Cluster & Descent by CHRIS CUNDY

Cluster and Descent brings together a collection of demos originally intended as primary sound-tracks and source material for Risaikuru, Longstone's tenth studio album. The pieces were worked on in isolation, independent to, and without prior listening to the other disparate sources which eventually accompanied them from each of the five other contributing artists also working on the album.

My approach was to recreate the eleven or so fundamental chords, or clusters belonging to the traditional Japanese Sho reeded wind instrument using soprano saxophones. The descents, laments, pulses, and stomps also represented here are inventions and games I began to sketch out and play around with. I wanted to see how these very intense and dissonant chords would behave and what sort of atmosphere they might bring into my own naive working methods.

This was all recorded at home using multi-tracked saxophones, bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet, nylon string guitar, synth bass, cheap keyboards, and a bit of percussion.

www.chriscundy.com
Playing bass clarinet, saxophones, and other unusual woodwind instruments - Chris is a composer and performer exploring an experimental practice while also working in popular music. Other activities include writing theatre music, performing modern classical and free improvisation.