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Today we are super-excited to share with you the exclusive premiere for Silica Angel‘s ( aka Evan-Daniel Rose-González) ‘Faustian Botany‘. The track is a rare gem, a work of instrumental genius, that could be filed under experimental glitch. By contrast to the genre, Evan enriches ‘Faustian B0tany‘ with colorful, abstract melodies keeping the listener’s attention 100% (as if Autechre jammed in the same studio with Boards Of Canada), without a single hint of lassitude. Exceptionally studied!

Artist’s Statement:

Silica Angel (Evan-Daniel Rose-González) is a Troy, NY-based composer, improviser, instrumentalist, creator of new media, and installation artist. Through studying Deep Listening practices and recontextualizing traditional Western music theory, he strives to create immersive sonic environments by breaking sound down into its most basic form, vibration; examining new sound sources and sound generation methods; examining unique listening practices; examining the human relationship with, and the physicalization of, sound; examining the ideas of familiarity and perception; and examining the sheer power sonic information carries. Additionally, his work looks at the middle ground and grey areas between composition, improvisation, and the natural sounds of the environment around us; as well as the middle ground and grey areas between melody, harmony, rhythm and timbre. His compositional philosophy was designed through years of private study with the late legendary composer Pauline Oliveros.
The philosophy of Silica Angel is composition with precedence and reverence given to developing textures, and the grey areas within and between timbres. Rose-González aspires to subvert the rules he spent his youth learning – having studied classically for years allows him to view the “tenets” of music from a new perspective, and figure out ways to recontextualize and undermine them.

With the game development group Arcane Kids, Rose-González composed the soundtrack to the computer game Zineth, which won Best Student Game at the 2013 Independent Games Festival at Game Developer’s Conference. He has also composed soundtracks for educational game-based media, and immersive environments using the Oculus Rift.

Press Release:
 Silica Angel’s eponymous debut single, his first release in over two years and first under his new pseudonym, is a study and exploration of complex and interlocking sonic layers; the evolution of textures and instrumental interactions over time; and the idea of deconstructing dance music. It has been called “discordant and ambling,” “scary,” “too hard,” “too rambling,” and “overwhelming,” but hidden beneath the layers of experimentation and challenging sounds lie melodies, rhythms, and harmonies that remain embedded in the listener’s head long after experiencing the music. Through-composed in a three-dimensional soundstage, expansive in length, and rife with alternately clashing and interlocking polyrhythms, on its surface it appears challenging and without a definable genre – however, its masterful composition and technical construction allow its abrasive nature to belie nostalgic and relatable themes.
The B-side of the single, Cicada cartridge, features 99Sublime collective member, vocalist SadoSan, exploring new and unique methods of vocalizing and rapping. Silica Angel is available on Bandcamp, Soundcloud, Apple Music, Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, TIDAL, and more. Silica Angel can be reached online at http://www.silicaangel.rip, as well as http://www.facebook.com/silicaangels and http://www.twitter.com/silicaangels.