Andrew Kirschner – Weighted Ghost & Lil Mac
8.24.15 by Mike Haley

When not making mistakes down by the lake or talking nerd mess, Andrew Kirschner can be spotted chiseling out dope sounds down in his cherished Hate Basement. A double dose of evidence is available for inspection if you wanna fact check that statement. “Weighted Ghost” and “Lil Mac” both dropped in the past few weeks and are like two sides of the same coin.

“Weighted Ghost” from Kirschner’s employer Hanson Records is the nastier of the two. It’s pre-disintegrated cycles irk along with minimum manipulation. A certain level of listening-dedication is sometimes needed to even notice the undercover morphing of hiss and flutter going on, but that dedication can also get ya trapped in the stagnate depression of crumbling loops. It’s not mind control music though, and this material is far from being mile-long expanses of white noise. Aaron Dilloway’s “Modern Jester” is a good reference point to start at. Damaged and distorted, like listening to raw meat getting stuck in industrial machinery.

“Lil Mac”, an ode to AK’s canine bud, ditches the grit for more sedated soundscapes. I guess this is where the mind control sessions ended up. Going the synth route, Kirschner soaks every inch of the cassette with gusty, hovering vibrations. A mesh of lo-fi synth tones take it’s time streaming over the occasional ominous throb. I used to have this reoccurring dream as a kid. I would be in the alley behind my house when a car would pull up, and an old dude would get out. He would slowly approach me with a creep grin on his face, holding a cup of who knows what. In every occurrence of the dream my legs would give out and I would fall over as he poured the cup into my mouth. Both tracks on this C22 from White Reeves Productions could soundtrack that sequence. I haven’t thought about that dream in years. Sorta wish I hadn’t now. Thanks, a bunch.

At the moment, both of these jams are still available from Hanson and WRP.