8.26.21 by Matty McPherson
Mr. Reyes, I hope you are doing well at the moment. I know you can be quite busy, running American Dreams and (American) Decline labels in between whatever is on your plate. I just thought you should know that I recently took in your latest tape, “What is a Ghost? Is it Really Me?”, in between days of grilling and reflecting on John Hassell. The title struck me as a beautiful question in light of all things happening. It left me in a most inquisitive modus operandus.
I’d seen in the past that you’ve expressed quite the interest in modular synthesizers, but that for this Unifactor batch, you opted for “synth drones with dead-eyed woodwinds or the occasional wall of layered guitar clusters.” It took me a week to work towards the proper headspace with these zones, although once they worked their magic, I found myself sympathizing with these tones.
When times were lighter, I used to walk on the beach; a welcome reprieve from my own anxiety. There was a moment at the start of the pandemic that I walked into a sheer wind blast. Your scorched synth tones on the opener brought me back there, real time navigating where I was going. There’s even a bit of a conspiratorial sense to the instrumentation. The shadows the woodwinds impart on “What Spectre Reflects in Glass?” seemed to tower over me, murmuring their dismay. There’s peace to be found though through those tumults.
The back half is a patient, brighter stride. The open-eyed bass rumble and synthetic pulses of the title track; the flickery jitters of The Void is Boundless, Boundless is the Void that circle around the same sugar-coated acidity of Suicide ‘77. Yes, I can see them serving as ways to reacquaint oneself in a space — foreign or familiar — and work from there.
I do appreciate best though, how you are able to bust out those aforementioned guitar clusters. On “Foregone Breaths a Presence Makes,” the guitar rolls through like a warm breeze, stretching where the synth drones grimace. When the instrument returns on “Lead Me To The Cliff – Away We Laugh,” there’s a newfound serenity that I find myself lulled to. A cosmic lullaby for those starless nights. I guess I’m trying to say, the tape made me feel a little less alone, and I thank you for sharing these zones of solace.
Limited Edition Cassette Available from the ever reliable Unifactor Tapes
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