Not long after we sent a special request to Chattr (after we posted his alter-ego DJ Bearings mixtape of hip hop x Phillip Glass matchups) he returned this mix of epic ambient drone mind-mellow-ness. Chattr’s been turning out minimal ambient tracks a couple of years now, including this track with one of my absolute favorite titles in the history of song titles, Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback Donovan McNabb Accepting His Fate in the Face of the Oncoming Pass Rush, a 7-minute slowburner of suspense and ambient suspension. 7 minutes seems like a long time, but the body wants more. In his new 37-minute Rarities mix, it really feels like he’s a sculptor carving out blocks of flowing ear foam, fluff, and ping-pong’ed telephone sonics, with a smooooOoOOth aural progression.
There’s a 23-yr Philly radio program Echoes (check out the website, as it looks 23 yrs old too) featuring “a soundscape of ambient, space, electronica and New Age music.” I listen to it in the car as I drive home from a diner or show at 2am. It sometimes satisfies but I also sometimes wish it played more drone-earbone-ambient-numb-vibes-chillaxin’-action. But now I’ve got the solution and the next time I need some extreme drift-off sleepy-time medecine I’ll pop this one in, swirl it round my brain, and let it do its thing. And I don’t mean to sound blasé ‘bout it, as Rarities is expertly rendered, carefully-calibrated to deliver just the right results, with gorgeous layers of Mondrian-esque audio subtleties that bear repeat exposure in the car or through trusty Grado (head)phones. Play it ∞
- L’chaim (from “Fuck Sunshine - Live From The Philadelphia Streets” with J. Bachman, L. Tusman
- Bedroom Multijam 9909 (previously unreleased)
- ANTIOCH (from the Janky “Telephone Soundzine” / released as a cassette on Jewish Noise)
- Continential Shelf (from the upcoming album “My Favorite Aquatic Biomes”)
- Concerning Burning Man (recording live from Friendsgiving 2011)
- On Business In San Antonio, TX (previously unreleased)
- Formalhaut (peviously unreleased)
- Fuck Sunshine - Improv 5 (Me 4 Tongues) (Chattr mix)
