Friday, March 26, 2021

Álvaro Domene - HEPTAD Volume I (March 2021 Iluso Records)

"Heptad is stunning! Vivid, rich in sound and emotion, and packed with ideas." - Elliott Sharp

Iluso Records are thrilled to release a new solo recording by guitarist-composer Álvaro Domene

Heptad is the first volume of Domene’s new works for seven string electric guitar which, instead of being a continuation of his monolithic sounding solo pieces heard on Illustris (2020) and The Compass (2018), it signifies a tangent in Domene’s solo works. If the two previous albums were conceptualized as new orchestral-inspired music performed on electric guitar, Heptad is the chamber equivalent, on which Domene’s seven notated, but spontaneously interpreted pieces, evoke the enveloping sonorities of small string ensembles.

All the pieces were conceived to be performed and recorded live, with no overdubs, and, to achieve this imaginative sound, Domene meticulously programmed over two dozen pitch delay algorithms that assisted him in shaping the harmonic and melodic palette of each compositional framework, which, along with his angular approach on guitar and dazzling energy, allowed him to weave nets of contrapuntal statements, eerie chordal textures, and chilling harmonics.

Heptad Volume I is a serious solo guitar recording, pivotal in Domene’s solo output, and presented with all the meticulousness and imagination that these exploratory and unearthly pieces deserve.

Play loud and enjoy.

1. Particle Seepage 04:23
2. Attrition 09:11
3. Theoretical Clutter 07:07
4. Where The Universe Is Set On Cold Fire 05:03
5. Entropy Maximizers 05:29
6. Power As Capacity: The Expansion Of One’s Options. 08:22
7. Power As Control: The Suppression Of One’s Options. 04:57

All music composed and performed live by Álvaro Domene (seven string electric guitar and live electronics). No overdubs.

Recorded and mixed by Domene on different sessions between November 2020 and January 2021 at Singularity Studio, Kingston (New York).

Mastered by Dane Johnson at Asbestos Head Recording (Kingston, NY).