Gnostikos at Cliff Bell’s, Detroit

Gnostikos - Social Distancing


These pieces were written and recorded in the spring and early summer of 2020. At the time it felt like we were deep into the quarantine, but of course it was just the early stages. This “social distancing” series grew out of trying to find a way of music making that our group could successfully do together, each in our own homes, accepting the limitations that technology presents.

I wanted to create different frameworks that played with ideas of distance and density. There are long stretches of silence, moments of near chaos, and tender serenity too. In many instances, the scores challenge each player to wait quite a while (minutes, even!) before making a sound. How do we deal with the discomfort of that? What happens, internally, during that space? What happens after?

These recordings are about honesty. About patience and deliberation, constraint and freedom. They are a meditation of sorts. We approach the void and enter.

credits

released October 2, 2020

Zara Teicher - Composer, horn, harmonium, found objects
Michael Malis - Keyboards, melodica, objects
Kaleigh Wilder - Bari Sax, bells, drums, objects
Thom Monks - Drums, percussion, objects

Josef Deas - audio engineer and editor