New Release: Straylight EP Out Now on Microgarden Lab (Dark Minimal House)

I am very happy to announce my debut release on the Microgarden label! Straylight is a 5-track EP with four original tracks, and a gnarly remix by Outterspace1. It is out now on BandCamp!

The Tracks

Freeside By Day and Ninsei By Night are two tracks that came together within about a week of each other. I was experimenting in the direction I had taken with Loas; exploring sparse, open arrangements.

BAMA Never Sleeps, the leading track on the record, actually came after the other two. It’s a more concrete idea tied together by my yawning Bass Station and an existential quote from a film I admire.

Finally, we decided to add Angela (Original Mix), which I dropped as a single on Halloween a few weeks ago. When Outterspace1 was tapped to do a remix for the record, he immediately said he wanted to remix Angela. It was only fitting to put the original mix beside Angela (Outterspace1 Remix)!

The Inspiration

BAMA Never Sleeps, Freeside By Day, and Ninsei By Night were all named for the cyberpunk classic, Neuromancer. I bore that novel in mind as I produced these tracks; trying to capture the gloomy emptiness and angst at the core of the near future envisioned in the 1980s. The trick was to take that darkness and make it slick and danceable.

Angela was inspired by the recent stellar remake of Silent Hill 2. The game was scary as hell, and one thing that absolutely jumped out at me was the sound design. It pushed me to go deeper into the atonal textures I had been exploring, and it challenged me to capture an uneasy atmosphere whilst keeping a steady groove afloat.

And I must have done something right, because the final product was enough to get the attention of a producer like Outterspace1 and inspire him to create sick remix in just a day or two. When I commented on his crazy fast turnaround, he mentioned that he just felt inspired. And I know from experience – when inspiration really hits, the music flows out almost faster than one can keep up!

I’m very pleased with this EP, and I am proud to see it a part of Microgarden’s excellent catalogue of minimal grooves.

Enjoy, all – See you on the underground stream!

-AudioMunk