Sarah Davachi

Limited edition white vinyl LP, printed outer sleeve, polylined inner. The debut LP by Sarah Davachi, Barons Court, returns in a much-anticipated reissue, reaffirming its place as a landmark in contemporary electroacoustic music. Originally released in 2015, this album presents a series of extended solo and chamber works, composed and performed by Davachi alongside a cast of accomplished Bay Area musicians, and recorded across Canada, California, and Europe. Rooted in Davachi’s academic background at Mills College, Barons Court marries a rigorous approach to synthesis and live instrumentation with a rare sensitivity to timbre, pacing, and atmosphere. The album’s five long-form compositions unfold with patience and restraint, inviting listeners to inhabit a sonic landscape where subtle shifts in color and texture become profound events. Employing a palette of vintage synthesizers-including the Buchla 200, Music Easel, EMS Synthi, and Prophet 5-alongside acoustic instruments such as cello, flute, harmonium, oboe, and viola, Davachi crafts music that stands apart from the hyperactive modular pyrotechnics of her contemporaries. Instead, her work resonates with the longform minimalism of Eliane Radigue, focusing on controlled waves of stasis and the nuanced interplay of overtones.

As critics have observed, Barons Court is music that “forces us to slow down and pay attention.” Rather than demanding attention through dramatic gestures, the album rewards deep listening, drawing the ear to the smallest inflections and the evolving shape of sound itself. Tracks like “Heliotrope” and “Guildford” demonstrate Davachi’s ability to transform simple melodic progressions and static tones into immersive, three-dimensional spaces-sonic monoliths that shimmer, drift, and invite the listener to become an active participant in their unfolding. At its core, Barons Court is about landscape-not only as a physical or sonic space, but as a location of the mind. It is an invitation to step out of the rush of daily life and enter a world where time stretches, textures bloom, and meaning emerges in the quiet details. With this reissue, listeners are once again called to experience Davachi’s singular vision: music that is distinctive, patient, and deeply beautiful.

Sarah Davachi: ARP String Ensemble, Buchla 200, Buchla Music Easel, EMS Synthi AKS, Sequential Circuits Prophet 5, and Steiner-Parker Synthacon synthesizers, harmonium

Additional performers: Kyle Bruckmann (oboe), Diane Grubbe (flute), Shanna Sordahl & Shirley Hunt (cello), Clio Tilton (viola)
Recorded between April 2012 and May 2014 in Vancouver, Calgary (The National Music Centre), Oakland (Mills College), Stockholm (EMS), and Amsterdam (STEIM).