The Other Way

A new track + a transmission from the real world.

Back in the Bay, transmitting under the bones of Sutro Tower.

Been in Taipei, Chengdu, and Chongqing. Before I took flight, I put together a new track, “The Other Way.” You can listen to it (and download it?) here:

Just like “Leave New York” I produced this track as a member of the Jay Hosking Collab. Each year, members of Jay Hosking’s Discord swap samples and use those samples as jumping off points for tracks. This year I received a lovely chord progression from Oscar Louis Villadolid (shout-out Manila, Philippines!), which I chopped and used as the basis for the collab. He inspired me out of my usual key and suggested a slower tempo. It lead to another world. Bonus points if you know the vocal sample in the middle of the track. (First to comment gets a copyright strike!)

This track has been favorably reviewed by my friend Chris’ 10-year-old daughter, who describes it as making her feel “like she was entering an indoor park, like a trampoline park.”

Production technicalities: Kit-wise I did almost all of the sampling and composition using the Elektron Digitakt 2. Additional synths employed: The Arturia Polybrute and ASM Hydrasynth Deluxe. Final mix/master in Ableton Live 12 Suite. I’d call this a demo, all-in. Still working on aspects of mixing and mastering, which is arcane magic for sure.

“Sound System” (2025) by Nari Ward

While in Taipei I hit up the Museum of Contemporary Art. This is “Sound System” by Nari Ward. From the curator’s notes:

“SOUND SYSTEM (2025) is a tribute to music and its power to bring people together. Nari Ward uses marble, a stone formed under pressure, to reflect how struggle and hardship have shaped music. The work is inspired by Jamaican sound systems, which turned empty spaces into places of community and resistance, despite racism and poverty. These sound systems influenced global music, including hip-hop. Ward’s marble sculpture connects the folk traditions of Jamaica with the rich culture of Harlem, New York, where he has lived and worked for many years. Ward is known for sculptural installations made from discarded neighborhood materials, reimagining everyday objects to highlight issues of race, poverty, and consumer culture.”

This sculpture is 360-degrees and life-sized. Ward even did marble jacks and cables in the back. If you’re curious about these types of sound systems and their technical details, there’s a great video out of the UK by 180 Fact about a modern version, “Sinai.”

Light Years Away

Get outside of America for a while if you can (while you can?). I have opinions, but I’m not sure I need to contribute them all to The Substack Shirtwaist Opinion Factory.

Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean I was re-listening to James Salter’s Light Years, a novel I’ve read and re-read for a few decades, checking in on how it alternately shines and shows its tarnish. Beautiful sentences. Bougie racism. Hard-ass middle-aged truths of living through your mortal loss. So hard to hold it all when you want it to be one way…

…but it’s the other way. (Stop saying that!)

Let’s end this transmission here:

“I don’t really think nations can die,” he said. “A place and a history as vast as America cannot disappear, but it can become dark. And it seems to be slipping toward that. I mean, the utterly blind passions, the lack of moderation—these things are like a fever. Well, it’s more than that. Perhaps we’re alarmed over something we just hadn’t noticed before, something which has always existed, but I don’t think so. Do you know the history of the Spanish Civil War?

Salter, James. Light Years (Vintage International) (p. 196).

Stay in touch.

-ERR