After a frought year of isolation, long-time collaborators Jake Vossler and Dan Rosenboom reunited to record an entrancing duo album rooted in a fascination with ritual magic. Vossler’s staggering array extended guitar techniques and sonic manipulations, as well as vocal and electronic soundscapes, intertwine with Rosenboom’s mind-bending quartertone trumpet and electronic musings to create a raw, sensational, and utterly transportive meditation recorded entirely live with just 2 microphones, no editing, and only minimal mixing. The resulting album, Ceremony, is an astounding exploration of sound and energy.
"With Ceremony I wanted to achieve an occult vibe, a sort of ritual setting in which other worldly forces/entities are invoked. I have been fascinated by occult literature since I was a teenager. I love the bizarre symbols and sigils, and admire the meticulous detail involved in the rituals. To me they represent the limitless bounds of the imagination. Having worked with Dan for years now in many different projects, genres and settings I thought it would be cool to do a duo record with the ritual theme in mind-something different for us. Music, after all, is a harnessing and directing of energy, in accordance with the will. This is exactly the purpose of ritual magic. It makes me wonder, is making music ritual magic? It is if we want it to be, and I find that beautifully inspiring.
"Playing music with others, particularly improvised music can stir up a multitude of feelings in the players involved in the moment. Ive experienced profound sensations of love, humor, empathy, strength and ecstasy in the throes of a performance. With Ceremony I felt as if the combined energies of Dan and I summoned another, a third presence. This is one manifestation of improvisation at its best. The music itself becomes an invoked apparition.
"The record is also perhaps the most stripped down and raw project I have done. All the tracks are live with no edits or overdubs. There are two vocal loop/trumpet tunes which serve as a sort of gateway into and out of the ritual. The spectrum of sounds in varied and unique, I used a standard tuned guitar, bass guitar, 8 string guitar and baritone guitar for the different tracks in duo with Dan’s brilliantly evocative quarter-tone trumpet. I really think the listener with feel that they are in the room with us, witnessing the forces we have invoked."
–Jake Vossler
Released in tandem with an incredible photographic collection by photographer Eron Rauch, Orenda Records is proud to present Ceremony. The artists recommend listening to this loud, and as a continuous full-album experience. And if possible, in the dark.
