ashley paul “hidden face b/w leave mine” seven inch single record

• hidden face
  
  
• leave mine

emerald cocoon press release...

ashley paul alone together #2 - hidden face / leave mine 7" [ec004] ashley paul's music is the intersection of so many different facets of late 20th century art music that sometimes i'm surprised that the vinyl can still spin under the weight of all the ideas contained within. modern composition, euro free clatter and textural psychedelia converge as stilted song forms on the verge of careening off the very face of form on thin lines of carefully controlled reed-skree. amazing that a music so loaded with ideas could feel so hand crafted and warm. guitar, vocals, crotales and saxophone stitched together and moving in a constant slow peristalsis, never quite coalescing, never quite drifting apart. equal parts alien unease and folkish charm, these slowly tangled tones drift prismatic and high in the late afternoon light. ashley is also one half of aster (with artist of equal genius and partner in life/crime eli keszler) and paul & maurey (with sakiko mori). part 2 of the 'alone together' series. mastered by pete swanson. edition of 300.

eli keszler “oxtirn” long playing record

• oxtirn (1) (13:45)
  
  
• oxtirn (2) (14:20)

esp-disk’ press release...

esp 4061 eli keszler - oxtirn oxtirn is a truly unique and powerful blend of free energy, modern composition and mechanical music that defies genre. with two proper full lengths and an array of self-releases under his belt, eli keszler has turned to esp-disk for the release of oxtirn, his third, most composed and large scale effort to date. capturing keszler and crew at their most frenetic, oxtirn abruptly spills out into a cacophony of tuned brass, squeaking rust, and electrically shorting contact mics, taking the detritus of post-industrial existence (sheet metal, spring boards and motors wrenched from their initial hearths) and transforming that refuse into a twenty-first century musique-concrete orchestra.   on the album’s initial track, motors tumble across prepared sheets of metal as expertly placed squalls of bowed string and what could only be described as the sounds of a phantom brass band (courtesy of multiple horn player andrew fenlon and keszler’s longstanding partner ashley paul on clarinet) mesh transcendentally with keszler’s precise percussion and bursts of controlled chaos. side b sees eli and sonic artist sakiko mori on both prepared and installed pianos; as the two furiously scrape and agitate strings with a mix of switch-operated motors, contact mics and suspended preparations, slowly undulating resonant clusters float on top of the underlying din, creating a striking contrast. here, the eerie timbre of keszler’s bowed crotales recall italian futurist luigi russolo’s intonarumori and the string quartets of dumitrescu.  oxtirn, despite sounding wholly improvised, is a meticulously micromanaged piece of sound sculpture. the vinyl is limited to 300 copies and comes packaged with a beautiful, hand-screened poster featuring original artwork by eli keszler. personnel side a eli keszler : drums, bowed metal, crotales, guitar, prepared/riveted 4 x 10 foot sheet metal, contact microphone, spring harp, bass board, motor, prepared piano ashley paul : clarinet andrew fenlon : trumpet, tuba, french horn, trombone side b eli keszler : piano, motors, cymbal, crotales, snare drum, microphones sakiko mori : prepared piano

oxtirn “oxtirn live” compact disc

• oxtirn live (1) (6:56)
  
• oxtirn live (2) (3:04)
  
• oxtirn live (3) (2:42)
  
• oxtirn live (4) (11:45)
  
• oxtirn live (5) (8:17)

rel press release...

oxtirn - live - rel017 edition of 300 oxtirn 'live' documents a performance in new york city, by the new trio of geoff mullen, ashley paul and eli keszler. following a score by keszler, the group performs on an array of instruments, using three guitars, drums, voice, auto-motorized harps, tenor harp, bass harp, microphones, clarinet, alto saxophone, crotales, drums and cymbals. the music drifts in a unique way between a wide variety of sounds, from incredible density of clattering metal textures and string attacks, wall of sound guitars, mechanical music, high pitched saxophone bends and an oddly dim shimmering high harmonic sound. all creating together, a harsh, jagged and angular wash of ricocheting materials. in other sections, metal and vibrating strings, crotales and horns create a calmer and high contrast atmosphere. in the end, the music evolves into an area of sustained sound, space and sparse gesture, featuring one of ashley paul's songs and vocals, where the music takes on a new formation, leaving the listener with a question mark, and in some way is a new form of intuitive song. the recording itself is a low fi document with a spacious, raw and aggressive timbre to it, adding to the already unique feel of the music. the packaging is intricately designed with a multi-color silk screen, based on a drawing by eli keszler. the cd itself is housed in a multi panel, fold-out, metallic paper print with pictures from the concert and excerpts from the oxtirn score, with gold stamping on the outside of the metallic paper. the cd is attached to a hub which sits on top of liner notes, with an embossed design on the flip. oxtirn live is a one time special edition of 300 copies.

