English synth enthusiasts Simian Mobile Disco a.k.a. James Ford and Jas Shaw have announced details of their fourth LP, Whorl, along with a video teaser. Recorded outdoors in the Southern California desert with a minimal setup — just a mixer and one synth and sequencer each — the duo jammed on material for three days, had a vision quest, and found their spirit animals (James is a raccoon, Jas is a squirrel). The metaphysical journey ended with a show at Pappy & Harriet’s in the Old West community of Pioneertown, CA, where 900 fans were privy to a Whorl recording session.
SMD’s stripped-down live setup was born out of practicality, as the duo hopes to finally live their dream of attending Burning Man this August. Initially, the two Englishmen were scared of the Nevada festival’s body-painted hippie types, the harsh sun on their pale flesh, and a lack of electrical outlets for their room-sized modular synthesizers. So they scaled back, deciding to test themselves in California’s desert climes before taking the Burning Man plunge. Now, with a suitcase-sized synth each, they’ll finally get to noodle in Black Rock City as a giant effigy of a man is burned to the ground.
For the show’s visual side, collaborators Jack Featherstone & Hans Lo have built their own hardware using warped oscilloscopes, which debuted at SMD’s Sónar gig last weekend and sounds super trippy — especially in a desert community of free expression and giving, while on DMT. Before Whorl drops via ANTI- on September 9, the video teaser and full tracklist can be found below.
Whorl tracklist:
01. Redshift
02. Dandelion Spheres
03. Sun Dogs
04. Hypnick Jerk
05. Dervish
06. Z Space
07. Nazard
08. Calyx
09. Jam Side Up
10. Tangents
11. Iron Henge
12. Casiopeia
Tour dates:
06.21.14 - Tokyo, Japan - Hostess Weekender
09.09.14 - London, UK - Union Chapel
• Simian Mobile Disco: http://simianmobiledisco.co.uk
• ANTI-: http://www.anti.com