New Release November 2019: Sonar w. David Torn present Tranceportation (Volume 1)

“Had MC Escher made music instead of drawing impossible and perplexing perspectives, it would sound like Sonar”

Sid Smith

It remains an apt description for the outfit’s method of creating hypnotic pieces by gradually building intricate patterns of picked notes, plucked harmonics, mesmeric bass, and insistent rhythms.
 
The music created by Stephan Thelen (tritone guitar), Bernard Wagner (tritone guitar), Christian Kuntner (tritone bass), Manuel Pasquinelli (drums, percussion) harnesses elements of rock, jazz and contemporary classical minimalism and fuses them to create a distinctive musical language.
 
Their partnership with David Torn began with their 2018 release, Vortex. Initially brought in as producer, such was Torn’s enthusiasm for the quartet’s music he couldn’t help but add his flowing brand of effusive, vivid soloing and textural layering across the breadth of the record. 
 
While that was a spontaneous, off-the-cuff reaction to music that had been composed for a quartet, for Tranceportation the music has been specifically composed with Torn in mind from the very beginning.

Recorded at Mazzivesound Studios in Bellmund, Switzerland during a marathon five-day session that yielded over 80 minutes worth of material, they have chosen to release the first half of those sessions as Tranceportation (Volume 1) in November 2019 with Tranceportation (Volume 2) scheduled for release in May 2020.

David Torn                electric guitar, live looping
Stephan Thelen        tritone guitar
Bernhard Wagner     tritone guitar
Christian Kuntner     tritone bass
Manuel Pasquinelli   drums, percussion

1          Labyrinth (14:26)
2          Partitions (5:37)
3          Red Sky (11:14)
4          Tunnel Drive (7:42)

All compositions by Stephan Thelen with contributions by Bernhard Wagner, Christian Kuntner, Manuel Pasquinelli and David Torn.
Published by RareNoisePublishing (PRS)

Produced by Sonar with David Torn.
Recorded „live in the studio“ April 29 – May 3, 2019, at Mazzivesound Studio in Bellmund, Switzerland (www.mazzivesound.ch).
Engineer: Chris Diggelmann

Edited & Mixed by Stephan Thelen between May and July 2019.
Mastered by Serge Christen at Mazzivesound.
All tracks arranged by Sonar. Sonar’s guitar parts arranged by Stephan Thelen and Bernhard Wagner.

Artwork and Design by Ian Anderson for The Designers’ Republic
Executive Producer for RareNoiseRecords: Giacomo Bruzzo

David Torn appears courtesy of ECM Records.

Thanks to Sara and Serge Christen, Alexander Vatagin and Markus Reuter.
Thanks to Kanton Zürich Fachstelle Kultur for financial support.

© RareNoiseRecords 2019
℗ RareNoiseRecords 2019

Full Press Release : Click Here 

RNR113 (CD) 
RNR113LP (TRANSPARENT TURQUOISE VINYL IN SLIPCASE WITH PRINTED INNERS)