Rhyton

Rhyton is an experimental/improv/psych trio based in Brooklyn that features Dave Shuford (D. Charles Speer and the Helix, No Neck Blues Band), Jimy SeiTang (Psychic Ills) and Spencer Herbst (Messages, Matta Llama)

LP version is limited to only 500 copies worldwide and includes a postcard insert and free download coupon. CD version in a hand-made package with a hand-glued front cover image.

Rhyton pours out a sonic libation unto the liberated world. Waveforms ring out, alternately frozen and blazing, wrenched from an improvisational method. They seek to loosen the gaze so as to widen focus, taking the unity in hand, not grabbing for the micro-constituent. Using the dynamic levels of rock, Rhyton carve out an edifice of sound on their debut LP that centers upon repetition and modal excursion. Recorded and mixed by Jason Meagher at his Black Dirt Studio, this self-titled release is culled from a highly fruitful three day recording session. Seeking to capture the cutting intensity level of their live performances, the band takes the ethos of full engagement. The multiple amp setup at hand in the studio helps imbue the ear with "second hearing". The split stereo, dual amped electric leads utilized throughout the record are best experienced on tracks like "Pontian Grave" and "Teke" where phase and tremolo patterns bounce and surge from ear to ear, warping senses of both time and space. These two distinct sound sources are a manifestation of dual perspectives derived from a single emanation: this is not the fracturing of a voice, but rather its multiplying into a unified but complimentary chorale as different delay lengths and distortion levels cohere into an ensemble greater than its parts. On "Dale Odaliski" the rock trio trappings are stripped away as a booming tom tom, oscillators and delay loops evoke a kind technological primitivism that seems akin to a message from a shattered, distant future. Extreme attention to auditory detail is apparent throughout the album, as blasts of varied gain stages writhe within fields of phased cymbals and bass throbs. Taken from repose to ekstasis - as mental impulse reigns above, so the body below records.

Rhyton is a band with an organic genesis, born from late night rap sessions at a local Brooklyn watering hole. Heads of certain vibe gathered together to tap into the underlying flux form of transportational music. Dave Shuford (D. Charles Speer, No Neck Blues Band) had been knee deep in research and practice in the realm of middle eastern musics during the recording of his solo LP Arghiledes. From that album, the track "The Heavy Heart of Ando-Yeap" was used as a leaping off point for the gestation of Rhyton. Shuford brought his personal selection of varied string instruments to the table, seeking to create a heavier electric syntax for mandolin, saz and baritone guitar. Jimy SeiTang (Psychic Ills) emerged as a sonic surgeon, creating wave patterns with his bass and pulses of tape delay tales. Spencer Herbst (Messages, Matta Llama) injected his flowing, highly energetic style of percussion and brought in visual conundrums by way of videocassette. An instant near-telepathic bond was established, making improvisations seem like composed forays even to the closest confidants. With variants and heads situated as a point of departure, Rhyton explores the inner workings of the ear and seeks the latent brain bulge within the listener.