Reed, Rick

Reed, Rick

The Way Things Go

Elevator Bath

Welcome to an atmospheric realm of blurred synth drones, textural shortwave radio, and vivid sine waves. Welcome to the highly individual sonic world of Rick Reed. For more than 25 years now Reed has been toiling away, composing, performing, and fine-tuning his craft of very personal and powerful electronic tonalities. And his expertise is plainly evident. His is incredibly engaging music with an almost physical presence. Reed's level of mastery is virtually unparalleled - it seems that no one else can combine these elements with quite the same finesse, with the same ear for arrangement, or with the same sense of purpose.  If Rick Reed's is not yet a household name it is likely due to his relatively slim body of work. "The Way Things Go," then, is an attempt at resolving this issue, for here are 83 worthy minutes of top-shelf electronic tonalities. "The Way Things Go" covers a span of nearly ten years of work, and yet the material flows very naturally from one piece to the next. Yes, the evolution of technique is on display here, but Reed found his voice some years ago and his stylistic development has therefore been suitably subtle and deliberate. This is the work of a composer who is extraordinarily familiar with the sounds at his disposal and whose editorial skills are equally honed.  Massimo Ricci, inspired by one of the pieces in this set ("Hidden Voices"), has noted:  "I can't stress enough the importance of composers like Reed,...

Reed, Rick

Dreamz / Blue Polz

Elevator Bath

Rick Reed's fascinating, highly evolved world is represented well by these two new pieces, each of which offers up the kind of droning intensity and unsettling beauty that this veteran noisemaker has come to be known for. Reed's work is very obviously that of an experienced craftsman - one whose sound is a reverent nod to early electronic music underscored by an enduring sensibility for atmosphere and ethereality.  "Dreamz" began life as the soundtrack for a live visual display by filmmaker Ken Jacobs, which was performed live by Jacobs and Reed at the 2007 New York Film Festival. "Blue Polz" was also inspired by the work of a filmmaker (originally conceived as a kind of alternate soundtrack to a piece by Fred Worden). All of the music was created using an EMS Synthi A, plus 2 sine wave generators and a shortwave radio.  The artwork comes from two original paintings. Reed has been active in the visual arts for more than 20 years; his work is utterly abstract, beautifully enigmatic. These images are the perfect accompaniment to Reed’s otherworldly audio counterparts.  These tracks were originally released by Elevator Bath as a limited edition picture disc LP.

Reed, Rick

Dark Skies At Noon

Elevator Bath

Rick Reed is a self-taught composer/improviser who has been working in the Austin underground music scene for the past 30+ years. "Dark Skies at Noon" is his definitive statement. Over the years, Reed’s sound has taken on a life of its own – that of a magnificent monster capable of both ferocious intensity and lulling tranquility, yet perfectly controlled under Reed's masterful care.  "Dark Skies at Noon"'s title track was utilized by legendary filmmaker Ken Jacobs as soundtrack to some of his recent works. And it is an apt accompaniment to Jacobs' surreal, otherworldly images (the Jacobs/Reed collaboration is ongoing). The second piece in this collection is a live recording (made by Tom Carter of Charalambides) featuring ex-AMM guitarist Keith Rowe in a stunning duet. The album's closing piece is pure Rick Reed, demonstrating his wholly unique sound and compositional style in an ear-bending, yet always restrained blur of sine waves, field recordings, short-wave radio, and Moog synthesizer.  Reed has defined his sound while performing solo and with various groups including Frequency Curtain and the Abrasion Ensemble. Since the mid 90s, Reed has released several LPs and CDs on labels such as Ecstatic Peace, Beta-lactam Ring, Pale Disc Japan and Elevator Bath.  "This is one of those discs that I fall in love with after a few minutes. Rick Reed is a self-taught composer based in Austin Texas who uses sinewave generators, field recordings, shortwaves and Moog to build crawling soundscapes in which every event is masterfully...