CURTA, 4Digit & Brotherhood of Machines Join Forces As Elyria Sequence for Limited Edition SLAB "Double-tape" (Solium Records)
Solium Records is a French DIY and non-profit tape label; most of the imprint's releases are collaborative projects complete with high-quality packaging and artwork. Solium is run by a Frenchman named Yoan and has been steadily issuing Experimental/Hip-Hop/Noise-centric limited releases on Bandcamp since August 2018. For their latest release, Yoan recruited a cast of characters whom The Witzard regulars should be very familiar: Denver Noise-makers CURTA & 4Digit. Here, collectively billed as "Elyria Sequence" (for the first time!) CURTA & 4Digit are joined by fellow Denver-based beat-maker Brotherhood of Machines. Not to be confused with similarly-named Brotherhood of THE Machine, Brotherhood of Machines seems to have some sort of affiliation with Sean "Erik Samuel" Makau at Bob Cosmo Radio/Phantom Haus, who, just so happens to be CURTA's long-time manager and promoter.
Elyria Sequence's collaborative debut, SLAB, was cut together from 20+ hours of Improvisational Noise/Experimental recordings that took place over a year-long period in a home studio North of Denver, Colorado; "using free time, samplers, a drum machine, and an FM radio, CURTA, 4Digit & Brotherhood of Machines laid the framework for a monstrous album by connecting midi cables and sharing a tempo," Solium's Bandcamp page explains. SLAB features CURTA on drum machine, pedals, synths, and FM radio, Brotherhood of Machines providing arrangements, sampler, drums, and pedals, and 4Digit taking care of guitar, mixing, and mastering. The resulting SLAB is a powerfully dense piece of Electronic music. At times, Ambient and beat-driven, but given to manic changes. This album is an overwhelming monolith of a debut. Worthy, in the way of an ancient SLAB bearing unintelligible Commandments, of your attention," Solium continues.
Last night, coinciding with the 5/20/19 Internet release of SLAB, Elyria Sequence played a Record Release Show at The Oriental Theater in support of Pitchfork/Stereogum "Indie Rock" darlings, Xiu Xiu. Elyria Sequence's SLAB is now available as a double-tape either directly from CURTA, 4Digit & Brotherhood of Machines or from Solium Records' Bandcamp page. It's currently available in both European "longbox" and US "big box" editions limited to 20/10 copies for each territory, respectively. Yoan explains, "all tapes have been real-time recorded for best quality, artwork's been hand-cut, and the visuals printed on the tapes have been stamped from the ["SLAB"] artwork visuals. Every tape is hand-stamped and labeled with Stazon white permanent ink." Pick-up a super-limited SLAB double-decker tape while you still can and make sure to Follow $olium Records on Bandcamp, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
