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CD
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GZH 097CD
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Black Rain (I) takes the form of three extended pieces of new music from A-Sun Amissa, written and recorded by Richard Knox during the early months of 2020. Focusing on a more ambient and cinematic approach, Black Rain offers another texture to the A-Sun Amissa palette. Lulling, melancholic atmospheres are the order of the day here as intricate layers of sound weave in and out of each other, forming a bleak and sentimental tone. Never one to repeat himself, Knox has taken the more ambient elements of previous releases and developed them into a more consistent whole. The three pieces of music found here work beautifully in unison as orchestral drones lay the foundations for each movement while heavily processed guitar, synth, and piano jostle for the shafts of light that intermittently penetrate the gloom. The soundscapes drip with warmth and hopeful fragility, yet the signature doom-ridden nervous tension is present throughout, seeping into the subliminal textures and impressionistic, distorted swells of noise. There is a great deal of restraint used here and certainly the minimalistic approach gives the tracks on Black Rain the space to breathe and evolve in a very natural way. The record was written over a three-month period where Knox had a self-imposed deadline of completing one piece of music per month to then be released digitally with immediate effect at the beginning of the following month. A deliberate move to be more impulsive and instinctive during the writing process and, for him, a new way of looking at releasing a record. For Fans of: Ben Frost, Mogwai, Tim Hecker, Ben Salisbury. Hand-silkscreened, recycled card sleeve.
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GZH 092CD
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For Burdened and Bright Light is the fifth full-length album from A-Sun Amissa. This new work builds on the foundations of previous record Ceremony In The Stillness (GZH 085CD/LP, 2018), incorporating some of the heavier, distorted, guitar-oriented themes but this time fuses them with broken, crumbling electronic beats and primal drone movements. The result is two long-form pieces of work that take time to unfold and multiple listens to truly digest what is on offer. The music of A-Sun Amissa has evolved some-what naturally over the years, drawing from elements of dark-ambient, post-rock, and minimal doom, but always with a leading experimental edge and a huge amount of room to push the boundaries back as far as possible. For Burdened and Bright Light feels like the next logical chapter in the journey. Essentially, A-Sun Amissa is the project of Richard Knox (Gizeh Records founder, The Eternal Return Arkestra curator, member of The Rustle of the Stars, Shield Patterns, and Glissando) who has utilized a vast array of other musicians throughout the group's previous records. This time around though it's almost exclusively the work of Knox who continues to embed his typical DIY approach in writing, recording, and mixing the entire album, alongside providing the artwork. On a sonic level For Burdened and Bright Light is the furthest Knox has gone in terms of production, depth, and working with a more diverse palette of sounds. A-Sun Amissa's distinct atmosphere remains intact however and the result is a more immersive, ambitious, adventurous record of conflicting emotions as the theme of the work tackles the contradictions of being human and explores the duality of light and dark, hope and despair. The two compositions found here are underpinned by vast ambient passages that are drenched in distortion and reverb, slowly unfurling before more industrial, kinetic sounds are introduced and heaving guitars come to the fore. The clarinet work of Claire Knox features prominently and ranges from huge, droning, orchestral overtones in the opening section of "Breath by Breath" to a wild, free-jazz explosion in the middle of "Seagraves". The addition of David Armes's lap-steel for the first time brings a discordant and haunting element to the sound and builds on the recent live work this trio have done together.
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GZH 092LP
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LP version. White color vinyl; edition of 300. For Burdened and Bright Light is the fifth full-length album from A-Sun Amissa. This new work builds on the foundations of previous record Ceremony In The Stillness (GZH 085CD/LP, 2018), incorporating some of the heavier, distorted, guitar-oriented themes but this time fuses them with broken, crumbling electronic beats and primal drone movements. The result is two long-form pieces of work that take time to unfold and multiple listens to truly digest what is on offer. The music of A-Sun Amissa has evolved some-what naturally over the years, drawing from elements of dark-ambient, post-rock, and minimal doom, but always with a leading experimental edge and a huge amount of room to push the boundaries back as far as possible. For Burdened and Bright Light feels like the next logical chapter in the journey. Essentially, A-Sun Amissa is the project of Richard Knox (Gizeh Records founder, The Eternal Return Arkestra curator, member of The Rustle of the Stars, Shield Patterns, and Glissando) who has utilized a vast array of other musicians throughout the group's previous records. This time around though it's almost exclusively the work of Knox who continues to embed his typical DIY approach in writing, recording, and mixing the entire album, alongside providing the artwork. On a sonic level For Burdened and Bright Light is the furthest Knox has gone in terms of production, depth, and working with a more diverse palette of sounds. A-Sun Amissa's distinct atmosphere remains intact however and the result is a more immersive, ambitious, adventurous record of conflicting emotions as the theme of the work tackles the contradictions of being human and explores the duality of light and dark, hope and despair. The two compositions found here are underpinned by vast ambient passages that are drenched in distortion and reverb, slowly unfurling before more industrial, kinetic sounds are introduced and heaving guitars come to the fore. The clarinet work of Claire Knox features prominently and ranges from huge, droning, orchestral overtones in the opening section of "Breath by Breath" to a wild, free-jazz explosion in the middle of "Seagraves". The addition of David Armes's lap-steel for the first time brings a discordant and haunting element to the sound and builds on the recent live work this trio have done together.
