One of the litmus tests to gauge the durability and infinite nature of today's music is to look within a song's many parts to see what else can be constructed with it's existing stems, in an approach that operates outside the conventions of genre. Illustrating these audio truths is Zac Traeger, who comprises half of Austin, TX duo Zorch with Shmu, premiering his analog electrical rewiring of Doldrums' “Egypt”. The organic samples from the Montreal's group's original get strewn around into a new format of ambitious new arrangements of styles and synthesizers sewn together in an ADHD sensibility. As referenced from the ghostly visual take on the Doldrum's 12″ EP cover, the Zorch treatment duplicates and replicates the single's sounds like the above display of infinite, mirror streamed sheikh hoods. Traeger looks into the rhythm sequence of the original, and flips around everything to be part of the reediting process. The Zorch treatment of “Egypt” examines, expands and multiplies the track's possibilities by holding a torch to the discoveries of wild new directions, potentials and new readings of the audio hieroglyphs.
While that organic percussion sample loop gets referenced, the vocals become one of the central focal targets in this reworking. At first isolated at the beginning with only the phasers for company; the vocals of Airick Woodhead become interrupted by himself, as Zac's edits trap the scorching effect zaps that trip up the references of lives in transition. “If you change, can you do me the same, from my t.v., come and show me…”
Traeger lets his rearrangement of Woodhead's voice be the guideline for everything else within the remix. As the continuity of vocal delivery is given new stops and new starts, new melodic keyboard progressions are brought to life around the chopped quips. Somewhere between aphorisms and song utterances of “aaah”, “trying to convince me now”, “I think you get the idea”, and chants of the song title's country namesake are harmonized with new bass sequences and synth rhythm progression models. The closing refrain of “now I'm on the edge” unfurls the archaeology map further, as an entirely new dance cut is heard just starting out in those final 20 seconds.
Zorch's full-length debut will be available July 23 from Sargent House.
Zorch is on a mini-tour now with Bosnian Rainbows.
May
29 Austin, TX at Red 7
30 Houston, TX at House Of Blues, Bronze Peacock Room
