Solastalgia

"We find ourselves increasingly in a swell of solastalgia, which is not a new phenomenon; it has haunted us over the centuries. Change has never been humanity's strong suit, but it has been our shadow; it's here, at this fractious nexus of unpredictability that Rafael Anton Irisarri has created his latest work, Solastalgia. Building on the echoes of landscape that guided his previous Room40 editions, Solastalgia imagines that which is not yet known. Utilizing a range of unexpected variables, automations and uncontrolled systems in the creation of the recordings, Irisarri has developed a new approach to his work, seamlessly weaving together intense layers of texture and saturated harmony. Within these works, distant melodies emerge and in their wake the listeners' focus shifts again and again. A never-ending loop of the unconscious feeding into the conscious is formed. Whilst the skeletal form of pieces such as "Coastal Trapped Disturbance" might remain, the organic matter that is the body of the music is in a process of persistent transformation. These subconscious variations morph the pieces from within. This is a record of sublimation, and dwells in states of transition and becoming. Recorded in two suites, each section is a distorted mirror reflection of the other. Solastalgia stands as a landmark undertaking for Irisarri, it encourages us to remain unsettled and attentive in the moment, and prompts us to listen deeper and imagine what lies beyond or in excess of our expectations. " Written and produced by Rafael Anton Irisarri in New York, USA during Autumn 2018. Rafael Anton Irisarri is an American composer, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer living in New York. Described as one of contemporary ambient music's most celebrated practitioners, Irisarri's music often has a mournful, elegiac quality where ostinato phrases tap into minimalist ideals while atmospheric layers of effects suggest a more cinematic approach. In all, his compositions are deeply emotive and epic, like a symphony recording that's been rescued from attic entombment after half a century. Irisarri concerts at museums, churches, synagogues, and other non-traditional performance spaces explore the physicality of sound. Combining an array of heavy metal bass amplifiers, multiple loudspeaker configurations, synthesizers, bowed guitars, notebook computers, video images, and lighting, Irisarri decontextualizes the audience's relationship to the venue, creating an immersive, otherworldly environment. Irisarri's recorded works are widely published internationally.