Trying new things can be fun! I’ve always been a rather picky eater. But, earlier this year, I started messing with raw red peppers, and god damn if a previously unknown world of flavor wasn’t opened up for me. By a similar token, U.K. duo Emptyset (James Ginzburg and Paul Purgas) have always been known for their brand of dark, visceral, minimal electronic music — as heard, for instance, on this year’s Borders. On Skin however, their upcoming EP for Thrill Jockey, Emptyset are (empty) set to release their first-ever collection of entirely acoustic compositions. A whole neeeew worrrrrllllllddddd-dah! (Thank you, thank you…)
Aaaanyways: per a press release, “The compositions of Skin are all focused around structure, texture, and rhythm captured through recordings of a custom string instrument, drums, and physical granular materials modulated in real-time, alongside tonal vocal elements.”
Confused by that? Me too, but things become much clearer upon listening to “Eye II,” the EP’s closing track. The mysterious “custom string instrument” gives the song a dark tone, a tone made more unsettling by the droning vocals that persist throughout. Add in some percussive elements, and the song really makes your [title of EP] crawl. Basically, the track feels like the soundtrack to a Spaghetti Western, if for some reason Clint Eastwood were combating outlaws inside of an abandoned factory.
Listen to “Eye II” for yourself, and become significantly more aware of what “physical granular materials modulated in real-time” means, down below. Meanwhile, did you know that Emptyset will also be playing a few dates in North America in the coming months? And that Skin is out October 20 via Thrill Jockey and is available for pre-order now?? Bam: now you DO. A whole neeeeeeew…and so-on.
Skin tracklisting:
01. Skin I
02. Skin II
03. Eye I
04. Eye II
Emptyset Tour dates
10.14.17 - Mexico City, MX - Mutek Festival
10.21.17 - San Francisco, CA - Gray Area Foundation
10.26.17 - Brooklyn, NY - Pioneer Works
More about: Emptyset
