Austin based electronic composer and multi-instrumentalist Michael C. Sharp is set to unveil his new solo release Never Enough Time next month. It contains five genre spanning compositions that bring together psych, prog, ambient and drone elements and welds them to what is overwhelmingly an idiosyncratic and electronic driven framework. Taking his technical inspiration from the works of Sun Ra and Manuel Göttsching among others, the Sungod member eschews drums and percussion and instead generates rhythm through the meticulous employment of insistent and carefully constructed loops served by celestial, otherworldly melodies. Subtle delay driven instrumentation is then injected in and around this compositional base serving to create different kinds of oscillating wave like effects, both approaches coming together to mould Sharp’s diverse influences into a unifying vision. There is also a kind of weightless ambience present, realised in part by the clever use of space. And it is this space, provided by the two speed duality in rhythmic approach, that allows the tracks room to move organically despite the gravity created by the beguiling density of sound.
Opening track ‘Well-Being’ is the first to be shared from the release and begins pensively with an urgent and percolating looped guitar before being joined on the journey by another layer. The second guitar utilises delay timing to makes heightened chord progressions, licks and flourishes that add to the urgency. This is before washes of synth come cascading forth creating a vortex of cacophonous sound. Restrained yet relentless. Listen and be wowed below.
While his band Sungod are luminaries of the Austin label, Never Enough Time is Sharp’s first solo release for Holodeck Records. It’s available October 20 digitally and on limited edition cassette here.
Tracklist
1. Well-Being
2. Never Enough Time
3. Pique Poring Over
4. Tape Delay Dichotomy Pt. 1
5. Tape Delay Dichotomy Pt. 2
Well-Being
Michael C. Sharp (USA)
From the forthcoming cassette, ‘Never Enough Time. Out Oct 20.
Michael C. Sharp Bandcamp
Audio Stream
