drone, albeit drone with a komische smudge. Then Moroder moves in; it’s “The Chase”, updated. Six minutes in, the tone turns ambient; okay, that’s where it stops mutating, right? Nope. Just as the track seems ready to dry out, choral chants enter the mix – a dab of meditative music, reaching for the heavens, supreme happiness forever. This cassette travels further in 20 minutes than most people would believe possible. So yes, Troy, go as crazy as you want, because we know it’s not crazy."

-Richard Allen
acloserlisten.com/2012/11/02/troy-schafer-supreme-happiness-forever/

_______________________________________________________________

"Troy Schafer (Madison, Wisconsin, USA) offers up a set of 3 pieces which is highly recommendable. More profoundly, his vanguard-ish, violin-led soundscapes are craftily tense, accentuated with different, massively droning keys thus getting close to such masters as Tony Conrad, and John Cale, though, he is idiosyncratic in his creative process (The Breath Of Life Is But A Kiss). Or on the other side, he is able to leave the academical tradition and to get involved in more poppy traditions (flirtations with Americana, noise and epic post-rock-ish seeds at Hail, True Body). TS`s soundscape is hell-ish and solemn at the same time. Apparition is an example of how classical tradition meets successfully modern days thereby establishing new frontiers and frameworks for the listener to understand music on a new level. In a word, it is a very fine crossover issue."

-Borealiscape
agier.blogspot.com/2012/08/troy-schafer-supreme-happiness-forever.html
credits
released 01 January 2012
by Troy Schafer

"The Breath Of Life Is But A Kiss" and "Hail, True Body" were mastered by Nathaniel Ritter



Hail, True Body

The Mailman - side a

made in collaboration with my son, August

released as an edition of 1 cassette tape

https://troyallenschafer.bandcamp.com/album/voice-for-piano

Voice For Piano - side a

made in collaboration with my son, August

released as an edition of 1 cassette tape

https://troyallenschafer.bandcamp.com/album/voice-for-piano-repeating

Voice For Piano Repeating - side a

made in collaboration with my son, August

released as an edition of 1 cassette tape

https://troyallenschafer.bandcamp.com/album/another-voice-for-piano-repeating-2

Another Voice For Piano Repeating - side a

Electro-acoustic and neoclassical explorations from Northern Wisconsin.

Troy Schafer

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