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PRICE:
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IN STOCK
ARTIST
TITLE
The Strand Cinema
FORMAT
LP

LABEL
CATALOG #
PKR 003LP PKR 003LP
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
3/24/2023

Phil Kieran releases his sixth album, The Strand Cinema on his own label PKR. The last five years have seen an evolutionary shift for the electronic musician, undertaking more soundtrack work, including for film (Nightride on Netflix), radio, and theater. The Strand Cinema album is a tribute to the art deco cinema building, The Strand, where Phil's recording studio is. A stirring and beautiful record, it seamlessly traverses the worlds of contemporary classical to beautifully elevated dance music with a recognizably cinematic influence. Managing to sound both grand and expansive, as well as minimal and introspective -- it's a record that explores the macro and the micro. The opening track "Strand Cinema", begins with a steady, gentle, looping pulse, almost recalling the kosmische ripples of Cluster, before sweeping and enveloping strings enter, resulting in a track that manages to sound both grandiose and tender in one fell swoop. Lead single "Atlantic" perhaps most perfectly encapsulates the various sonic worlds that Kieran is operating in, merging a bordering on euphoric dance beat layered with infectious melodies, while remaining anchored to organic sounds, as strings and percussion collide with the driving and hypnotic groove of the track. "Strike the Match" showcases Kieran's talents for detail, in a track that feels almost palpably textural and rich in complexity but without feeling overly busy or superfluous; while "Elephant in Castle" utilizes intense, almost gargling electronics, that drone with a foreboding and ominous tone, but also produces fractured moments of light, beauty and poignancy. The album was created from organic sounds manipulated by machines; melted, mangled and hacked with computers but machines only sound as good as the human spirit put into them.