XIPHIIDAE "Science Everywhere" c45 (Housecraft)

The alias of Housecraft label owner Jeffry Astin, known as Xiphiidae, is a project subject to change direction with every subsequent release. At times, Astin will focus a tape on bowed guitar mantras, or sometimes a tape will be based on lush field recordings and found sound. In the case of Science Everywhere, Astin provides a pretty unfamiliar sound in comparison to what I've heard: here we have 45 minutes of hypnotic, fractured, and heavily percussion-based soundscapes, with the occasional incorporation of the warm guitar textures that are instantly recognizable with prior knowledge of Xiphiidae's past releases. Though carried out for this length, this new direction never spreads itself thin; certain movements emphasize cut-up, warbled tape edits while others sport more definable rhythms. The most fascinating aspect of Science Everywhere is how the sounds at hand are utilized: they're taken out of the context of their original recording and put in a completely new foundation, from musique concreté clatter to brooding tribal percussion. Sporadic, colorful and entrancing-- it's a bold yet refreshing change of pace.

This tape is sold out at the Housecraft site, but I would keep my eye out on the usual distros: Tomentosa, Discriminate, or Amethyst Sunset.