A grueling feast of grit and glitch that celebrates 25 years of music-making—Skymall prepares an unforgiving mix consisting of blistering electro, breaks, rhythmic noise, and magnetized distortion.
An intense and unstoppable avalanche
The idea for the ultimate mix of Solipsis‘ loudest, most unpredictable, and ear-destroying music ever came about during a cross-country road trip in 2022 with his longtime friend and partner Ed Skymall (aka Ed Prence). Sifting Through The Ashes, as a result, is a grueling feast of grit and glitch that celebrates 25 years of music-making as Skymall prepares an unforgiving mix consisting of blistering electro, breaks, rhythmic noise, and magnetized distortion.
It should come as no surprise, if you’ve (somehow) overlooked delving into one of the most prolific electronic noise sculptors’ work, James Miller’s Solipsis project—see previous coverage predominately featured on Component Recordings—that it took Skymall two years to digest over a thousand hours of intense tracks to compile such a potent assault of industrial warfare, clanging beats, and illbient soundscapes. These are broken beats for broken landscapes and abandoned warehouses, reminiscent of early Witchman, Jack Dangers, Merzbow, Throbbing Gristle, and Scorn productions.
Because they are so abrasive, it may be advisable to take in the quantity of burned and pummeling sonic shards in 15-minute segments rather than consuming them all at once. From an artist who prides himself on developing his own brand of emotive glitch-core, Skymall’s mega-mix sets the bar high. And to reassemble another musician’s extensive collection—150 albums and literally thousands of hours of releases—and selecting standouts, must have been a laborious task.
The upper, let’s say roughened, notes and noises in this mix are piercing and have the potential to break through the ceiling at any moment, so listen with caution. Our ears might have benefitted from normalizing the entire mix, but then again, maybe that’s just part of the process of sifting through the ashes, to “separate and retain the coarse parts with a sieve.” Without a doubt, Skymall excels in this regard as this release is an intense and unstoppable avalanche.
Sifting Through The Ashes (Compiled by Skymall) is available on Bandcamp.