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GZH 085CD
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Ceremony In The Stillness is the new album from A-Sun Amissa on Gizeh Records and Consouling Sounds. For their fourth album, A-Sun Amissa plunge deeper than before. Guitars come to the fore, and heavy, distorted chords are present from the off, complemented by desolate ambient passages of sound. The claustrophobic atmospheres remain but combine with a new density and sonic experimentation to present a huge leap forward in structure and composition. Ceremony In The Stillness hints at themes from the previous three outings while pushing the project into new territories. The intricate nuances and lulling melodies from Desperate In Her Heavy Sleep (GZH 037CD, 2012) reappear while the billowing guitars of You Stood Up for Victory, We Stood Up for Less (GZH 044LP, 2013) are referenced throughout. In comparison to The Gatherer (2017), there is a firmer direction here as the album weaves through elements of doom, dark ambient, and post-rock, placing its unique mark firmly into the ears of the listener. A-Sun Amissa is the project of Gizeh founder Richard Knox (The Rustle of the Stars, Shield Patterns, and Glissando). Knox takes a central role here, but we see several collaborators contributing to the record. As album opener "The Black Path" unfurls, the cello of Jo Quail creeps through the thick wall of guitar to offer a moment of calm before the song comes to life with the introduction of drums from Archelon's TJ Fairfax. Alongside a dense and hypnotically repetitive riff, it's A-Sun Amissa's heaviest moment to date as the song collapses under its own weight to leave a crumbling and uneasy passage of cello and guitar drone. Intertwining guitars take center stage on the "With Wearied Eyes" as the atmosphere harks back to the band's earlier work. "The Skulk", meanwhile, evokes The Gatherer as David McLean's saxophone unravels around the ondes Martenot of Christine Ott. The record then takes a turn as "No Perception of Light"'s soporific opening gives way to a mesmerizing beat which develops into a wall of crunching guitars and electronics before "Remembrancer" closes with chiming guitars and bowed strings before evolving into a haunting orchestral outro that concludes the record. It's clear that Knox is comfortable being on the outside looking in, and in expanding A-Sun Amissa's sonic palette, it only adds to the intrigue of what comes next.
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GZH 075CD
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A-Sun Amissa is a project formed out of Leeds, UK in 2011 by members of Glissando and The Rustle Of The Stars. Built on the foundations of the unknown, a project that encompasses minimalist drones, modern-classical movements and avant-garde tendencies. Richard Knox (Glissando, The Rustle Of The Stars, Of Thread & Mist) and Angela Chan (Glissando, The Rustle Of The Stars, Ten, Tomorrow We Sail) began forming the initial ideas in the Autumn of 2011, moving away from the piano-led ambience of previous outputs. You Stood Up for Victory, We Stood Up for Less sees A-Sun Amissa moving in a more dense direction, the drones are heavier, the sound thicker and with the added bass-clarinet of Gareth Davis, there is a new, slightly darker jazz element to the music. The two tracks were conceived initially as two drone guitar pieces -- following that, work was done on the composition and atmosphere of the tracks, adding the bass-clarinet, viola, vocals, field recordings and piano. The finished works produce an unsettling but hypnotic listen, with melodies moving in and out of the mix throughout these two pieces. Limited edition of 175 individually numbered, hand-printed copies.
