Everything at once.
Hit play:
Headboggle, a.k.a. Derek Gedalecia, that wacky, longstanding San Fran experimental composer, is back with his hundred-somethingth release, a schizophrenic compact disc on Ratskin Records pressed precisely for your 15-year-old desktop’s CD-ROM tray. At 44 tracks of exactly a minute each, Polyphonic Demo does not sit still. Let me repeat that: Polyphonic Demo does not sit still. Instead, it’s a massive head trip (or is that a “massive headboggle”?) that shifts almost constantly, or at least once every minute. As such — or despite this fact, depending on where you’re coming from — it’s an incredibly engaging and rewarding listen, reshaping itself and reforming on each passing spin.
And that’s even before you try this — hit shuffle:
It doesn’t matter what you do. It works either way. Gedalecia is known for his far-out synthesizer work, and Polyphonic feels like an ADD mixer at the futuristic bus station, where Headboggle has somehow set up his modular gear in the midst of a crowded atrium and improvised the mood of each passerby. Quick shifts only serve to highlight the complexity of the composition, and one mood cannot be universally applied. While this lack of focused study might seem like a detriment to the career anthropologist, to the rapid-fire impressionist it’s a fascinating look at the quick take, the initial impression. Which is why it’s equally as fun to listen to these tracks on shuffle as it is to take in Polyphonic straight through.
Oh, and in case you’ve forgotten how to do the CD thing, here’s a quick reminder:
Now you can properly dissect Headboggle’s methods and intentions. Or you can just vibe out — it’s a win either way.
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