ASC
'Loss'
'Loss'
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PITP37 |
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ARTIST:
ASC ALBUM NAME: Loss CATALOGUE NUMBER: PITP37 RELEASED ON: February 28, 2024 |
FORMAT:
6-Panel Digipak CD + download code Limited Edition Cassette Digital Download [at] pitp.bandcamp.com Streaming through all major digital streaming platforms DISTRIBUTION: Past Inside the Present D2C (US), Inner Ocean Records (CAN), Juno Records (UK), Phonica (UK), HHV (DE), Soundohm (IT), Tobira Records (JP), Linus Records (JP), Redeye (UK), A Thousand Arms (US), and others PUBLISHING: © 2024 Past Inside the Present ℗ 2024 Past Inside the Present Publishing (BMI) CREDITS: Written, produced, and mixed by James Clements. Mastered at Ambient Mountain House by James Bernard. Photography by Cynthia Bernard. Design and layout by zakè. © 2024 Past Inside the Present. ℗ 2024 Past Inside the Present Publishing (BMI) |
about
ASC – Loss (Past Inside the Present, 2024)
"There is a wooden platform overlooking the marsh at the halfway point of this trail, just the same as it’s been for years. One innocuous autumn afternoon you lean against its railing for a photograph that your companion insists on capturing because of that perfect peach light in the distant cirrus. 4:23pm. The creaky waist-high beam gives way just a bit, loosened by seasonal damp, and you startle slightly but find your footing with a well-trained portrait smile. The image is forever catalogued behind the lens and you move on along the decaying birches, reminded that tomorrow is not a guarantee.
ASC (aka James Clements) brings us Loss in its most heart-rending and therapeutic form in his new LP for Past Inside the Present following decades of genre-fluid releases on Auxiliary, A Strangely Isolated Place and many others.
All through the cavernous chapters of Loss are heavy mists, quiet bird calls and softly ponderous chord progressions. Especially in the field recordings of “Tears in Rain” there are echoes of the old photographic experiment in which a swath of subjects is shown the same facial expression and asked, “What is this person feeling or experiencing?” An identical image can yield assessments ranging from dread to bliss, exhaustion to relief, joyous wonder to abject confusion. These profound pieces are similarly potent litmus tests of where the listener is in their emotional journey; they may be a sublime comfort on a sanguine morning, or a source of pure sonic sympathy in a complicated moment.
Few experiences except loss – especially the abrupt loss of a loved one – can so completely realign your internal map and compass. The plan was there; it was going so well; I did everything right. In sections of this collection like “Sensory Disintegration” and “Fleeting Elation”, with a bruised but forgiving heart, Clements boldly faces the void in order to create something where there is only a cruel nothing. There is no replacing a breath on the neck, or that diffuse, gowned shadow along the wall, but there remains the hope that these compositions will sing beyond the stratosphere like any cosmically bound radio signal, outlasting their maker and all fleeting reminiscences that carry on in pure, vaporous vibration.
Truly, words can only do so much. With Loss, as with his many other instrumental projects, ASC offers a distillation of immutable feeling: beauty wrenched from ache, acceptance demanded from doubt. The complex rhythms of many of his other records are left aside in favor of languid meditation. Even in its heavier moments it is an album that presents an undeniable degree of sensitive and resolute devotion; a priceless honorarium for moments dreamt but never to be."
"There is a wooden platform overlooking the marsh at the halfway point of this trail, just the same as it’s been for years. One innocuous autumn afternoon you lean against its railing for a photograph that your companion insists on capturing because of that perfect peach light in the distant cirrus. 4:23pm. The creaky waist-high beam gives way just a bit, loosened by seasonal damp, and you startle slightly but find your footing with a well-trained portrait smile. The image is forever catalogued behind the lens and you move on along the decaying birches, reminded that tomorrow is not a guarantee.
ASC (aka James Clements) brings us Loss in its most heart-rending and therapeutic form in his new LP for Past Inside the Present following decades of genre-fluid releases on Auxiliary, A Strangely Isolated Place and many others.
All through the cavernous chapters of Loss are heavy mists, quiet bird calls and softly ponderous chord progressions. Especially in the field recordings of “Tears in Rain” there are echoes of the old photographic experiment in which a swath of subjects is shown the same facial expression and asked, “What is this person feeling or experiencing?” An identical image can yield assessments ranging from dread to bliss, exhaustion to relief, joyous wonder to abject confusion. These profound pieces are similarly potent litmus tests of where the listener is in their emotional journey; they may be a sublime comfort on a sanguine morning, or a source of pure sonic sympathy in a complicated moment.
Few experiences except loss – especially the abrupt loss of a loved one – can so completely realign your internal map and compass. The plan was there; it was going so well; I did everything right. In sections of this collection like “Sensory Disintegration” and “Fleeting Elation”, with a bruised but forgiving heart, Clements boldly faces the void in order to create something where there is only a cruel nothing. There is no replacing a breath on the neck, or that diffuse, gowned shadow along the wall, but there remains the hope that these compositions will sing beyond the stratosphere like any cosmically bound radio signal, outlasting their maker and all fleeting reminiscences that carry on in pure, vaporous vibration.
Truly, words can only do so much. With Loss, as with his many other instrumental projects, ASC offers a distillation of immutable feeling: beauty wrenched from ache, acceptance demanded from doubt. The complex rhythms of many of his other records are left aside in favor of languid meditation. Even in its heavier moments it is an album that presents an undeniable degree of sensitive and resolute devotion; a priceless honorarium for moments dreamt but never to be."
press
"James Clements (ASC) has been one of the most highly regarded artists in ambient, ambient techno and IDM scene since his evolution into the sound about 15 years ago. His ability to create deep soundscapes over lush beats and atmospheres come from his liquid drum n bass background prior to working with more cinematic tracks. ASC is back with a new release and it finds a home at the Past Inside the Present stable where he had put out a few EPs on the last couple years. This haunting and beautiful release Loss, explores various moods and atmospheres to great success. Tracks like the amazing and spacious 'Sensory Disintegration' to the poignant 'What More Can Be Said' which adds a lush airspace to a stunning piano piece. Some soundscapes are majestic and triumphant while others are minimal and then foreboding. New age and ambient fans will rejoice after hearing this magical album.
Known for his versatility across electronic and drum & bass genres, James Clements channels introspection and healing in Loss. Quiet bird calls and field recordings intertwine with ASC's expertly crafted synths, creating a therapeutic sonic landscape. Each track evokes a range of emotions, from melancholy to hope, acceptance to sorrow. Loss invites listeners to embark on a poignant journey, where ASC's mastery shines through in every moment. It's a captivating and beautiful testament to the power of music as a form of self-expression and healing."
- Juno Records
✦✦✦
"James Clements has made a name for himself with releases in various genres over the past decades—including Auxiliary and A Strangely Isolated Place. The fact that he has now landed on Past Inside The Present is a lucky coincidence, as his way of turning music into something intimate, sensitive and emotive fits perfectly into the ranks of exceptional talent within the label.
A large part of the Past Inside The Present family contributed to the album. Cynthia Bernard has enriched it with her photographic art. Her husband, James Bernard, did the mastering at Ambient Mountain House. zakè did the design.
"Loss" by ASC is a sound journey with a gripping arc of suspense. With "Loss", ASC has set the feeling of loss to music—as pure, painful and all-encompassing as it feels and grips us when it shows itself. The nine tracks on the record are filled with a weighty vastness that runs from the first note to the last. At the same time, James has managed to interweave field recordings from nature to perfectly reflect the sea of thoughts in which a person struggling with loss constantly finds themselves. A particular highlight here is the last song, "Tears in the Rain", which begins with rain and ends in a sea of sounds. According to the artist, the piece is based on the old photographic experiment of showing different people the same facial expression and asking them what the person in the picture is feeling. The respondents' assessments range from happiness, tiredness, and relief to joyful amazement and abject confusion.
But it's not just the album's grand finale that has it all. The sound journey ASC has composed so marvellously leads you through all the different phases of loss while listening—corresponding to the emotional states described by the people in the photo experiment. The arc of suspense is perfectly crafted. Shadows from the past arise, enclose everything, and disappear into the nothingness of the uncertain future. Hope spreads, ebbs away again and finally manifests itself.
