I am more than pleased to be able to premiere this new video by Antonio Curcetti to mark the release of the second solo LP by Demian Castellanos (The Oscillation) on Cardinal Fuzz and Out of Phase Frequencies. The recordings were originally made in 1995, but rediscovered by Castellanos on 2015 when the tapes were transferred and mixed.
The recording itself is evidence Demian’s obsession for the finite possibilities offered by an electric guitar and 12 string acoustic guitar, some effects pedals (delay, fuzz, tremolo, phaser and anger) and a 4 track Tascam Porta 3. Digging deeper into what he was looking to achieve with this music Demain commented: “My ideas for the album at the time of making it, were transcending the body, the inner world, what is outside in the physical world is also inside. Space inside/outside being the same thing… cells, atoms, planets etc… At the same time I tried to completely remove the thought process when I recorded it so that my conscious mind wouldn’t interfere in the music.”
Similar ideas of liminality are clearly at work with Antonio Curcetti’s amazing video for this piece of music. Curcetti has worked with a number of artists who ‘Psych Insight Music’ readers may be familiar with, including: Moon Duo, The Horrors, Earth, Zombie Zombie, Beach House, TOY, Tomaga and K-X-P to name but a few (see Antonio’s website here), and has clearly worked very closely with the music in producing this work.
I had a chance to catch up with Antonio who outlined his ideas behind the video. “Ether”, he explained, “get its inspiration from Kubrick’s hallucinatory trip of “2001: A Space Odyssey” psychedelic sequence. I have tried to recreate that subjective existentialism that permeates the final part of the movie and that has been always inspiring to me as a visual artist. The first time I listened to ‘Ether’ I was immediately transported into an incredible journey beyond the finite and infinite, into the molecular and the vast cosmos, very close to my existence but also away from it and close to destruction. Those are the elements that became parts and segments of the video.”
He continues: “Me and Demian have creatively worked together already in the past with both The Oscillation’s ‘From Tomorrow’ and ‘Monographic’, and on his first solo album, ‘The Kyvu Tapes Vol.I (1990-1998)’. As usual I was interested in listening to his new recordings and that was just happening while I was experimenting with a new video synthesiser. These two things coming together were just too exiting not to give it a try.”
Demian again: “I’ve worked with Antonio for quite a while over the years and had complete trust in him to put his own take and vision into the music and represent the journey visually in his own unique way. He expanded upon and also brought a new sense of life to the sounds, and gave me a new perspective of the recording”.
They certainly work well together, and the result is a seamless audio visual experience that really challenges the mind and senses.
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The album is released on black vinyl in an edition of 250, and comes in a really nice Metallic Gold screen printed sleeve with full colour insert. It can be ordered now from Cardinal Fuzz here. Castellanos will also have copies.
A very limited CDr is also available from Cardinal Fuzz.
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The Fragmented Flâneur 