Sundial
Dylan RTWinter 2024
Sundial became the first project that I actually completed after moving to the US. It's my first solo project, and yes, it's ~ambient~. It was recorded in early spring at Light and Sound Design studio in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. I had spent many months in and out of that top-floor studio, mostly consuming music from others: DJs, live performers and general noise-makers.
After playing a show at LSD during the weekly deep listening series, Vin reached out and asked if I wanted to record something. That afternoon, we recorded on his Nagra tape recorder (what a stunning device!) and then did a digital take. This record is three sections of that second 45 minute live recording – all on my cherished minilogue XD synth.
Soft, wandering, wide-open soundscapes borrowed from the natural world.
Recording Engineer: Vincent Brunetto
Mixing and Mastering: Isaac Teague
Album Art: Dabora Choi
Left Brained (Live)
Sainte FamilleWinter 2024
This live session took place in 2022, when I was living upstate in NY (I wouldn’t call it “upstate NY” because Troy tends to exceed the northern bounds of that term). Since Montreal was so close, I’d make journeys to my alma mater town every now and then, typically taking the 3am bus from the infamous albany greyhound station.
This recording, ‘Left-Brained’, was the culmination of a particular 5-day trip, in which myself, Aaron and Adrian (synth, drums and bass) composed for and then rehearsed for a live show.
It was a torrential downpour on the performance night, and perhaps as a consequence the music felt louder in Bar l’Hemisphere Gauche. The show was recorded and filmed, and this is that.
Drums: Aaron Nadal
Bass: Adrian Iraheta
Mixing and Mastering: Jack Moore
Refraction
Sainte FamilleWinter 2022
Refraction emerged from a session that we (the trio) decided to record, but that we had little plans for. We were interested in leaning into more of an impromptu take, and seeing what came out of it.
In these kinds of settings, I'll typically discover a sound on the minilogue as we are playing. Then I'll modify it in all sorts of ways, to the point where it's actually quite difficult to re-create the same sound (and thus, the same feel) in the future. When playing Refraction in a live setting since, I've never found the same sonic space that I stumbled upon during this recording.
But I don't mind that – sometimes it feels good to detach from the music after playing it.
Drums: Aaron Nadal
Bass: Adrian Iraheta
Mixing and Mastering: Mendy Stein
Mobius Trip
Sainte FamilleWinter 2022
This song was also tracked into existence in an impromptu jam+record session.
It was one of the first times for me to act as a sort-of "lead" player throughout the entirety of the songs – prior to this, I had been more of a supporting act with traditional keys sounds in indie/rock bands. On this occasion, I remember Aaron saying: "We [the rhythm section] are the bed for you to jump on." And it really felt like I could jump! Aaron and Adrian were incredibly locked in; the communication seemed built-in for them.
How beautiful to be gifted the freedom to explore the spectrum of noise.
Drums: Aaron Nadal
Bass: Adrian Iraheta
Mixing and Mastering: Mendy Stein