Band / Artist: Marsan
Year: 2014
Genre: Chillout, Ambient Techno, Electro-Acoustic
My Review:
I got a new email from a fresh friend. At least he's a friend now. He wanted to share his music with the blog. I listened through and I like it, so I'll let him describe it all, and I'll just share.
"I'm a 21 y/o Chicagoan who's performed in a few local DIY bands (shy guy says, acker). In late 2012, however, I decided to use the resources around me to write music on my own. All parts were written, performed, recorded and edited entirely by myself.
I
began with some minimal repetitive pieces for a buddy's film. I
recorded some ambient/IDM tracks, but used all live instrumentation,
which, to my surprise, gave it a unique energetic or "live" feel. I got
the idea to keep using this technique but with a larger variety styles
(Post-punk drumming and vocals on "Strain Theory", pop melodies on
"Linoleum", "Dominoes" or "Snow Day", saturated jazz/hip-hop on
"reawaken", and so on). The result was an intricate, diverse album,
which, thanks to my steady lineup of instruments & effects, managed
to flow seamlessly.
The
album art imposes a setting for the album: a shopping mall. The
massive, labyrinth-like landscape is the perfect launch point. The songs
navigate through the complex to different rooms and corridors - spaces
of all different sizes, moods, attitudes... Really this album is for
people who are, like me, obsessed with open space.
Thus the title - Agoramania: a mania for open spaces
Because the whole project began as an attempt to imitate electronic
music with acoustic (or "live") instruments, I continued the theme with
the artwork. The cover was made by printing out mall blueprints with
different colors and photo effects. Then, inspired by the layer options
in photoshop, I hand cut and pasted the prints. In the "alternate"
cover, I held up the painting of the room, floorboards and background at
varying distances and snapped a picture.
I was considering naming the album "Digital by hand" after the technique, but instead used the name for a track. In line with the theme of shopping malls, the lyrics deal with consumerism, contradictory media messages, manipulation, etc."
Alright, well I hope that clears it all up for you. I'm going to be listening to this one for a while. I'll keep a free version of the album online as long as he'd like.
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