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.

eli keszler “endgrove” double c20 cassette set

• drums, crotales, guitar
  
• soprano string harp, banjo, charango
  
  
• crotales, snare, metal bow
  
  
• guitar, soprano string harp
  
• charango, cymbal, snare, banjo
  
  
• cymbal, floor tom, guitar

rel press release...

rel 014 eli keszler endgrove endgrove is the first new release by eli keszler in 2010, collecting three days worth of live recordings of percussion clatter, bells, crotales and metal mixed with bowed and attacked strings and guitar. creating complex textures, moving from extreme density to sparse harmonics. 5 pieces are scattered across two tapes, occupying a wide array of sound areas. the tapes themselves capture an amazing amount of detail and changes in tone color. housed in a butterfly style cassette box with fold out multi layer silk screened covers. the color pro printed/duplicated muted grey and purple cassettes contrast each other with detailed printed images. multi layer silk screened inserts on heavy metallic paper are found inside with liner notes printed on the reverse sides. all screened, drawn and designed by eli keszler. endgrove is a limited one time edition of 120 copies.

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.

red horse “red horse” long playing record

• untitled (1)
  
• untitled (2)
  
• untitled (3)
  
  
• untitled (4)
  
• untitled (5)