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2LP
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SAT 049LP
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While previous albums, most notably Leland (SAT 005LP) and Minutes Of Sleep (SAT 015LP) as well as two albums released as one half of the duo Aris Kindt, (most notably the stellar Swann And Odette from 2017 (KDS 001LP), have relied on singular thematic and narrative drives that were often of a personal, collaborative, or hermetic in nature, Thresholds is an album that aspires to sonic universality and the presentation of a fully formed psychoacoustical world. That being said it is not an "album of ideas". Inspired by the ecological and political upheavals of the present and the role of speculative thought as an avenue of global transformation, Thresholds is the work of a mature artist fully in control of his powers. Both expansive and nuanced the album widens the aperture of the affective possibilities of the electronic assemblage; themes skip from one track to the next, elevating and informing each other in tangible fields of abstract figuration. The titles, while often heady, concisely allude to strategies implicit in the construction and arrangement of the works: "Cut Up", within the context of the album, is exactly that. "Luck Takes a Step" juxtaposes stately synths with just the right touch of playful fluctuation and latent atonality. The title track itself is a knotted mass of uncertainty and propulsive beats the breakdown of which is a nervous series of fits and starts that resonate not just within the track but as the fulcrum of the entire album: the threshold of our Threshold: "?we are caught up in our own original transversals of time to the point of dissolution, and that which remains a part of the contrivance of ourselves is ultimately that which crosses the threshold and is somehow, miraculously, reconstituted on the other side of it. Because it is via the threshold that we can best observe the conditions of experience as lived even as we cross to the other side of understanding, rejoining the ancient equilibriums of which we, in our depths, are comprised." (From the liner notes) No track overstays its welcome and with the help of standout vocalist Eliana Glass, and instrumentation by Dave Harrington (Darkside with Nicolas Jaar), Mark Nelson (Pan American), Will Shore, Greg Paulus, and Gareth Redmond. The result is a dizzyingly pure inward gaze that is first and foremost an album about connection. Mixed by Phil Weinrobe.
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12"
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SAT 042EP
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After Francis Harris third album Trivial Occupations (SAT 038LP, 2018) gained magnificent resonances during press and listeners, here is the remix EP with two very special reworks. Joaquin Joe Claussell and LNS tamper with the two bit more beat-driven "Minor Forms" and "St. Catherine And The Calm" featuring Nadia Sparrow for two new interpretations that totally break the chains.
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2LP
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SAT 038LP
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Trivial Occupations is the third LP released under Francis Harris's own name and continues in the traditions of Leland (SAT 005LP, 2012) and Minutes of Sleep (SAT 015LP, 2014). Here Harris dives deep into a new sound palette, bringing the listener on a journey through various states over the almost one hour run time. The album was made over the course of four years in various studios with an array of notable players, bringing a diversity of perspectives and approaches encompassed within Harris's stunning artistic studio approach. It was mixed at Jack White's Third Man Studios with the help of long-time collaborator and friend, Bill Skibbe. It's an album that is easy to get lost in its structure suggesting no real beginning or end. Listening to it on loop offers the listener a chance to be fully immersed in the rich, melancholic tonalities of Harris's sound universe. Guest musicians include Dave Harrington ((One half of Darkside with Nicolas Jaar) guitar, bass), Will Shore (vibraphone), Greg Paulus ((No Regular Play), trumpet)), Emil Abramyan (cello), Léah Lazonick (piano), Genevieve Marentette (vocals), Rob Reddy (tenor sax), and Kaïssa (vocals).
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3LP
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SAT 005LP
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Francis Harris is one of the most interesting figures on the American electronic music circuit and beyond. His output has gone from tightly-wound tech house cuts as Adultnapper in the early days, sublime deep house as Frank & Tony, intricate and expressive musical journeys as evident in his two solo-albums Leland (2012) and Minutes Of Sleep (2014), and ambient shoegaze with two Aris Kindt albums, co-produced with Gabe Hedrick. Most recently Harris branched out with a new label -- Kingdoms -- a home for his love of a more adventurous sound. Up until now his most notable milestones remain the two solo-albums Leland (2012) and Minutes Of Sleep (2014) who became essential albums of the genre. Both albums have been out of print for a long-time and due to public demand, Scissor & Thread present new vinyl editions of both albums. Carefully restored from original masters and artwork the albums now appear in gatefold-sleeves. Leland spans over three vinyl discs, just like the sold-out original. Leland features Danish vocalist Gry on three tracks including "Lostfound", the first single and video which was remixed by Mathew Herbert. Also featured throughout are Emil Abramyan, whose poignant performance on cello evokes comparison to Arthur Russell, and Greg Paulus (No Regular Play, Matthew Dear Band), whose improvisational free jazz inspired trumpet accents converse thoughtfully with Harris's own tonal melodies performed on piano and guitar. Determined to produce electronic music with warmth and true dynamic range, Harris recorded and mixed Leland with Jordan Lieb on an analog SSL and then enlisted legendary engineer Joe Lambert to master the project. Originally released in 2012. Gatefold sleeve; includes download code.
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2LP
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SAT 015LP
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Francis Harris is one of the most interesting figures on the American electronic music circuit and beyond. His output has gone from tightly-wound tech house cuts as Adultnapper in the early days, sublime deep house as Frank & Tony, intricate and expressive musical journeys as evident in his two solo-albums Leland (2012) and Minutes Of Sleep (2014), and ambient shoegaze with two Aris Kindt albums, co-produced with Gabe Hedrick. Most recently Harris branched out with a new label -- Kingdoms -- a home for his love of a more adventurous sound. Up until now his most notable milestones remain the two solo-albums Leland (2012) and Minutes Of Sleep (2014) who became essential albums of the genre. Both albums have been out of print for a long-time and due to public demand, Scissor & Thread present new vinyl editions of both albums. Carefully restored from original masters and artwork the albums now appear in gatefold-sleeves. Minutes Of Sleep is a beautiful, delicately fractured and crystalline electronic tribute to the more emotional side of Francis Harris's production talent. Features a Terre Thaemlitz remix to wrap up this quite beguiling release. Having moved even further from the dancefloor, Harris has succeeded in creating a work that sounds like little else, its rich ambience even surpassing the melancholy of even Leland. But it's no downer: featuring Gry Bagøien on vocals and No Regular Play's Greg Paulus on trumpet (both of whom appeared on Leland), along with Emil Abramyan on cello, Minutes Of Sleep is an exquisite, lovingly rendered accomplishment, defined as much by grace as by sadness. Originally released in 2014. Gatefold sleeve; includes download code. "One of the finest electronic LPs of the year." --Inverted Audio
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12"
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SAT 034EP
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Francis Harris presents his first solo single since the release of Minutes Of Sleep (2015). "More We Cannot Do" feels submerged in a warm amniotic fluid, with a thick subby bassline which provides much of the groove and skittering percussion and vibraphone on top. "Minor Forms" emerges from a subtly distant place that inhabits a melancholic, beautifully evocative space. Berlin-based Uruguayan producer Valentino Mora offers two exquisite reworks of "Minor Forms". The "Underwater Rephrase" version shimmers and shakes and has a propulsive kick. The "Cosmic Trans Rephrase" sees a bubbling bass pulse anchor the track while pads drift in-and-out.
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