aster “rel016” long playing record

• untitled (15:25)

rel press release...

aster - rel016 aster 'rel016' is the first release in the rel live series, which documents a show in boston from 2009. aster takes a different form in this set moving away from its distinct style of high pitch sustained overtone bends and song structure, pushing more towards a guttural blend of string scrapes and sustained tones in combination with an aggressive form of saxophone and drum textures. blending guitars, drums and horn with paul's unique green box set up, the music moves slowly and steadily through different areas ending with a sustained drum, string and saxophone section featuring an aggressive but oddly mellow texture and energy. 'rel016' is a one sided lp housed in a silk screened black cover with a metallic fold over paper with a unique laser die cut design. the inside has printed notes with the instrument details and information. the record is a one time limited pressing of 135 copies.

ashley paul “to much togethers” compact disc

• wedding song
  
• dear adelaide
  
• one one
  
• at last (least)
  
• and if only
  
• another walk in the park
  
• blank
  
• ask me

rel press release...

rel 015 ashley paul to much togethers over 2 years in the making, to much togethers is the follow up album to ashley’s 2008 ‘d.o.l’ release. patiently crafted and paced to much togethers continues on ashley’s unique path of ‘song’ style. combining clattering strings, (her custom green-box string set up), psycho acoustic sustain and decay, bowed metal, expressive saxophone, subtle and ear grabbing sense of color and distant voice all slowly creating mood and thought provoking miniatures, that succeed in fitting into no known forms. lyrically focusing on surreal and repetitive images contrasted by both harsh aggressive textures with quite moving and spacious moments. conflicting and deep energies and spaces seem to co-exist in ashley’ world. to much togethers is a unique creation as ashley moves deeper into her own individual realm, where she is truly on her own. as much as an audible experience as a visual. to much togethers is remarkably packaged featuring drawings by gayle paul (ashley’s mother), whose intuitive creations compliment the feeling of the music. custom assembled, and printed by ashley paul the striking ‘lp style’ red cover features multi layers of screening with a screen-printed black obi wrapped around the spine of the fold out cover. the inside features another screened drawing by gayle paul with a green w/ black over-layed cd hub. the left side features a glued black folder containing 2 more inserts with screen printed drawings w/ liner notes, a metallic paper insert in addition to a oval ‘wagtail’ sticker, with full color on cd printing. to much togethers is a limited edition of 300 copies and marks the 2nd full length album in rel’s limited cd series.

ashley paul / eli keszler “aster” long playing record

• aster (1) (14:30)
  
  
• aster (2) (5:50)
  
• aster (3) (5:05)

rel press release...

rel 008 eli keszler / ashley paul aster aster is the duo and debut lp release of ashley paul and eli keszler. performing across the northeast the past 3 years they have developed a unique style of sound which combines keszler's piercing high pitched resonances from bowed crotales and cymbals with paul's altissimo sustains and drastic pitch bends on alto saxophone and clarinet. the split tone combinations from these instruments is surprising and overwhelming, creating continuously shifting, multi-layered harmonics and intense inner ear sound. spinning discs, invented resonating metal configurations, bending reed tones and voice interference carefully blend creating a wild texture that is both harsh and striking. in contrast, the final piece displays ashley’s wrenching string attacks and eli’s rapid-fire percussion, filled with low-end bowed cymbals and jittery crashes. recorded to 4 track with no sound modification, aster is the first 'official' release of this long standing duo, which plans on a series of releases in the future. pressed on 160 gram copper plate pressed virgin vinyl, the record is housed in a black inner sleeve. the textured paper cover features a layered silk screened drawing while the inside contains grey pasted notes with an attached 8 x 24 inch three part multi-tone picture printed across a fold-out frosted vellum book. all silk screened, hand assembled and drawn by ashley and eli. the record comes in a limited hand numbered edition of 300 copies.