Mark Stringer
This and stadium have been such a help during lockdown. Rich and with a sense of space and longing for different times...highly recommended
Favorite track: Enter the Bristle Strum.
ब्रह्मन्
the avant-garde tag always brings with it the agents of dissonance,darkness,entropy and weariness but here that is reversed with its thrums and hums pulsating and piercing the darkest corners...never letting you descend into the grasp of darkness which is forgetful with its disastrous sleep of reason rather shines the light for the inner eye to see itself in its illumination
Following the release of his album Stadium, out on Shelter Press last October, Eli Keszler returns with a brand new EP, Empire. Recorded between September and December 2018, this three-track EP is about finding stillness, tranquility and beauty in a dystopian landscape. In some ways, it continues the concepts explored on Stadium since it's also an EP inspired by cityscapes, architecture and, as Eli himself notes, "the illusion of order during declines."
Eli started touring for Stadium at the start of October 2019 with a performance at legendary New York venue, The Kitchen, the day before he orchestrated a five-camera shoot -- check out this remarkable concert-length film: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNLdBYvpiJk].
Eli will continue to tour starting this month with three solo performances as part of Kevin Beasley's exhibition “A View of the Landscape” commissioned by The Whitney Museum in New York on Saturday January 26th at 6pm, 7pm and 8pm.
He'll also be performing live at Mutek, Phi Center, Montreal on February 23rd, Fort Worth Modern Art Museum on February 28th (in duo with Nate Boyce), Gnration, Braga, Portugal on March 29th and Rewire Festival, Den Hague on March 30th. You can also catch him performing in Oneohtrix Point Never's band at Pitchfork Midwinter 2019, Chicago on February 17th and Myriad, The Roundhouse, London on March 8th. And, he'll be teaching at CAMP in the Pyrenees in April.
For those new to Eli, his sound lies at the intersection of jazz, improvisation, fusion, modern classical and electronics. Although the music press has often tried to identify his work in terms of specific genres, he remains boldly on his own musical and aesthetic path.
Stadium received record of the year from Boomkat and placed in countless end of year lists. Since copies of Stadium are sold out, a repress of the album will be released the same day as Empire on February 14th.
Recorded by Nolan Thies
Mixed by Eli Keszler and Nolan Thies
Post production audio: Gabriel Schuman
Mastering: Stephan Mathieu
Produced by Eli Keszler
Recorded September 2018 - January 2019
Cover photo Eli Keszler
My god, what an absolutely incredible Suite. I'll admit, I've struggled to get into Pharoah Sanders due to diving headfirst into some of his most challenging catalogue and that never worked. This is the perfect place to restart. Floating Points is new for me and I can honestly say I've never heard synthesizer music this lush and organic before. the LSO is just perfect. This is one of those albums that any serious music fan needs in their life. The perfect swan song for the great Pharaoh! 5/5 ClassyMusicSnob
This collaboration between guitarist Lucas Brode and drummer G. Calvin Weston is a freewheeling hybrid of experimentalism, jazz, and more. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 28, 2023
The soundtrack to the award-winning film “Freeland” functions beautifully as an album in its own right, with stark, evocative instrumentals. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 7, 2021