Narco Alms by Narco Alms

Narco Alms is Nathan Young.

We are very thrilled to finally be able to present the "jolly rancher" cassettes of our good friend and collaborator, Nathan Young.

Nathan is a Tulsa Artist Fellow who works within a wide variety of mediums, including sound. His endeavors are primarily rooted in the culture and experiences of the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas. He is formerly of Postcommodity, Ajilvsga, Alms, Peyote Tapes, and many other projects. He is also the co-organizer of Tulsa Noisefest along with our other good friend, Matt Hex (Bonemagic).

Born in Tahlequah, OK, Nathan has traveled to and lived in many different towns and cities throughout the US in the pursuit of his creative endeavors. In recent years though, he has relocated and returned to the familiar Tulsa area as a recipient of the Tulsa Artist Fellowship (well deserved!). During his time back in Tulsa he has done an impressive amount of work, such as, concert series, art installations, and improvisations (to name only a few) in the regional midwest/midsouth area, as well as, brought all kinds of audio and visual artists to Tulsa to perform. Of course, he also organized the, by now, well-known Tulsa Noisefest (thank you, Nathan and Matt!).

We met Nathan around four years ago through the midwest/midsouth noise and experimental community. All of us being from the Tulsa area, we inevitably ended up working together and collaborating on concerts and other events, such as, the Cult Love Community Conference. Nathan has become a good friend of ours over the years and we are very pleased to finally be able to release him.

Nathan's audio project, Narco Alms, is featured on this cassette. Narco Alms' sounds can be described as very drone-y and mildly abrasive. Thrumming hums mic'd from Nathan are ran through a hefty set-up of electronics, creating heavy and loud, but also palatable, soundscapes that aren't necessarily too off-putting or unapproachable for the average person. There is rhythm and sense to his projects that aren't always present in other artists' and performers' sounds within the noise and experimental community. Sonic chaos is replaced by calculated and captivating waves of roaring noise that hypnotize the listener and move them in to a light sway with the hums, thrums, and beats deep within the static-y lining of Nathan's vocal-based electronics.

Side A was originally recorded for Unheard Records Ghost Frequency Radio Broadcast from December 21st, 2017. It features an actual studio track of Narco Alms. Of both sides of the cassette, this is easily the more approachable one. Recorded production quality dulls down the sharper edges of Narco Alms that are much more present within his live performances, but it still maintains the very drone-y, but also rhythmic, atmosphere that Narco Alms is well known for. It also highlights some of Nathan's personal interests outside of experimental, such as, hip hop, with a rap-like instrumental joining his hums a little before half-way in to the track. The track further showcases Nathan's variety of tastes and styles by moving in to another drone portion that features a much more harmonic, sub tone to it. Finally it brings the listener down with more of his conventional, thrumming drone style that gradually fades out to the end of the track.

Side B is a "psychedelic-power electronics" set from the inaugural 2018 Tulsa Noisefest on May 4, 2018. This is the quintessential example of the Narco Alms sound and is more abrasive than Side A. Droning, harmonic, rhythmic, thrumming. This live recording is a fantastic representation of his live sets. The listener is immersed in wave after wave of Nathan's vocal electronic scapes. This is the track that will truly capture the listener and hold them there. While Side A may allow the listener the room to appreciate and contemplate the track, Side B's live recording is completely and utterly consuming. Like the audience members at the performance, listeners of Side B will find themselves pulled under the surface in to the churning and enthralling depths of Narco Alms' heavy drones and rhythmic thrums. The pulsating low end holds the listener while Nathan's hums and attacks from his electronics draw the audience's ears to subtle sounds and tones within the soundscape. Atmospheric and very heavy. Fans of noise, drone, ambient, and other styles of experimental alike will all appreciate this track and the power that it brings.

The cassettes themselves are completely clear and feature no paper, no labels, and no j-cards. Six different colors (red, green, purple, blue, pink, and yellow) of transparencies featuring Nathan's "Peyote Cult" print of the "Infinite Peyote Road" series were printed and placed within the tapes. We are very proud of these and hope you enjoy our collaboration with our friend and fellow Tulsa artist/performer, Nathan Young / Narco Alms.

:::

"Nathan Young (born 1975, Tahlequah, OK) is a multidisciplinary artist and composer working in an expanded practice that incorporates sound, video, documentary, animation, installation, socially engaged art and experimental and improvised music. Nathan’s work often engages the spiritual and the political and re-imagines indigenous sacred imagery in order to complicate and subvert notions of the sublime. Nathan is a founding and former member for the artist collective Postcommodity (2007-2015) and holds an MFA in Music / Sound from Bard College’s Milton-Avery School of the Arts."

Cult Love is a 501c3 nonprofit committed to the platforming, preservation, and proliferation of underground communities and culture.

Rare and limited releases of all genres since 2015.

cultlovesoundtapes.com
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube