T. R. Jordan
'Dwell Time II'
'Dwell Time II'
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PITP57 |
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ARTIST:
T.R. Jordan ALBUM NAME: Dwell Time II CATALOGUE NUMBER: PITP57 RELEASED ON: March 20, 2024 |
FORMAT:
Numbered 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 and recorded by T.R. Jordan. Produced and mixed at Black Knoll Studio by Rafael Anton Irisarri. Mastered at Schwebung Mastering by Stephan Mathieu. Photography and graphic design by Cynthia Bernard. Layout by zakè. © 2024 Past Inside the Present. ℗ 2024 Past Inside the Present Publishing (BMI). Cassette :: PITP-C028 // CD :: PITP57 |
about
T.R. Jordan – Dwell Time II (Past Inside The Present, 2024)
"Dwell Time II, the second installment in a trilogy of tape loop experiments from T.R. Jordan, begins fittingly with “Dynamics”, as a grainy, fluttering howl opens into voluminous spatial tones, while dulcet synthesizers swell between the stereo channels with melancholy, crystalline sweetness.
Guiding his delicate world of sound through various technical and tactile manipulations, Jordan unearths sounds and textures that are otherwise not found in a natural state. Part of the fascination in working with physical formats is the ability to alter and interrupt – in this case, wrapping the plastic film of the cassette in foil, or bending and distending it with a fingertip, creating what the artist proudly calls “gorgeous imperfection”.
Suffused with soft warbles and fragile, insect-like clicks, “Swapped” trains a macro lens on the inner workings of loam and undergrowth, evoking a verdant air of renewal that always emerges from the chrysalis of natural cycles. Following close behind, “Allusion” carries the calm pace of a slowed clock, counting out moments of aching anticipation in melodic, meditative counterpoint.
Jordan’s fascination with mutability is evident in every second of this suite – even the most seemingly reliable loop is subject to the whims of a weakened battery, repositioning of the tape deck, or tempered malfunction. “Nested” offers a particularly deconstructed view, combining the spatial patience of Hiroshi Yoshimura and the connective tissue of early Eno experiments in its glassy tremolos and mysterious corners.
“Proxy” forefronts the stop-stutter of physical looping with antiquated machinery, and the hand-hewn effect of trying to control something as it tries to escape into the air, like flowing bands of the aurora borealis. “Repetition is a form of change”, the saying goes, and as each renewal of the loop asserts its own idiosyncrasies, we find the pulse of contingency.
As a continuation of the first Dwell Time album (Past Inside the Present, 2022), Jordan’s intention is a cohesive suite in three movements, all with the same materials and methods, in a concentrated period of inspired experimentation with no energy wasted – a form of “musical composting”, in his words. Citing the particular malleability of the Library of Congress’ C1 cassette deck, and the “halfway broken beauty” of the Roland RE-201 tape delay, he brings together disparate sources into captivating sonic approximations of flowing creeks, mossy rocks, and drifting clouds in equal measure.
The album’s final two pieces, “Murmur” and “Tampered”, bear this out with notable grace, as a sense of perennial permanence leads into waves of seafoam hiss, rounding out the set in a peaceful surrender to the cosmos. Brought into its final form with production by Rafael Irisarri at Black Knoll Studio, mastering by Stephan Mathieu at Schwebung, artwork by Cynthia Bernard, and endless support from label head zakè, Dwell Time II is a remarkable ode to the infinite, viewed through the lens of the momentary."
✦ About the Artist:
As a student of music, T.R. Jordan cultivates harmony, melody and texture from across the centuries. He began classical piano lessons while still stretching to reach the pedals, and counts Debussy and Chopin among his earliest influences; in this way, we hear something of the moonless night in his careful pacing and melodic mastery. As his passion developed, further influence came from the tape manipulations of Brian Eno and William Basinski, creating a natural drive toward experimentation, and an embrace of uncertainty through forgotten formats.
In an era largely defined by flawless resolution and digital acuity, Jordan dares to place acoustic and analog elements in lower-fidelity environments, creating distinct but familiar compositions. This approach is best heard on Dwell Time and Dwell Time II (Past Inside the Present), the first installments in a trilogy of loop-based reflections on quietude and the verdant infinite, all created during a singular period of epiphany and inspiration. Jordan prefers “methods and means that are temperamental, and that eschew perfectionism,” such as the beloved, versatile Library of Congress C1 cassette deck for the blind, and the joyously unpredictable Roland RE-201 tape delay.
