Photay's fifth solo album, Windswept, dropped on September 20th via Mexican Summer, and on it, the pastoralist unity is even more explicit: It is an album about wind.
The beautiful abstract alien atmospheres of "Air Lock" by Photay, the moniker of Hudson Valley raised, L.A. based multi-instrumentalist, composer, artist Evan Shornstein, feels like a universe building right in front of your eyes or in front of your ears. This, of course, makes perfect sense because Shornstein crafts his sonic universes fully as creator, as conceptualizer, as a sonic painter with an arsenal of varied brushes of all sizes, dimensions and cross generational touchstones. The multi-layered, narratives, full of nuances and full throttle surprises around every corner catch you so off guard as to lull you into this place where anything is possible.
One minute, you might get the sensations of intergalactic space travel with robots at the wheel, next electronic organia, things growing at rapid paces, then pop rock fusions feeling especially synthetic, collisions of trip hop, vaporwave and glitch pop and then sultry R&B that hints at an 80's sitcom, if that sitcom was on another planet. All this shapeshifting feels purposeful but then super improvisational too and as Liner notes reveal "Photay, has created lots of different kinds of sounds over the past decade. Whatever category he engages, Photay makes outdoor music under the spell of the elements, for the purpose of different human movements — some physical, some spiritual, some emotional, some philosophical", so the sense that Shornstein is tapped into his ID fully makes sense.
LINER NOTES:
Photay's fifth solo album, Windswept, dropped September 20th via Mexican Summer, and on it, the pastoralist unity is even more explicit: It is an album about wind. The album began with the producer designing sounds to, in his words, “mimic the ‘wind’ as a powerful, deep, unpredictable and at times overwhelming spirit.” The "wind" sound became Windswept’s instrumental through line; a thematic maypole. The natural world had always been one of Photay’s calling cards, and now it had invaded the machine, and his writing.
Director Josh Shaffner also chimes in: "Photay came to me with some initial ideas along with references for the style of the video. From there, I was able to weave in my own experiments with hand drawn animation pretty seamlessly. Using Wind as a central concept worked out brilliantly for shaping the video as well as the album. Also, when working with such an amazing track it provides you with all sorts of ideas from the start.”
"Air Lock" is so textured that I literally find out more about the song everytime I listen. I hope you take a dip.
-Robb Donker Curtius
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrDAD9ZcuJhxT7GMVP3OZeg
https://mexicansummer.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/photay/
https://www.facebook.com/pphotayy
https://x.com/photayy
https://mexicansummer.com/
Evan Shornstein, better-known under his production moniker Photay, has created lots of different kinds of sounds over the past decade. Whatever category he engages, Photay makes outdoor music under the spell of the elements, for the purpose of different human movements — some physical, some spiritual, some emotional, some philosophical.
As Photay, the Hudson Valley-raised, Los Angeles-based multi-instrumentalist composer crafts quasi-IDM and electronic almost-pop tracks with the occasional vocal. There's also the improvised organic and and experimental music sessions he participates in alongside new age giants, Laraaji and Carlos Niño; the diaspora electronic folk-jazz he makes with veteran musicians from all over the globe; and the disco and house adjacent records he tag-team DJs with Brooklyn producer Cesar Toribio and engineer Phil Moffa (who also masters all of Photay’s records — and those of dance-music dons around the world).
Photay, abstract compositions, alt pop, post rock, electronica, gitch pop, Los Angeles based songwriter / composer / multi-instrumentalist Evan Shornstein, "Air Lock" Official Video, new album "Windswept",
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrDAD9ZcuJhxT7GMVP3OZeg
https://mexicansummer.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/photay/
https://www.facebook.com/pphotayy
https://x.com/photayy
https://mexicansummer.com/
Evan Shornstein, better-known under his production moniker Photay, has created lots of different kinds of sounds over the past decade. Whatever category he engages, Photay makes outdoor music under the spell of the elements, for the purpose of different human movements — some physical, some spiritual, some emotional, some philosophical.
As Photay, the Hudson Valley-raised, Los Angeles-based multi-instrumentalist composer crafts quasi-IDM and electronic almost-pop tracks with the occasional vocal. There's also the improvised organic and and experimental music sessions he participates in alongside new age giants, Laraaji and Carlos Niño; the diaspora electronic folk-jazz he makes with veteran musicians from all over the globe; and the disco and house adjacent records he tag-team DJs with Brooklyn producer Cesar Toribio and engineer Phil Moffa (who also masters all of Photay’s records — and those of dance-music dons around the world).
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