Laurel Halo

How explicit a "piano house" reference are the pianos in "Throw" meant to be?

Those pianos were recorded in London. I was recording in this studio for a few days, and they brought in a piano in the middle of the second day of recording. It was this janky old upright piano and it had just been moved, so it was super out of tune. Obviously I saw this out-of-tune, watery, evil-sounding piano, and I was like, "Fuck, I have to jam on that for a bit!" So I sat down to play at the piano, and it was really difficult, actually. Because it was so out of tune, all of the known harmonic spatial relationships were completely gone. A G was somewhere between a B-flat and a B, like a quarter-tone up from B, but it also had a harmonic that sounded like an F. One key sounded like it was a tritone. It was really strange! So I was just trying to find these chords, and it was a really interesting exercise, because it took me a while. I grew up playing piano, and it's easy for you to get into these old habits, like I always do this one chord progression, I always do this thing, or I always do that thing. So it was cool playing on this out-of-tune piano, because it helped me find these chords that I probably wouldn't be able to make on a perfectly in-tune piano.

Piano tracks are fucking amazing, obviously. So I was happy to be able to make a piano track with a very mean, evil piano. It's pretty incongruous with the traditional notion of these elated, anthemic, uplifting piano sounds. I mean, sinister piano has been done before, this is not a revelation of any kind.

ayo new one streaming on pforks:
http://pitchfork.com/advance/264-chance-of-rain/

http://www.dummymag.com/features/laurel-halo-interview?utm_content=buffera260f&utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Buffer

"It sounds like a bunch of MP3s were dumped into a vat of acid and they’re all screaming in pain.”

I'm finding this one a bit difficult to grasp. I've tried a couple of times, but so far just keep waiting for it to be over.

http://thewire.co.uk/img/scale/460/561/2013/10/15/wire357.jpg

not sure how i feel about all of this yet (it's very hard and unyielding) but "ainnome" is gorgeous in the way hour logic was

title track sounded great on first listen. only had half my attention cos of work but iirc it's the one that incorporates the same jazzy piano that start and finish the album.

Holy fuck this record is dope.

Halo's fast becoming my favourite electronic performer of the moment.

it's like everything I always wanted out of an autechre record but never quite got

It definitely ticks a few of the same boxes - especially on an intellectual/sound-art/deconstructive level although I'd say they approach it from slightly different angles.

I was totally shocked when there was some interview and she said she was nervous about meeting this producer because she admired him so much and the producer was ... Dabrye?

that's not shocking, Dabrye is dope

i'll have to take another listen then

two/three by dabrye is the one (there's an instrumental version of it too if you dislike rappers). the earlier stuff is a bit leaden.

This is brilliant. Keeps all the queasy delirium of Quarantine but manages to be fun and accessible despite the obvious sense of experimentation. I could easily see myself dancing to this in a nightclub, it's very sweaty and jacks hard, but it's also really engaging as a home listen in its weird metallic textures.

otm

I actually worked out to it a couple days ago and it was killer

I've only listened to this a couple of times but it promises to be another fantastic piece of work from Halo.

I could easily see myself dancing to this in a nightclub

Sort of related but I really want to hear something from the Behind the Green Door 12" on a club system, especially "Sex Mission".

Sex Mission is a great ridiculous name for a track as well. On their RA mix earlier this year, Blondes drop it alongside other straight up club tracks and it definitely works.

new album is real lush.. mastering is excellent, sounds great at high volume. could be way off, but some of the percussion recalls the (dry, direct) sound qualities of untilted by autechre, but softer-edged. Not sure if this can be attributed to her use of the Elektron machinedrum, or if autechre even used one on untilted. Wouldn't compare them otherwise, as this rides easier, doesn't feel over-laboured.

I really like how immersive some of her stuff is. Like, I can switch off completely to a Laurel Halo release and just drift away... Sort of the opposite of being really engaged and aware (which I have to do with Autechre), it works best when I'm just nodding off or what have you - it's very visual.

went from tentative to thinking this record rules, at times it sounds like an instrumental underworld record

i like some of the watery hues but the songs on this haven't really grabbed me all that much just yet. or at least i haven't quite grasped them - quite slippery music isn't it?

this record rules. I could go for some more electric piano tho.

really enjoying this.

serendip is amazing, so heavy.

That track 'Throw' with the detuned piano really reminds me of something - I think it's Polygon Window-era Aphex.

Still play Chance of Rain all the time. A truly great record imo.

yeah, i forgot about it because i've been rediscovering Quarantine but it is really good.

I really want a whole record of music that sounds like Dr Echt/Out, so beautiful

Double EP being released end of this month.

http://www.residentadvisor.net/news.aspx?id=31354

good news. that Nebenwirkungen is real nice.

Just ordered Chance of Rain and Quarantine today. I'm behind. New songs sound great.

Got In Situ in the mail today. Listening now. . .

like the new tracks, looking forward to this

Really like this new stuff quite a bit. A lot to take in at once, but I think I'd rank it at least as high as Chance of Rain right off the bat.

I listen to Chance of Rain in the gym on a regular basis -- hard to say why it makes a good workout record, but I never liked the pressure of "motivational" workout music.

Man In Situ is really good.

Yep, it's really excellent.

really like the new one, fantastically empty, something I find myself just wanting to inhabit for a while

'Found I'!!

That one's definitely going on my picks of the year mixtape.

Listening on youtube now, this is great.

And it even has more jazzy electric piano like the bookends of Chance of Rain, just like I wanted

I love how Focus I sounds like a lounge/acid jazz track only just slightly too heavy and dark.

Sorry, 'Focus I' is what I meant earlier.

Yeah, great track.

man this whole record actually, second time through, fuck it's fantastic

this is a little more dancey than chance of rain, and only in a good way

so i picked up the new one, i quite like it, when she's working in this mode it reminds me a lot of actress

the music is completely insubstantial, in a vaguely queasy out-of-tune way. and has she put any thought into the structure of any track> it seems completely directionless and random.

i don't really think there's a separation b/w the vox and the music, nothing of consequence happens it either, and it doesn't happen in a horrible-sounding way.

― kanye kardashian (lex pretend), Saturday, June 9, 2012 3:24 AM (3 years ago)

i believe the same criticisms were made of actress's recent work

minus the part about the vox

anyway still think "quarantine" is her uneasy-listening masterpiece, and that her best instrumental work is on "hour logic", as for this one it seems slight in comparison to those two. i do agree that "focus i" is the highlight.

i guess "in situ" also feels ... a little anonymous, maybe? i thought a lot of it sounded like pearson sound or a lot of percussive, minimal post-dubstep stuff ... whereas "quarantine" really sounds like nobody else