Combined with an academic knowledge of the piano and double bass, Jordan’s willingness to sacrifice any sense of musical certainty and push headlong into the unknown, is much of what makes his unique soundscapes so striking. Long time production assistance from like-minded composer Rafael Anton Irisarri brings yet another dimension to Jordan’s work, as his pursuit of uniquely fascinating forms both honors, and upends, established theory.
"Dwell Time II, the second installment in a trilogy of tape loop experiments from T.R. Jordan, begins fittingly with “Dynamics”, as a grainy, fluttering howl opens into voluminous spatial tones, while dulcet synthesizers swell between the stereo channels with melancholy, crystalline sweetness.
Guiding his delicate world of sound through various technical and tactile manipulations, Jordan unearths sounds and textures that are otherwise not found in a natural state. Part of the fascination in working with physical formats is the ability to alter and interrupt – in this case, wrapping the plastic film of the cassette in foil, or bending and distending it with a fingertip, creating what the artist proudly calls “gorgeous imperfection”.
Suffused with soft warbles and fragile, insect-like clicks, “Swapped” trains a macro lens on the inner workings of loam and undergrowth, evoking a verdant air of renewal that always emerges from the chrysalis of natural cycles. Following close behind, “Allusion” carries the calm pace of a slowed clock, counting out moments of aching anticipation in melodic, meditative counterpoint.
Jordan’s fascination with mutability is evident in every second of this suite – even the most seemingly reliable loop is subject to the whims of a weakened battery, repositioning of the tape deck, or tempered malfunction. “Nested” offers a particularly deconstructed view, combining the spatial patience of Hiroshi Yoshimura and the connective tissue of early Eno experiments in its glassy tremolos and mysterious corners.
“Proxy” forefronts the stop-stutter of physical looping with antiquated machinery, and the hand-hewn effect of trying to control something as it tries to escape into the air, like flowing bands of the aurora borealis. “Repetition is a form of change”, the saying goes, and as each renewal of the loop asserts its own idiosyncrasies, we find the pulse of contingency.
As a continuation of the first Dwell Time album (Past Inside the Present, 2022), Jordan’s intention is a cohesive suite in three movements, all with the same materials and methods, in a concentrated period of inspired experimentation with no energy wasted – a form of “musical composting”, in his words. Citing the particular malleability of the Library of Congress’ C1 cassette deck, and the “halfway broken beauty” of the Roland RE-201 tape delay, he brings together disparate sources into captivating sonic approximations of flowing creeks, mossy rocks, and drifting clouds in equal measure.
The album’s final two pieces, “Murmur” and “Tampered”, bear this out with notable grace, as a sense of perennial permanence leads into waves of seafoam hiss, rounding out the set in a peaceful surrender to the cosmos. Brought into its final form with production by Rafael Irisarri at Black Knoll Studio, mastering by Stephan Mathieu at Schwebung, artwork by Cynthia Bernard, and endless support from label head zakè, Dwell Time II is a remarkable ode to the infinite, viewed through the lens of the momentary."
✦ About the Artist:
As a student of music, T.R. Jordan cultivates harmony, melody and texture from across the centuries. He began classical piano lessons while still stretching to reach the pedals, and counts Debussy and Chopin among his earliest influences; in this way, we hear something of the moonless night in his careful pacing and melodic mastery. As his passion developed, further influence came from the tape manipulations of Brian Eno and William Basinski, creating a natural drive toward experimentation, and an embrace of uncertainty through forgotten formats.
In an era largely defined by flawless resolution and digital acuity, Jordan dares to place acoustic and analog elements in lower-fidelity environments, creating distinct but familiar compositions. This approach is best heard on Dwell Time and Dwell Time II (Past Inside the Present), the first installments in a trilogy of loop-based reflections on quietude and the verdant infinite, all created during a singular period of epiphany and inspiration. Jordan prefers “methods and means that are temperamental, and that eschew perfectionism,” such as the beloved, versatile Library of Congress C1 cassette deck for the blind, and the joyously unpredictable Roland RE-201 tape delay.
