Detroit-based musician Ryan Crosson‘s The Plane Ride EP, on the Archipel netlabel, opens with its strongest material: “Bow String,” six and a half minutes of cross-step minimal techno built almost entirely from percussive elements, just a scattering of ping pong balls, heart monitors, thumbed drums and more. The remainder of the set is more standard. “RyePickle and Cheese” may up the ante in terms of how antic it gets, but it’s also a bit too eager to please. Ditto “Blue to Green,” which eventually adopts what amounts to a riff, and spoils the sedate background it had built up to that point, and the title cut, which, albeit bubbly, follows a familiar template. “Bow String” (MP3) is the keeper. Dated July 18, the EP is Archipel’s eighth and most recent release thus far. Check it out at archipel.cc.
Current Activities
• October 13, 2016: This day marks the start of the 250th weekly Disquiet Junto project. • November 16, 2016: I'll be sharing the mic at Adobe Books in San Francisco with my fellow 33 1/3 author Evie Nagy for an evening hosted, from 7pm to 10pm, by Marc Kate (facebook.com). • December 1, 2016: A likely speaking engagement. Details to come. • December 13, 2016: This day marks the 20th anniversary of Disquiet.com. • January 5, 2017: This day marks the 5th anniversary of the Disquiet Junto. • Ongoing: The Disquiet Junto series of weekly communal music projects explore constraints as a springboard for creativity and productivity. There is a new project each Thursday afternoon (California time), and it is due the following Monday at 11:59pm: disquiet.com/junto. • My book on Aphex Twin's landmark 1994 album, Selected Ambient Works Vol. II, published as part of the 33 1/3 series, an imprint of Bloomsbury, is now in its second printing. It can be purchased at amazon.com, among other places.