Jeremiah Fisher / Anthony Janas - Split CS

https://reservematinee.bandcamp.com/album/jeremiah-fisher-anthony-janas

Reserve Matinee is proud to present a split album we have been eagerly waiting to share, an exciting moment for 2019 from two heavy-hitters in contemporary electronic music.

Anthony Janas and Jeremiah Fisher are both key members of storied American psychedelic group Panicsville (with Andy Ortmann), though their respective solo work will grip any listener with two ears. 2011's 'Simpleton Electronics' on Nihilist Recordings is a Janas classic, while anyone in Chicago lucky enough to catch a live set by Oakeater mane Fisher has already clicked play. Employing tactful sound design, masterful mixing, and modular synthesis, the two sides of this tape are fantastically executed and contain a certain accessible feeling to them.

Introducing us to the split in a surreal fashion, Jeremiah Fisher's side is simply a delight to listen to. A seven-part suite if you will, spanning concrète to ambient to murky swamp, the side begins with woozy synths and an array of wet audio coming from all directions, mixed to perfection with crystalline stereo effects. Jeremiah's ability to obscure and re-sculpt previously familiar sounds is unparalleled in the modular community, a true hidden talent. As the piece progresses, the sonic territory that Fisher traverses is entirely unpredictable and wholly satisfying, including an ending that may give you goosebumps.

Anthony Janas is brilliant at creating his own means for composing, a spirit akin to many composers who occupied the Fluxus movement of the 60s and 70s - whether he is out on Lake Michigan (search for "Janas sail boat"), or designing sound installations that he can play live via contact mic. "A Predilection For Sonorous Operations" operates moreso in segments, and feels more immediately warm than the first side of the split. The precision and speed at which Anthony's sounds move throughout the stereo field is breathtaking, each degree carefully measured and cut, every second utilized with intent. The final three minutes conclude the split on a fine note, introducing a red hot glistening synth as Janas' sonic materials come together in a final bow.