Erstlaub
I Am The Line Drawn In The Sand Between The Living And The Dead

hpll029 | Release Date: 2008-08-31

Erstlaub, Scotland's premier exponent of drone-based miserablism, returns to Highpoint Lowlife with his second full length of digitally processed otherworld music. The recording was performed in one take using a Nord G2 engine and a couple of delay units - no overdubs, no edits.

With "I Am The Line Drawn In The Sand Between The Living and The Dead", Dave Fyans/Erstlaub easily outdoes it's predecessor in terms of title pomposity, but follows a similar trajectory in execution, with the composition being a singular monolthic piece swelling and subsiding over its 46min span. The title alludes to experiences going on in Dave's current situation, caught in a purgatory between the past and future, and the constant companionship of living with ghosts of the past.

Building from a soothing wash, the album gradually unfolds across dense worlds of sound and timbre, evoking alien landscapes, harsh solar winds and science-fictional elements which may or may not have been in part inspired from his own addictive immersion in the films of Andrei Tarkovsky and David Lynch during the time he was working on the album.

At 46 minutes long, the piece requires a commitment to listen through, and at times the music can threaten to overwhelm your senses, but like all worthwhile journeys, it's filled with trials and revelations, ultimately rewarding the attentive listener with new details and secrets upon each listen.

The album release coincides with Erstlaub's first London performance, which was as part of the "Towards The Singularity" event held at the beautiful Dalston art/music venue Cafe Oto on August 31st 2008, where he played alongside The Village Orchestra, Mandelbrot Set and Fighting Kites.

You can download an excerpt from the release here

Other releases by Erstlaub: