Hymns

In 2022, the pandemic seemed to be receding to the point where artists could work together again, literally side by side. So, as a kind of 'follow-up' to my Joyful Noise 2020 Artist-in-Residence box set, I revisited the notion of a limited-edition vinyl box celebrating the joys of collaboration. I thought about it for a good long while, and eventually, it felt good. I then put the idea under a microscope and found that it felt even better when I minimized the project to six 33rpm EP's on 7" vinyl. The borderless landscapes of audio art, tempered by the imaginations of the artistsI chose to work with, then cast against the myriad infinities of mysteries betwixt those ageless, spinning rings... those rings that seem to sing, "..listen to us... "It all begins with imagery. Always.Let it be. If You fall in Love with the process, it's possible that the process will Love you back. The end results are important, but nothing is more important (to me) than the changes we experience as a result of the process. How are we different now, after the music is done? What has happened to us, because of these sounds we have made together, and these songs we have made? And, of equal importance.. can the listener sense that something is happening to the artists as a result of their collaborations? And. Can the listener experience some of that, too?RINGS OF SATURN won't change the world, but the words & music dervishing off these grooves accurately expresses the Love poured into the foundations beneath these Nocturnes (w/Britta Phillips) and Psalms (w/David Grubbs) and Preludes (w/Eerie Wanda) and Elegies (w/ Jad Fair &Danielson) and Laments (w/Paul Leary) and Hymns (w/Rob Crow). Working with others is my lifeblood. I am Nothing without them.TIME, with all it's mysteries intact, and unfettered by borders, so that both the artists and the listeners can enter, in partnership, together.- Kramer, 2023