Earth Dancing Body Refuge is a sequel and sibling album to Good Spirit Inner Station (self-released, 2021). It comes approximately 3 years following Del Stephen's very first expedition up to the cool, fresh, and mostly desolate peaks of Five Mountain Station (or 'La Stazione Delle Cinque Montagne', as it's more locally referred to as). While many folks consider it an abandoned mountain range of yesteryear, every so often there are reports of inspired travelers who not only go out of their way to clear the overgrown trails, but also successfully make the journey all the way up to its highest points. There you can find a myriad of radio antennas which appear to "kiss the blue skies and dance with the passing clouds". Throughout the past decade or so, a number of folks who have ventured up to witness such dances have returned to the mainland with astonishing recordings of live transmissions, citing evidence that the Five Mountain Station antennas are, in fact, somehow still functioning. According to these devout explorers, the antennas up at Five Mountain Station transmit a unique form of so-called "spiritual" music that does not seem to be identified with any particular nation or cultural movement of sound, at least not any that we currently know of.
1. 'Return To Five Mountain Station'
The music you are about to hear is a collection of pieces inspired by 1 of Del Stephen's most recent Earth Dancing Body Refuge trips up to Five Mountain Station. The ascending notes that ring throughout 'Return To Five Mountain Station' are said to be reminiscent of the distant echoes of birdsong that accompanied the artist on much of his latest trek.
2. 'Earth Dancing Body Refuge'
Naturally, the piece entitled 'Earth Dancing Body Refuge' serves as the titular centrepiece of this new collection, and sits comfortably amongst the few other "1 synth, 1 indeterminate take" longform compositions in Del Stephen's now 30-plus album discography. Its musical concept and structure makes some reference to the muscle memory of 'Please Don't Melt', an early solo synthesizer album of his, recorded and released during the summer of 2016. 'Earth Dancing Body Refuge' is autobiographical to its core, most certainly a work of nonfiction, and is arguably the artist's most universal offering to date.
3. 'Heart Loft'
From the Good Spirit Inner Station all the way to the Thousand Islands comes 'Heart Loft'. It is a song and a memory of where all of the music on this album may have come from! This piece has so far been performed in rock'n'roll clubs, living rooms, hotel restaurants, bars, and even parks.
4. 'Translation Emotion Express'
'Translation Emotion Express', the penultimate piece of the collection, now makes its 3rd shape-shifting appearance on a Del Stephen record, though it may be worth noting that the version heard here happens to be 1 of its earliest performances. Like the title track, TEE was recorded in a single take, but with various moving parts (tape, synths, pedalboard, sampler) as opposed to a single instrument. Much has already been said about this piece in the extensive liner notes of 'Sept. 29 / 22 Live at Hotel Wolfe Island', which was released by Vacancy Recs in an edition of 9 cassette tapes the following year.
5. 'Stone Hole Empty Bowl'
The cassette tape concludes with the meditative 'Stone Hole Empty Bowl', an abridged variation of another previously recorded and performed-as-a-group piece 'Stone Hole Water Bowl'. The album of that same name was self-released in an edition of 8 cassette tapes during the fall of 2022.
_______________________________________________________
credits
released April 5, 2024
Music and artwork by Stephen Del Duca.
Recorded in Toronto between December 2019 and March 2023.
Released in a special limited edition of 12 cassette tapes.
Field recordings intertwine with hushed acoustics and gentle ambience to create songs that are hypnotic and immersive. Bandcamp New & Notable Jun 13, 2020
The 17 mindbending songs on this compilation represent minimalist experimental music at its best, a collage of blips and static. Bandcamp New & Notable Dec 3, 2022
An experimental composer from Ireland, Stephen Roddy proves equally adept at crushing soundscapes as he does mysterious melodies. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 13, 2022
The summer batch from Constellation Tatsu has arrived, and with it, this gorgeous, immersive tape from Mike Nigro & Andrew Osterhoudt. Bandcamp New & Notable Aug 11, 2018
Improvisational pieces that blossom into moments of melody and cover topics such as “voltage & how certain apples will keep you young.” Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 18, 2023
