Four Drones for Saxophone and Modular Synthesizer

by Andrew Ostler

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	1.	On The Way Down 06:57
	2.	Interlude 01:24
	3.	Seek Whence 08:12
	4.	On The Way Up 07:33
	5.	Intralude 01:51
	6.	Fraxinet 09:07 video

about

"... a gently lulling record ... At times these pieces are suffused with a stately grandeur, at others, a tender meditative calm."
- Electronic Sound

"Drone, in Ostler's stunning new album, is the thing and the space required to hear it, to first perceive its appearance: each is intrinsic to the other.
"This is very highly recommended for ambient junkies, or classical music fans who are open to hearing what the air supporting a hand, or an instrument, or the space between a signal and its output, sounds like. These are not pieces, but worlds."
- Musique Machine

Late 2021, and lockdown has eased to the extent that it seems reasonable to organise gigs, albeit with some trepidation. After the big studio projects of “Crossing The Line” and “Rolling Like a Bullet”, this suggests a new approach for an album - a collection of tracks composed and rehearsed to be played live (at least in theory). To keep me honest, each performance destined for the album would be videoed and published on YouTube. Furthermore, in the interests of remaining a “mobile intelligent unit”, the setup should not involve too much gear - in particular, no laptop.

For me, a modular synth has always been an adjunct to a computer, so it was useful discipline to come up with a modular system that could be the entire foundation of a performance, albeit supplemented by my saxophone and ever-growing pedalboard. As ever, these new needs provided invaluable feedback into Expert Sleepers product development.

During this time I was becoming increasingly interested in just intonation and related tunings, and the pieces here reflect that. The more I learn, the more I realise how entrenched equal temperament has been in my own education and subsequent thinking, and I can only presume the same applies to many, even most, others of my generation and culture. This, I believe, is a great shame. As I write, there are signs of cracks in the previously unassailable hegemony of 12 tone equal temperament, but there’s a long way to go. It’s a journey I look forward to taking.

- Andrew Ostler, Edinburgh, April 2022

YouTube performance links:
On The Way Down: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwSb-iW6zWk
Seek Whence: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijy3UWofQ1A
On The Way Up: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtzhThX-kuI
Fraxinet: www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHvc8T_loWU

credits

released November 4, 2022

Andrew Ostler - tenor saxophone, C melody saxophone, modular synthesizer

Composed, recorded, mixed and mastered by Andrew Ostler.

Design by Carl Glover for Aleph Studio.

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about

Andrew Ostler Edinburgh, UK

Modular synths and low woodwind.

Andrew also runs music tech company expert-sleepers.co.uk

More releases at darkroomtheband.bandcamp.com

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