Description
Modular Fields is the fifth full-length album by the drone-fuelled experimental unit The Stargazer’s Assistant. As the name suggests, the album takes a deep dive into modular synthesizers by charting the coexistence and collisions of rich tonal textures and multilayered spaces structured around each musician’s initial composition.
The subtle intensity of the four approximately 15-minute pieces’ atmospheric voyages is inviting and evocative, as if the compositions were carefully practised gestures of esoteric rituals intended for opening pathways into subconscious terrains of discovery. The tracks, aptly named Field 1–4, transform from fairly minimalistic themes into lavish aural landscapes where tranquil and recognisable sceneries abruptly burst into flickering apparitions of gargantuan force. In essence, the album is a meditative journey into the otherworldliness of everyday life, making it a wonderful soundtrack for imagination.
Helmed by David J. Smith, London-based sculptor and drummer of avant-garde rock group Guapo and singer and multi-instrumentalist of The Holy Family, The Stargazer’s Assistant was initially launched as his solo project in 2007. Soon after, Smith was joined by fellow gazers David J. Knight (UnicaZürn), Michael J. York (Coil, Current 93) and Antti Uusimäki (Uzu Noir), and the project evolved into the unit it is today.
On Modular Fields, The Stargazer’s Assistant manages to conjure up yet another observable universe!
PERFORMED BY
DAVID J. SMITH
DAVID J. KNIGHT
MICHAEL J. YORK
ANTTI J. UUSIMAKI
