spire043 – Steven Hess + Christopher McFall – The Inescapable Fox
Steven Hess + Christopher McFall - The Inescapable Fox - [spire043]
Quietly engaging, evolving tape music compositions conceived around Greek mythology and notions of light/dark. 200 LP's only in full colour sleeve.
I think I speak for Steven and I both when I make mention of the fact that a great deal of the materials used to create this release stemmed from a mutual interest in working with taped (analog) recordings. So, when we began working together we started by sending analog recordings back and forth by mail. Most of my recordings are done on treated tape, whereby the binder material is subjected to hydrolysis prior to the recording phase. Steven recorded some of the more sound/precussive elements for the inescapable fox on some of my tapes and his as well. He sent them to me and I began editing the material from there. I’ve been working with piano, voice and field recordings for some time now, so I tailored these source recordings specific to the tracks on the release.
As far as ideologies are concerned, we approached the collaboration process thematically in order to attempt to focus our work for this release. The initial concept for release centered around the thoughts of the interface between light and dark (the specific mention relating to the collision of these two absolutes). This notion of absolutes brought to a stage of possible compromise made me think a bit about Greek mythology, specifically about Laelaps (the hound never failed to catch whatever it was that he was hunting) and his rival the Teumessian fox that could never be caught. ‘The Inescapable Fox’ seemed to allow for a resolution of the two.
Steven Hess is a drummer and sound modifier presently located in Chicago, USA. He’s an active member of Locrian, Ural Umbo, Cleared, Haptic, and On (w/Sylvain Chauveau), and has collaborated with the likes of Christian Fennesz, Pan American, Stefan Németh (Radian), David Daniell, and Robert Hampson to name a few.
Christopher McFall is an experimental composer/sound artist based in Kansas City, USA. His primary interest involves the concept of arranging analog source audio to serve as a gateway for experiencing visual environments, whereby the resulting recordings translate into soundtrack of spaces specific to each listener. The methodology behind Christopher’s workings involves the use of piano, phonograph, saxophone and field recordings captured on chemically treated/decaying audio tape recordings that are then layered and further manipulated in a digital format.