Ryan Teague - Recursive Iterations

LP version. 180 gram vinyl; edition of 150. Bristol-based composer Ryan Teague presents his seventh studio album, Recursive Iterations, a suite of seven extended compositions that incorporate cinematic arrangements and cutting-edge sound design within an algorithmic framework to striking effect. The resulting pieces combine elements of neo-classical, post-rave, and soundtrack music, to create an utterly compelling contemporary soundscape balanced by a calculated, almost architectural use of space and restraint. The musical structure is derived from a custom-written algorithmic system that sequences harmonic and rhythmic events in ever-shifting patterns. Hyperreal electro-acoustic phrases and digitally synthesized fragments come and go in continual rotation, re-framed and re-contextualized by their proximity to other events in the sequence as the compositions evolve. The effect evokes a minimalist bricolage, hypnotic and kaleidoscopic in nature, and calls to mind artists such as Oneohtrix Point Never, The Haxan Cloak, and Ital Tek. At the same time, a core theme running throughout the record is a masterly use of absence and inertia influenced by the Japanese concepts of ma (間 - negative space) and the enso (円相 - circle), which serve to complement and counterbalance the diverse sound palette. By integrating these qualities, tension is built and resolved in equal measure, creating a dramatic sonic impression where fragmented rhythms, dynamic textures, subsonic basses, and delicate ambience all coexist. Recursive Iterations is a bold, powerful, and unique work that pushes sonic boundaries whilst revealing more with each listen.