Music as the most empathetic narrative form. The musician Thomas Meluch put it into words flawlessly: "In sections of this collection like "Sensory Disintegration" and "Fleeting Elation", with a bruised but forgiving heart, Clements boldly faces the void in order to create something where there is only a cruel nothing. There is no replacing a breath on the neck or that diffuse, gowned shadow along the wall, but there remains the hope that these compositions will sing beyond the stratosphere like any cosmically bound radio signal, outlasting their maker and all fleeting reminiscences that carry on in pure, vaporous vibration."
An instrumental project that conveys feelings so perfectly that it needs no words—that's how you could also describe "Loss" by ASC, I guess. However, the recording achieves much more: it translates experiences into music and thus expresses much more than spoken or sung words could. The pieces' complexity achieves this meditatively–sensitive and powerful, characterised by devotion and determination.
Ambient sounds full of harmony, disharmony, sound and ethereal moments await you—produced perfectly and composed by the exceptional sound collective from Indianapolis, Indiana. I guess this is exactly what I found a little challenging to put into words when I started writing this preview: Past Inside The Present, with all the artists involved in the label, expresses what music really is: the most emphatic narrative form.
- Sounds Vegan
Known for his versatility across electronic and drum & bass genres, James Clements channels introspection and healing in Loss. Quiet bird calls and field recordings intertwine with ASC's expertly crafted synths, creating a therapeutic sonic landscape. Each track evokes a range of emotions, from melancholy to hope, acceptance to sorrow. Loss invites listeners to embark on a poignant journey, where ASC's mastery shines through in every moment. It's a captivating and beautiful testament to the power of music as a form of self-expression and healing."
- Juno Records
✦✦✦
"James Clements has made a name for himself with releases in various genres over the past decades—including Auxiliary and A Strangely Isolated Place. The fact that he has now landed on Past Inside The Present is a lucky coincidence, as his way of turning music into something intimate, sensitive and emotive fits perfectly into the ranks of exceptional talent within the label.
A large part of the Past Inside The Present family contributed to the album. Cynthia Bernard has enriched it with her photographic art. Her husband, James Bernard, did the mastering at Ambient Mountain House. zakè did the design.
"Loss" by ASC is a sound journey with a gripping arc of suspense. With "Loss", ASC has set the feeling of loss to music—as pure, painful and all-encompassing as it feels and grips us when it shows itself. The nine tracks on the record are filled with a weighty vastness that runs from the first note to the last. At the same time, James has managed to interweave field recordings from nature to perfectly reflect the sea of thoughts in which a person struggling with loss constantly finds themselves. A particular highlight here is the last song, "Tears in the Rain", which begins with rain and ends in a sea of sounds. According to the artist, the piece is based on the old photographic experiment of showing different people the same facial expression and asking them what the person in the picture is feeling. The respondents' assessments range from happiness, tiredness, and relief to joyful amazement and abject confusion.
But it's not just the album's grand finale that has it all. The sound journey ASC has composed so marvellously leads you through all the different phases of loss while listening—corresponding to the emotional states described by the people in the photo experiment. The arc of suspense is perfectly crafted. Shadows from the past arise, enclose everything, and disappear into the nothingness of the uncertain future. Hope spreads, ebbs away again and finally manifests itself.
Music as the most empathetic narrative form. The musician Thomas Meluch put it into words flawlessly: "In sections of this collection like "Sensory Disintegration" and "Fleeting Elation", with a bruised but forgiving heart, Clements boldly faces the void in order to create something where there is only a cruel nothing. There is no replacing a breath on the neck or that diffuse, gowned shadow along the wall, but there remains the hope that these compositions will sing beyond the stratosphere like any cosmically bound radio signal, outlasting their maker and all fleeting reminiscences that carry on in pure, vaporous vibration."
An instrumental project that conveys feelings so perfectly that it needs no words—that's how you could also describe "Loss" by ASC, I guess. However, the recording achieves much more: it translates experiences into music and thus expresses much more than spoken or sung words could. The pieces' complexity achieves this meditatively–sensitive and powerful, characterised by devotion and determination.
Ambient sounds full of harmony, disharmony, sound and ethereal moments await you—produced perfectly and composed by the exceptional sound collective from Indianapolis, Indiana. I guess this is exactly what I found a little challenging to put into words when I started writing this preview: Past Inside The Present, with all the artists involved in the label, expresses what music really is: the most emphatic narrative form.
- Sounds Vegan
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