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ReleaseProduct
The Lapse Of The Exchange / Alone Moving Often
Artist
Reto A Ichi
Label
!K7 Records
Catalogue Number
K7363
Release Date
2 November 2018

The act of escaping that which is predestined. / A hustle.

Reto A Ichi is a sonic tabula rasa for Guillermo Herren AKA Prefuse 73. There are identifiable elements of the artist you already know - an uncanny sense for rhythm, an ability to shape samples and frequencies like clay, an affinity for the subtle changes of repetition - yet this is first and foremost music born from the need for silence. There is no easy entrance point or index for the listener.

The first album, The Lapse of Exchange, is the sound of life as heard from a small Chinatown window in downtown Manhattan, the thunder of populism on the horizon. The album opens with music that reflects the inherent tension between the life of the artist - the self-doubt, the late nights, the aspirations - and the world outside - the hustle and bustle of a city that never sleeps, the wars abroad, the politicians at home. It's a tension felt in the repeating, circling keys of "Let The Pianos Freeze", the pulsating rhythms of "No Juntos", or the call and response of pitched vocal samples in "A Sword In The Rain". Ultimately it all becomes too much for our unwitting hero: the car horns outside the window, the 24 hour news cycle, the early stages of an election that tears down any remaining semblance of normality. Reto A’ichi can no longer grasp his humanity or connect to that of people around him.

With the walls closing in, he packs his small life and escapes. This change in situation is reflected in the second half of the album, with tension giving way to a rush of emotions: modulated elation on "All Regrets", sweeping melancholy on "Tuesdays Always Awful", and soaring hope on "Broad Plant Pt.2".

On Alone Moving Often, the second album, we find Reto A’ichi away from the city, lost in the vastness of empty summer houses and the complications that solitude brings. Sitting in the prison of his own quiet, Reto A’ichi seeks to capture the essence of silence: the compositions are stripped back further ("Pforever Reto"), the instruments given prominence ("So Contra"), and the chaos of the city replaced by the cacophony of nature ("Criminality"). To be alone, one must learn to constantly move in both work and purpose. As the rest of the record unfolds, Reto A’ichi comes to realize that nothing is ever truly quiet and that to run from the world is to simply find yourself in another part of it. A sense of acceptance for these unsettling realities is reflected in the music, from the harsher tones and frequencies that resonate throughout "Noise Counter Melody" and "Ghost Arpeggio" to the heavy stroke of the keys on "Alone Moving Often" and the haunting drone of "Mountainside Hillside".

Digital Tracklist

  1. 1 These Times Are Closing Intro 1:20 Buy

    These Times Are Closing Intro

  2. 2 Gambling in the Snow 4:06 Buy

    Gambling in the Snow

  3. 3 Let the Pianos Freeze 3:19 Buy

    Let the Pianos Freeze

  4. 4 No Juntos 3:33 Buy

    No Juntos

  5. 5 It's Her Birthday 2:54 Buy

    It's Her Birthday

  6. 6 A Sword in the Rain 3:30 Buy

    A Sword in the Rain

  7. 7 Zato Lullaby Pt. 2 3:23 Buy

    Zato Lullaby Pt. 2

  8. 8 All Regrets 2:38 Buy

    All Regrets

  9. 9 The Leaning Tower of Our Leaders 2:51 Buy

    The Leaning Tower of Our Leaders

  10. 10 Tuesday Always Awful 2:54 Buy

    Tuesday Always Awful

Show All Tracks 26

Track List: CD

The Lapse Of The Exchange - CD1

01: These Times Are Closing (Intro)
02: Gambling in the Snow
03: Let the Pianos Freeze
04: No Juntos
05: It's Her Birthday
06: A Sword in the Rain
07: Zato Lullaby Pt.2
08: All Regrets
09: The Leaning Tower of Our Leaders
10: Tuesday Always Awful
11: Percussions, Hearts and Airs
12: Broad Plant Pt.2
13: These Times Are Closing (Outro)
14: Not Enough Gravity (Reprise)

Alone Moving Often - CD2

01: Criminality
02: The World According to West 50th Pt.1
03: So Contra
04: Pforever Reto
05: The World According to West 50th Pt.2
06: Duration Meditation
07: Everything in the Air
08: Magazine PM
09: Alone Moving Often
10: Noise Counter Melody
11: Mountainside Hillside
12: Ghost Arpeggio

Track List: LP

A1: These Times Are Closing (Intro) A2: Gambling in the Snow A3: Let the Pianos Freeze A4: No Juntos A5: It's Her Birthday A6: A Sword in the Rain A7: Zato Lullaby Pt.2

B1: All Regrets B2: The Leaning Tower of Our Leaders B3: Tuesday Always Awful B4: Percussions, Hearts and Airs B5: Broad Plant Pt.2 B6: These Times Are Closing (Outro) B7: Not Enough Gravity (Reprise)

C1: Criminality C2: The World According to West 50th Pt.1 C3: So Contra C4: Pforever Reto C5: The World According to West 50th Pt.2 C6: Duration Meditation C7: Everything in the Air

D1: Magazine PM D2: Alone Moving Often D3: Noise Counter Melody D4: Mountainside Hillside D5: Ghost Arpeggio

Physical Product includes: • New alias of Guillermo Scott Herren, also known as Prefuse 73 • Includes 4 panel comic visualization of the music • LP includes download card • Tour dates to support release

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