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SDBANU 036CD
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John Ghost (Ghent, Belgium) is the sextet led by guitarist/composer Jo De Geest. As a group, they draw influences from jazz, rock, and contemporary classical music. Minimalism, electronics, and an overall cinematic quality characterize their instrumental sound. The ensemble's sound can be described as a symbiosis of Hidden Orchestra, Portico Quartet, and James Holden. After the critically acclaimed Airships Are Organisms, John Ghost is back with Thin Air . Mirror Land. For this album, they continued their fruitful collaboration with legendary producer Jørgen Træen, known for his work with Jaga Jazzist, Electric Eye, Kaizers Orchestra, and numerous projects on the Hubro Record Label. The result is an album with a slightly more somber tone, focusing on a broader range of instruments and an emphasis on percussive elements. Thin Air . Mirror Land unfolds as an aesthetic refuge in stormy times. It is a musical urge for introspection in a chaotic reality, and a longing to reconnect with a natural environment. During the creative process, Jo drew inspiration from the music of artists such as Hans Zimmer, György Ligeti, Magma, The Residents, Disasterpeace, James Holden & The Animal Spirits, Do Make Say Think, William Basinski, and Jóhann Jóhannsson. The album title Thin Air . Mirror Land and the song titles are driven by a fascination with the artwork of Edvard Munch. Jo found inspiration in Munch's painting "The Storm" (1893) as a catalyst for the writing process, exploring a dystopian backdrop and the intriguing interplay between comfort and unrest. Heavily inspired by the music, Jaak De Digitale created the gloomy artwork for the album.
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SDBANU 036LP
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LP version. John Ghost (Ghent, Belgium) is the sextet led by guitarist/composer Jo De Geest. As a group, they draw influences from jazz, rock, and contemporary classical music. Minimalism, electronics, and an overall cinematic quality characterize their instrumental sound. The ensemble's sound can be described as a symbiosis of Hidden Orchestra, Portico Quartet, and James Holden. After the critically acclaimed Airships Are Organisms, John Ghost is back with Thin Air . Mirror Land. For this album, they continued their fruitful collaboration with legendary producer Jørgen Træen, known for his work with Jaga Jazzist, Electric Eye, Kaizers Orchestra, and numerous projects on the Hubro Record Label. The result is an album with a slightly more somber tone, focusing on a broader range of instruments and an emphasis on percussive elements. Thin Air . Mirror Land unfolds as an aesthetic refuge in stormy times. It is a musical urge for introspection in a chaotic reality, and a longing to reconnect with a natural environment. During the creative process, Jo drew inspiration from the music of artists such as Hans Zimmer, György Ligeti, Magma, The Residents, Disasterpeace, James Holden & The Animal Spirits, Do Make Say Think, William Basinski, and Jóhann Jóhannsson. The album title Thin Air . Mirror Land and the song titles are driven by a fascination with the artwork of Edvard Munch. Jo found inspiration in Munch's painting "The Storm" (1893) as a catalyst for the writing process, exploring a dystopian backdrop and the intriguing interplay between comfort and unrest. Heavily inspired by the music, Jaak De Digitale created the gloomy artwork for the album.
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SDBANU 011CD
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John Ghost is ingenious and exploratory, often described as a symbiosis between the sounds of Steve Reich, John Hollenbeck, Nils Frahm, and Jaga Jazzist. Created around the Ghent guitarist and composer Jo De Geest, the Belgian sextet draw on influences from jazz, rock and post-classical music, where minimalism, electronics, and a cinematic atmosphere characterize their instrumental music. Airships Are Organisms, released via Sdban Ultra, was produced by Jørgen Træen (Jaga Jazzist, Kaizers Orchestra, Hubro, Sondre Lerche). When it came to recording the album, John Ghost searched for a balance between the venturous, accessible and playful character of jazz music, in which John Ghost has its origins, and a carefully thought out selection process with the production, with a sharp eye and ear for detail. Seemingly simple earwigs are underpinned by driving undertones that inspire harmonic twists and a rhythmic and melodic stratification, that often results in a very danceable soundtrack. Tracks like 13-minute album opener "Deconstructing Hymns", keep a fine balance between moments of abstraction and repetition while recent single "Disfunctional Rabbits: The Disfunction" is an intoxicating, dreamy soundscape that alternates between balanced jazz fluctuations and space-like grooves. Elsewhere, the idiosyncratic "The Fallen Colony", spirals into a progressive narrative of experimentation and improvisation, a common thread throughout large parts of John Ghost's music, before the haunting "Drones For a Sunken Mothership", combines soaring bowed melodies and broken beats that is not only mesmeric but filled with breathtaking majesty.
Formed in 2010, John Ghost were nominated for the "Young Jazz Talent" Award at the prestigious Gent Jazz Festival the same year, and a series of shows followed including the International Jazz Festival Middelburg, in the Netherlands. After a brief hiatus, they released their 2016 album For A Year They Slept, to critical acclaim across Belgium, and they have been busy in the studio once again, developing and honing their sound.
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SDBANU 011LP
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LP version. Gatefold sleeve. John Ghost is ingenious and exploratory, often described as a symbiosis between the sounds of Steve Reich, John Hollenbeck, Nils Frahm, and Jaga Jazzist. Created around the Ghent guitarist and composer Jo De Geest, the Belgian sextet draw on influences from jazz, rock and post-classical music, where minimalism, electronics, and a cinematic atmosphere characterize their instrumental music. Airships Are Organisms, released via Sdban Ultra, was produced by Jørgen Træen (Jaga Jazzist, Kaizers Orchestra, Hubro, Sondre Lerche). When it came to recording the album, John Ghost searched for a balance between the venturous, accessible and playful character of jazz music, in which John Ghost has its origins, and a carefully thought out selection process with the production, with a sharp eye and ear for detail. Seemingly simple earwigs are underpinned by driving undertones that inspire harmonic twists and a rhythmic and melodic stratification, that often results in a very danceable soundtrack. Tracks like 13-minute album opener "Deconstructing Hymns", keep a fine balance between moments of abstraction and repetition while recent single "Disfunctional Rabbits: The Disfunction" is an intoxicating, dreamy soundscape that alternates between balanced jazz fluctuations and space-like grooves. Elsewhere, the idiosyncratic "The Fallen Colony", spirals into a progressive narrative of experimentation and improvisation, a common thread throughout large parts of John Ghost's music, before the haunting "Drones For a Sunken Mothership", combines soaring bowed melodies and broken beats that is not only mesmeric but filled with breathtaking majesty.
Formed in 2010, John Ghost were nominated for the "Young Jazz Talent" Award at the prestigious Gent Jazz Festival the same year, and a series of shows followed including the International Jazz Festival Middelburg, in the Netherlands. After a brief hiatus, they released their 2016 album For A Year They Slept, to critical acclaim across Belgium, and they have been busy in the studio once again, developing and honing their sound.
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