I’ve never been a one-box kind of person, but the Syntakt is my absolute favorite instrument I’ve ever played and is an endless source of inspiration. Over the past couple years I’ve been trying to see how much I can do with just the one instrument, while staying within the bounds of “normal” synth sounds and song structures. At some point, I amassed a collection of mostly-thematically and sonically cohesive songs, and I’m pretty happy with how this EP turned out!
All of the songwriting and performance happened on the ST, with some arrangement and FX happening in Ableton. Recorded via Overbridge. I tried to keep the edits and FX in line with the spirit of the Syntakt version, if that makes sense. My editing skills are better than my live skills.
My favorite song is probably the very vibey Stellar Lattice (coincidentally this is the song that came together quickest and with the least post-processing). Context Collapse is a lumbering triphop-ish menace. The middle four songs explore mildly acidic IDM of varying moods. Reality Hemorrhage sets the tone for the EP admirably.
Thematically, the blurb and cover art kind of cover it, so I won’t go into that. The magnificent cover art was made by a friend who put way too much energy and time into cutting out that tree. I love it.
Probably the most important part of this post: All proceeds from the EP will be donated to Trevor Project.
Finally, @KingDuppy 's feedback was invaluable - seriously, your insight shaped arrangement decisions and the EP programming. I sincerely appreciate the time and energy you spent to give me thoughtful critiques.