Axel Dörner, Mark Sanders

A deeply enigmatic duo of trumpet and drums augmented by live electronics and an expanded percussive array (tam-tam, multiple high hats etc.), Stonecipher is a mesmerising work that operates in the blurred regions between the electronic and acoustic.

Dörner's electronics have never been more effective, creating viscous clouds of sound which are illuminated by Sanders' sparse, precise formations, producing a dense fabric of insidious extended tones, gradual inclines and sudden drops, and sounds that slowly fold back into themselves or abruptly open onto unexpected plateaus.
There's something beguilingly unhurried about the way that Stonecipher develops, but there's a real quickness bubbling under this apparent slowness that prevents the music from ever completely solidifying: just when you think you're on firm ground something moves and the whole landscape is reshaped. Recorded by Rick Campion on 19 June 2011 at City University Music Studios

Mixed by Axel Dörner
Artwork by Jane Millican (detail of Scene, 2010, pencil on paper)
Music by Axel Dörner (GEMA) & Mark Sanders (PRS)