Crystal Ark - City Never Sleeps

After five weeks of performing and traveling around Brazil, long-term DFA stalwart Gavin Russom returned home with not only a love for the music he'd discovered there--Carioca Funk, atabaque drumming, Tropicalia, South American-style rave--but also a newfound source of inspiration for his own meticulously crafted recordings. At the very same time, Russom was working toward a sound in the image of seminal tracks from Praga Khan and Nikki Van Lierop, with special inspiration taken from their Phantasia "Inner Light" and "Violet Skies" singles. The material that became The Crystal Ark, Russom's latest project, is a perfect distillation of those varied sounds into infectious, spellbinding dancefloor music. "The City Never Sleeps," The Crystal Ark's first 12-inch, is an exercise in restraint, tension, and release. The single begins with heart-rattling bass. That naked pulse is intertwined with hissing cymbals, percussion, and suddenly distinct handclaps; from there, Russom adds and removes layer upon layer of sonic elements: wiggling electric impulses, shuffling percussion, panting vocals. These sounds roll over and under each other, pushing to the forefront and then disappearing beneath the surface. It's a slow climb to a taut, suspenseful melange of sound that breaks--finally--into a dizzying rush of spectral vocals, acoustic drumming, and driving, repetitive rhythms. Viva Ruiz, whose vocals figure prominently here in both spoken and sung form, has shaped the track's intense feel with lyrics found "through dreams and dance." Russom has performed and recorded for DFA extensively, both as Black Meteoric Star and in collaboration with Delia Gonzalez on a number of singles and projects. The Crystal Ark continues to establish his talent as a singular producer as well as recording artist.

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