Futexture: Experiential Topography Review
Published: April 4, 2013
By: Lisa Disinger
Experiential Topography, is the leading work in an indefinite, open forum project conceptualized by the mind and imagination of David Krantz, better known as Futexture. The title lends its name not only to the microcosm of this specific album, but to a larger macrocosm project offering an open invitation for multimedia interpretation. This experimental exploration of sound and genesis of creativity was released in full by Critical Beats, a label founded by Bluetech. Critical Beats graciously donates 100% of its sales to the Rainforest Action Network, which is dedicated to rainforest preservation and regeneration in the Amazon.
What your ears can expect from the Experiential Topography album is a spacious sonic work that is dark, emotional, experimental, and downtempo. Many of the synths are pseudo orchestral, very vivid and impressively close in timbre to philharmonic instruments; other sounds are true instruments. Primordial patterns of the psyche are alluded to in their fragmented, melodic quips, fettered in from the ether; a distant glimmer of something familiar. Biological instincts are given shape through sound in heartbeat mimics, and samples of gasping breath, while different naturalistic elements make themselves apparent in textured synths. There are often shifts in tempo, meter, and mood, creating a progressive evolutional experience that journeys through many musically lucid scenarios. To my own ears, the nature of this album strays quite far from EDM at times, and ventures into the realm of Electroacoustic/Avant-Garde/PoMo/Weirdo/Art Music kind of stuff. No four-on-the-floor here. You're going to have to get outside of your consistently duple box to dance to this one.
Initially, the album was not released in full, but track by track on the Experiential Topography website. On the surface this might seem a strategic method for building an apex of excitement in anticipation for the release, but upon closer evaluation it is based upon synchronization with the moon cycle, one of the elements dictated in the Experiential Topography macrocosmic project prompt. This album was not spawned of itself, but birthed from a pre-determined outline with specifically dictated set of variables. There are four prompts in all that give inspiration to the album , which I could explain in detail, but that is a deep, intricate rabbit's hole, which is better left to the original explanation on the project's website; well worth checking out. Simply put, the artist will center their thoughts, and interact when possible, on the different elements in each prompt, thus drawing inspiration from a controlled variable meditation that will be directly transmitted into an artistic experience.
"Think of this as a remix project for experiences instead of tracks," writes Futexture. "Understanding the experiences of others as if they were our own allows us to contextualize our own experiences and develop greater compassion collectively." The intent of this collective collaboration explores the Jungian concept of primordial archetypes; mental patterns, images, and thoughts that psychologists theorize are shared by all humankind. What similarities will arise between the compositions of many different artists over many different mediums with this very specific set of parameters? It also serves as an infinite inspirational platform, breaking down the third wall between artist and audience, inviting all to share, compare, and contrast interpretations.
Become a co-creator in the Experiential Topography experience, and don't forget to submit your work to the site!
Experiential Topography, is the leading work in an indefinite, open forum project conceptualized by the mind and imagination of David Krantz, better known as Futexture. The title lends its name not only to the microcosm of this specific album, but to a larger macrocosm project offering an open invitation for multimedia interpretation. This experimental exploration of sound and genesis of creativity was released in full by Critical Beats, a label founded by Bluetech. Critical Beats graciously donates 100% of its sales to the Rainforest Action Network, which is dedicated to rainforest preservation and regeneration in the Amazon.
What your ears can expect from the Experiential Topography album is a spacious sonic work that is dark, emotional, experimental, and downtempo. Many of the synths are pseudo orchestral, very vivid and impressively close in timbre to philharmonic instruments; other sounds are true instruments. Primordial patterns of the psyche are alluded to in their fragmented, melodic quips, fettered in from the ether; a distant glimmer of something familiar. Biological instincts are given shape through sound in heartbeat mimics, and samples of gasping breath, while different naturalistic elements make themselves apparent in textured synths. There are often shifts in tempo, meter, and mood, creating a progressive evolutional experience that journeys through many musically lucid scenarios. To my own ears, the nature of this album strays quite far from EDM at times, and ventures into the realm of Electroacoustic/Avant-Garde/PoMo/Weirdo/Art Music kind of stuff. No four-on-the-floor here. You're going to have to get outside of your consistently duple box to dance to this one.
Initially, the album was not released in full, but track by track on the Experiential Topography website. On the surface this might seem a strategic method for building an apex of excitement in anticipation for the release, but upon closer evaluation it is based upon synchronization with the moon cycle, one of the elements dictated in the Experiential Topography macrocosmic project prompt. This album was not spawned of itself, but birthed from a pre-determined outline with specifically dictated set of variables. There are four prompts in all that give inspiration to the album , which I could explain in detail, but that is a deep, intricate rabbit's hole, which is better left to the original explanation on the project's website; well worth checking out. Simply put, the artist will center their thoughts, and interact when possible, on the different elements in each prompt, thus drawing inspiration from a controlled variable meditation that will be directly transmitted into an artistic experience.
"Think of this as a remix project for experiences instead of tracks," writes Futexture. "Understanding the experiences of others as if they were our own allows us to contextualize our own experiences and develop greater compassion collectively." The intent of this collective collaboration explores the Jungian concept of primordial archetypes; mental patterns, images, and thoughts that psychologists theorize are shared by all humankind. What similarities will arise between the compositions of many different artists over many different mediums with this very specific set of parameters? It also serves as an infinite inspirational platform, breaking down the third wall between artist and audience, inviting all to share, compare, and contrast interpretations.
Become a co-creator in the Experiential Topography experience, and don't forget to submit your work to the site!
