"CJ Einar's beautifully haunted alter-ego Piedmont Sorpid exists in the melted silence where dusk meets nightfall. A time where the residue of a vanishing light makes shapes unidentifiable."
Stylus Magazine
Piedmont Sorpid
Releases [x3]
"WilberForce" >Reviews
DDCD05 - Dec. 2001,
CD Format - 34:06
500 Editions - Transparency wrapped cardboard slip cover.
Outro (to Estes Places), Intro (to WilberForce), WilberForce,
"This half of mine" >mp3 Old Polar >mp3 The Masterbuck, (Untitled),
Gunny Maa, Hand is Houndy
This third release from
Nelson, B.C.'s Piedmont Sorpid tackles an idea of his that had
been in mind all along. As a lone multi instrumentalist, CJ Einar
(Piedmont Sorpid) has been working at melding tape manipulations
to technology, isolationism to pop and rock to ambient since
the early 90's. "WilberForce" combines everything musical
that he has learned and encountered, while routing it through
his idea of total compositional simplicity.
Each track on this mini-cd examines the effect of a sound or
instrument's experimental placement abilities while in the confines
of a more traditional "pop" music; something that was
only slightly explored on Piedmont Sorpid's previous 2 releases.
Here, guitars, drums, bass and keys, are all being played on
top of some simple but thoughtfully composed chord progressions
and / or looped musical pads that either dictate or define each
accompanying instrument's paths and roles.
Featured musicians include the guitar talents of Sam Jones and
Chris Cole (Both from Movietone, Crescent), on-going collaborators
Melissa Hames and Caleb Lambert as well as a few others helping
to give this strange disc a rather rich pallet of color and sound.
"Estes Places" >Reviews
DDCD02 - April 2000,
CD Format - 65:58
300 Editions - Wool slip cover with vellum paper insert.
Outfitters, Goon Chimes >mp3 Minutemile
to Sicklehorne, Genade and Plaishance >mp3
Log Cabin
Snarl, Oot Mor Ty Kee
With an almost complete
abandonment of previous tape manipulated musical experiments
as found on "The sugars of the eyes", "Estes places"
dabbles with the creative possibilities of 4 tracking, experimental
instrumentation, samplers and close micing.
Meticulously crafted over two years of assemblage recording both
at home in Southeastern British Columbia and during UK residence
in Bristol, where CJ Einar met and played with members of locally
based groups Movietone, Crescent and up and coming scenesters,
Bronze Age Fox and Minotaur Shock.
Using ambience conjoined with rock-debris as a loose theme,"Estes
places" delivers many delights in what is seemingly cheeky
electronic music trying not to be. With this new direction in
mind, it leaves the listener wondering what path Piedmont Sorpid
will take next?
"The Sugars Of The Eyes" >Reviews
DDCD01 - March 1998,
CD Format - 73:30
500 Editions - Custom ink printing with standard jewel case.
You are turn, The Sugars of The Eyes (A), The Sugars of The Eyes
(B), Arqua, Arqua, The Future is Acoustic, Pight >mp3 Cirina, Meike >mp3 Blown Foreign Placement,
Sara & Nat (on the sea), Auden and Melyn
Starting out solo in
1992, as several poorly, yet crafty recorded experiments with
poetry backed by guitar riffs, tape loops and tape manipulation,
Southern British Columbia's CJ Einar would soon realize a fondness
of improvised, instrumental soundscape music.
Drawing from post-rock, minimalistic and electronic music, with
a strong attraction to mellow, soothing sounds, Piedmont Sorpid
tends to generate off of these basis points while continuing
to explore the natures of tape and recording device manipulations.
Meanwhile the music's influences and inspirations eventually
transform into twisted themes and soundscapes, left unpredictable
and indescribable both in creation and to the general listener.
CJ would soon add players on various instruments including himself
on drums and give this random group the name "Arqua".
Using recorded improvisations from Arqua's sessions, editing
and altering them on his screwy tape players in conjunction with
his many solo prepared tape improvisations, it would only be
after a number of years that it would formally settle into a
carefully timed, free flowing music form, found here on "The
sugars of the eyes", Piedmont Sorpid's debut release.
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