v0.1_DiscoDuet_072419

muzak tells the story of a musical force that yearns for expressive freedom but, bound my a sense of self-preservation, acquiesces to the powers that be and thus self-relegates to a position of politeness and respectability. Like the shopping music of yore, I designed muzak to embody an inoffensive, wall-paper aesthetic—to some degree. I was inspired to write this piece by a dilemma in which I often find myself (though, I’ll admit, I wasn’t fully aware of said inspiration until a bit after I finished writing muzak). I rarely feel safe enough to be fully vulnerable and expressive with people. So, I hide my emotions behind a veneer of respectability and politeness. Many emotions I have suffer this fate, but I feel that because of the way I look and my physical stature, anger is the one that suffers most. I’ve learned time and time again, throughout my life, that anger, when channeled through me, is threatening. muzak, in turn, takes anger as its primary protagonist, held prisoner just beyond the yawning by the false expectations of social order. There are moments in muzak in which the facade of inoffensive respectability cracks and the anger begins to break through. When this struggle reaches a boiling point, it’s hard to say whether the anger is ever fully free, the emotion full realized, but either way, the nature of the music from this point forward is different. Politeness no longer feels inoffensive but instead tragic, tinged with aggression and resignation.

Premiered by the JACK String Quartet on 05/04/22 at The Auditorium at The New School

muzak (string quartet)

Anti Body by Gazelle Twin.

EP released on Anti-Ghost Moon Ray / Last Gang on 27 May. Out on limited edition blue vinyl.

Anti Body - a four track EP by Gazelle Twin, with lead single from the album 'Unflesh' (2014). Remixes by Wrangler and I Speak Machine.

Released 27 May on digital and on Limited Edition 12" vinyl. Anti-Ghost Moon Ray Records (UK/EU) and Last Gang Records (USA/CAN/AUS/NZ).

DIGITAL
Bandcamp: gazelletwin.bandcamp.com/album/anti-body 
iTunes UK: itunes.apple.com/gb/album/anti-body-ep/id868869544
iTunes USA: itunes.apple.com/us/album/anti-body-ep/id875835798

VINYL
Cargo: cargorecordsdirect.co.uk/products/gaz…in-anti-body
Resident Records: www.resident-music.com/productdetail…duct_id=31085
Boomkat: boomkat.com/vinyl/1057822-gazelle-twin-anti-body

Buy EP on ITunes

Anti Body

The title "Smell the Roses, Blow Out the Candle" evokes a breathing exercise that encourages us to delve into deep, calming breaths. Envision cradling an imaginary rose in one hand and holding an ethereal, flickering candle in the other. Inhale, as if savoring the fragrance of the roses, and exhale, gently extinguishing the candle's flame. Let your breath flow in through your nose and out through your mouth, relishing each moment.

I remember encountering this exercise as a substitute teacher in vibrant Los Angeles. I found myself in charge of a TK class, the youngest of the little ones, where the teaching assistant guided them through this ritual just before story time on the cozy, class rug. To my surprise, the children enthusiastically embraced this activity. I think I even witnessed some of them independently employing the exercise during moments of heightened tension or volatile emotions, likely during their playtime. Though they may not have possessed the words to express it, I strongly believe that they intuitively understood the profound influence that breathing has over our emotional and mental well-being.

As adults, we often neglect this vital connection. "Smell the Roses, Blow Out the Candle" serves as a gentle meditation, reminding us of the cyclical nature of our breath and its significance. It beckons listeners to momentarily surrender themselves to the soothing rhythm of their breath and mindfully engage, not merely with the musical composition's development (of which there is very little), but with its evolution through each ‘breath’ cycle. As the harmonies descend, seeking a sense of groundedness, they create a gravitational pull that draws the audience into a microcosm where nothing exists beyond the music's soothing repetitions.

Just as the "smelling the roses" and "blowing out the candle" exercise teaches individuals to connect inwardly with their breath, "Smell the Roses, Blow Out the Candle" seeks to transport the audience into the gentle, pulsating rhythm of their own existence, intricately intertwined with the music's tranquil yet transformative journey. It invites them to escape from the chaos of daily life and immerse themselves in a space where serenity prevails and the breath becomes a gateway to too often neglected introspection.

Smell the Roses, Blow Out the Candle

"SPHERES OF METROPOLIS" is a string quartet I was commissioned to write for "The Formalist Quartet" featuring Andrew Tholl, Mark Menzies, Andrew McIntosh, and Ashley Walters. It was premiered February 29th, 2016 in the Wild beast at CalArts. 

SPHERES OF METROPOLIS

This is my arrangement of the Star Spangled Banner. It serves as the much needed cathartic expression of my feelings as an American and towards the current sociopolitical climate of America in way that my words had failed me.

Concord: The Star Spangled Banner (solo piano)

Really High (Talkbox Song)

ugly hand

Edit of 'The Alien', taken from the forthcoming score to Annihilation by Ben Salisbury & Geoff Barrow.

SPHERES OF METROPOLIS

XavierNathaniel