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GZH 085LP
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LP version. Includes download code. Silkscreened, hand-numbered sleeves designed at SmilingPaperGhosts. Ceremony In The Stillness is the new album from A-Sun Amissa on Gizeh Records and Consouling Sounds. For their fourth album, A-Sun Amissa plunge deeper than before. Guitars come to the fore, and heavy, distorted chords are present from the off, complemented by desolate ambient passages of sound. The claustrophobic atmospheres remain but combine with a new density and sonic experimentation to present a huge leap forward in structure and composition. Ceremony In The Stillness hints at themes from the previous three outings while pushing the project into new territories. The intricate nuances and lulling melodies from Desperate In Her Heavy Sleep (GZH 037CD, 2012) reappear while the billowing guitars of You Stood Up for Victory, We Stood Up for Less (GZH 044LP, 2013) are referenced throughout. In comparison to The Gatherer (2017), there is a firmer direction here as the album weaves through elements of doom, dark ambient, and post-rock, placing its unique mark firmly into the ears of the listener. A-Sun Amissa is the project of Gizeh founder Richard Knox (The Rustle of the Stars, Shield Patterns, and Glissando). Knox takes a central role here, but we see several collaborators contributing to the record. As album opener "The Black Path" unfurls, the cello of Jo Quail creeps through the thick wall of guitar to offer a moment of calm before the song comes to life with the introduction of drums from Archelon's TJ Fairfax. Alongside a dense and hypnotically repetitive riff, it's A-Sun Amissa's heaviest moment to date as the song collapses under its own weight to leave a crumbling and uneasy passage of cello and guitar drone. Intertwining guitars take center stage on the "With Wearied Eyes" as the atmosphere harks back to the band's earlier work. "The Skulk", meanwhile, evokes The Gatherer as David McLean's saxophone unravels around the ondes Martenot of Christine Ott. The record then takes a turn as "No Perception of Light"'s soporific opening gives way to a mesmerizing beat which develops into a wall of crunching guitars and electronics before "Remembrancer" closes with chiming guitars and bowed strings before evolving into a haunting orchestral outro that concludes the record. It's clear that Knox is comfortable being on the outside looking in, and in expanding A-Sun Amissa's sonic palette, it only adds to the intrigue of what comes next.
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LP
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GZH 044LP
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A-Sun Amissa is a project formed out of Leeds, UK in 2011 by members of Glissando and The Rustle Of The Stars. Built on the foundations of the unknown, a project that encompasses minimalist drones, modern-classical movements and avant-garde tendencies. Richard Knox (Glissando, The Rustle Of The Stars, Of Thread & Mist) and Angela Chan (Glissando, The Rustle Of The Stars, Ten, Tomorrow We Sail) began forming the initial ideas in the Autumn of 2011, moving away from the piano-led ambience of previous outputs. You Stood Up for Victory, We Stood Up for Less sees A-Sun Amissa moving in a more dense direction, the drones are heavier, the sound thicker and with the added bass-clarinet of Gareth Davis, there is a new, slightly darker jazz element to the music. The two tracks were conceived initially as two drone guitar pieces -- following that, work was done on the composition and atmosphere of the tracks, adding the bass-clarinet, viola, vocals, field recordings and piano. The finished works produce an unsettling but hypnotic listen, with melodies moving in and out of the mix throughout these two pieces. Limited edition of 300 vinyl-only copies. Includes mp3 download.
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CD
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GZH 037CD
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A-Sun Amissa is a new project formed out of Leeds, UK by members of Glissando. Built on the foundations of the unknown, this is a project that encompasses minimalist drones, modern-classical movements and avant-garde tendencies. Richard Knox (Glissando, Of Thread & Mist, The Rustle Of The Stars) & Angela Chan (Glissando, Ten, The Rustle Of The Stars, Tomorrow We Sail) began forming the initial ideas in the Autumn of 2011, moving away from the piano-led ambience of previous outputs. Long-time friend Owen Pegg was soon invited to join the project as the pieces developed to enable the songs the depth and intensity they required. The trio produce a dense, drone-like atmosphere accompanying evocative, melodic string sections and intertwining guitars. The live show features sections of the recorded output combined with improvisation to unlock new movements and progressions in the music. The subtle, considered textures and the hypnotic interaction between players and instruments provide an absorbing and intense live performance. October 2011 saw the first recorded output in the form of a 3" CD release as part of Hibernate Recordings' acclaimed "postcard" series. The release Beneath The Heavy Tides featured two tracks and serves as a prelude to Desperate In Her Heavy Sleep.
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