Combined with an academic knowledge of the piano and double bass, Jordan’s willingness to sacrifice any sense of musical certainty and push headlong into the unknown, is much of what makes his unique soundscapes so striking. Long time production assistance from like-minded composer Rafael Anton Irisarri brings yet another dimension to Jordan’s work, as his pursuit of uniquely fascinating forms both honors, and upends, established theory.
press
"The irrepressible Past Inside The Present is back with the second in a trilogy of tape loop experiments from T.R. Jordan. Dwell Time II is yet another cohesive piece of this three-suite puzzle. All of the music was made by the same materials and methods and was all made in "a concentrated period of inspired experimentation with no energy wasted." The artist calls it a form of "musical composting" and the music is full of a sense of musical grace and elegance, peaceful pads and sonic versions of pastoral scenes like flowing rivers and mossy rocks under beautiful wispy clouds. Dwell Time II is full of grainy, fluttering howls, soft warbling pads, pastoral references like flowing streams and mossy rocks and plenty of grand spatial elegance that harks back to the likes of Hiroshi Yoshimura and early Brian Eno experiments. Another immersive offering from this fine label."
- Juno Records
✦✦✦
"Dwell Time II by T.R. Jordan opens into a place of extremely slow and carefully composed murky mystery tape loop experiments, ghostly long sustained tones. This could be the perfect sleep music because there are no surprises or startling interruptions, just steady drones and very slowly repeating cycles of sustained tone progressions. The journey is endless, hovering in slow motion, swaying lightly and the only goal is to enjoy the ride because the destination is constantly lingering nearby, but out of sight. The landscape is too foggy to easily summarize or otherwise make any assumptions about. There are many things hidden in these low dwelling clouds, complex tiny voices and bits of music with overlays of curved drone-like sustained tones that are overall positive and uplifting. Here the glitch constant might warble every so slightly. “Dynamics” (4:56) from deep halls in slow motion, just barely emerging from the dark I hear calling drones. Now emerging into the light, “Swapped” (3:35) with bubbles inside constantly cycling fragments, a triplet Hawaiian sunset and a slow gong sustain, eventually getting glitchy again. I can hear the twittering stars in the background, the mood is brighter and always in slow motion.
The third track, “Allusion” (5:40), is a slowly opening door, admitting long extended drone layers full of short fragments that cycle on and on, over and over, somehow the brightness is increasing. This shimmering sleepy constant is a fine delicate sound bath of lingering tones. Now “Nested” (4:53) comes ever closer, a weird warbling complexity that gradually fades in even slower motion. Sometimes these tones have more of that special glitch quality, quivering and warbling while the drones are foggy. The feeling is super sleepy, deep underwater in a huge tunnel below the cathedral, eventually there is an emerging bass mountain top glow foundation for the starfield that fades in and out slowly, sustained sparkly and a bit higher pitched, with some kind of a repeating pattern, three notes, just remember three things, and it goes on forever, just repeating into the fog over the water. I caught a strange tiny tinkling at the close.
Here is the sound of a flickering shadow of a light over the water but just under the fog, always in slow motion. “Proxy” (3:53) is glitch dominant, a swirling fog at the bottom of a soaring atmosphere that constantly emerges overhead. Soon the swirling fog appears to have some short tone cycles that take form briefly, always very slow. I hear dusty horns and there is a successful bumpy ending, eventually. Now imagine dawn with warm breezes, “On Air” (4:58) brings more altitude, and those three things again and again, always very still and dreamy. Are we walking on air or broadcasting? Low slow sustained tones of the lighter variety, nothing is focused or sharp, everything is soft and sustained, and it might sound like a flute in places. There is an atmospheric opening, growing slowly opening up until it is wide open and all the light comes in.
Taking it down to a minor key, just a little darker, “Murmur” (4:42) begins with a slowly moving throb that eventually becomes a little more forceful. I hear something in the dark that sounds like royalty, majestic slow development as if the forms are huge clouds in the sky. My descriptions are always failing, I hear a cello fog horn, the low tone lingers and dies. The reflective and somber cathedral ambience with slow echoes extends a slow throb that eventually becomes a twangy glitch, what I mean to say is that there is a glitchy change towards the last part through to the glitchy end.
To find the ending we go to “Tampered” (5:00), where I hear a glitchy harp with a gentle hissy background, perhaps water spraying? The sunshine brings a rainbow filled foggy vista, the glow emerges while the glitchy background slides into a place somewhat deeper but never disappears. There are some clean drone tones that rise out of the fog, slow brass tones breathing back and forth. I think now there are several layers going on, the feeling is so sleepy and laid back, with that hissing fog at the beach in the dark of night. Coming from behind where we can see there on the breeze are brass drones that sway slowly, something like phantom boats moving in the darkness. This too fades into infinity. An incredible addition to the Past Inside the Present catalogue."
- Igloo Magazine
- Juno Records
✦✦✦
"Dwell Time II by T.R. Jordan opens into a place of extremely slow and carefully composed murky mystery tape loop experiments, ghostly long sustained tones. This could be the perfect sleep music because there are no surprises or startling interruptions, just steady drones and very slowly repeating cycles of sustained tone progressions. The journey is endless, hovering in slow motion, swaying lightly and the only goal is to enjoy the ride because the destination is constantly lingering nearby, but out of sight. The landscape is too foggy to easily summarize or otherwise make any assumptions about. There are many things hidden in these low dwelling clouds, complex tiny voices and bits of music with overlays of curved drone-like sustained tones that are overall positive and uplifting. Here the glitch constant might warble every so slightly. “Dynamics” (4:56) from deep halls in slow motion, just barely emerging from the dark I hear calling drones. Now emerging into the light, “Swapped” (3:35) with bubbles inside constantly cycling fragments, a triplet Hawaiian sunset and a slow gong sustain, eventually getting glitchy again. I can hear the twittering stars in the background, the mood is brighter and always in slow motion.
The third track, “Allusion” (5:40), is a slowly opening door, admitting long extended drone layers full of short fragments that cycle on and on, over and over, somehow the brightness is increasing. This shimmering sleepy constant is a fine delicate sound bath of lingering tones. Now “Nested” (4:53) comes ever closer, a weird warbling complexity that gradually fades in even slower motion. Sometimes these tones have more of that special glitch quality, quivering and warbling while the drones are foggy. The feeling is super sleepy, deep underwater in a huge tunnel below the cathedral, eventually there is an emerging bass mountain top glow foundation for the starfield that fades in and out slowly, sustained sparkly and a bit higher pitched, with some kind of a repeating pattern, three notes, just remember three things, and it goes on forever, just repeating into the fog over the water. I caught a strange tiny tinkling at the close.
Here is the sound of a flickering shadow of a light over the water but just under the fog, always in slow motion. “Proxy” (3:53) is glitch dominant, a swirling fog at the bottom of a soaring atmosphere that constantly emerges overhead. Soon the swirling fog appears to have some short tone cycles that take form briefly, always very slow. I hear dusty horns and there is a successful bumpy ending, eventually. Now imagine dawn with warm breezes, “On Air” (4:58) brings more altitude, and those three things again and again, always very still and dreamy. Are we walking on air or broadcasting? Low slow sustained tones of the lighter variety, nothing is focused or sharp, everything is soft and sustained, and it might sound like a flute in places. There is an atmospheric opening, growing slowly opening up until it is wide open and all the light comes in.
Taking it down to a minor key, just a little darker, “Murmur” (4:42) begins with a slowly moving throb that eventually becomes a little more forceful. I hear something in the dark that sounds like royalty, majestic slow development as if the forms are huge clouds in the sky. My descriptions are always failing, I hear a cello fog horn, the low tone lingers and dies. The reflective and somber cathedral ambience with slow echoes extends a slow throb that eventually becomes a twangy glitch, what I mean to say is that there is a glitchy change towards the last part through to the glitchy end.
To find the ending we go to “Tampered” (5:00), where I hear a glitchy harp with a gentle hissy background, perhaps water spraying? The sunshine brings a rainbow filled foggy vista, the glow emerges while the glitchy background slides into a place somewhat deeper but never disappears. There are some clean drone tones that rise out of the fog, slow brass tones breathing back and forth. I think now there are several layers going on, the feeling is so sleepy and laid back, with that hissing fog at the beach in the dark of night. Coming from behind where we can see there on the breeze are brass drones that sway slowly, something like phantom boats moving in the darkness. This too fades into infinity. An incredible addition to the Past Inside the Present catalogue."
- Igloo Magazine
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