Live on Star's End 2021-2022

by Chuck van Zyl

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Steve Horne Fans of Chuck van Zyl will instantly recognize his distinctive signature style. “Constellation” is not a short story, not an essay or even a novel, it is a series that takes the listener on a journey through Chuck’s universe, filled with the interplay of sequences that slowly tell their story and play against each other. Each one sounding frantic and insistent, vying for center stage but merging into the whole in an inventive unity that leads one into the vastness of space. Play on repeat. Favorite track: Constellation: Parts 1-5.

Andy Bloyce A wonderful experience. A must-have set of recordings that I will be enjoying for a long time to come.

dcgunman I’m digging this latest release by Chuck Van Zyl. I downloaded this as soon as I saw it here on Bandcamp while on holiday in Japan. On our flight back to the mainland earlier today this was one of many albums I listened to while flying over the Pacific Blue. What a journey indeed. I was anticipating this release over the last 2 years and here it is. Beautiful. Thank you Chuck.

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1.	Constellation: Parts 1-5 01:15:28	info
2.	Constellation: Parts 6-7 35:29	info
3.	Constellation: Part 8 (Live at SoundQuest Fest 2021) 33:01	info
4.	Brocade 52:33	info

about

Across three discs "Live on Star's End 2021-2022" (196:30) presents the Chuck van Zyl live to air concerts of 7 February 2021 and 7 August 2022, plus his 26 March 2021 performance for SoundQuest Fest 2021. Each occasion built on the one that came before, and offered meaningful opportunities to advance his craft, further his artistry, and venture into a new sonic frontier.

In discharging audio from electricity works by Chuck van Zyl sing the song of the synthesizer. Searching through the cosmos, as well as his own imagination, he plays in the true spirit of exploration. Each of the realizations documented on "Live on Star's End 2021-2022" builds toward a destination unknown at the outset. Beginning with nothing more than the spark of an idea, the wall outlet powers his instruments, while the logic of improvisation, the force of emotion, and materiality of sound provide the direction and form. This album supposes that the mind is still big, that thoughts are still vast, and offers no option to think small. After a deep listening it will be hard not to hear this strange magic everywhere.

Throughout this epic release we find a machine pulse propelling scales of notes. Radiating with each tight turn into widening arcs of mechanized certainty, sequencer lines solidly motor on. An unconstrained affair, the music winds out in cycling patterns of melodic invention - skipping and echoing with a determined energy. Thoughtful and as tightly coiled as ever, notes fly in and out of the mix, rising and receding in practiced precision. The assembly of tones and textures, somewhere between sonic storm and soothing sigh, stutters, sputters, then whispers a tale of electronic circuits dreaming.

From the sculpted and soft to the ambiguously toned, at times these live sets use negative space to delineate form - placing the listener on intimate terms with the present moment. With an ethereal human harmony hanging gently in the air, a beautiful animation is brought to an often impassive music.

"Live on Star's End 2021-2022" will be difficult to abandon to the background. The coolly controlled concerts conjure a rare dream logic - a kind of beauty which always passes too quickly. Yet, from these monumental acts of invention comes the theme of intimacy. In his unforced experimentation Chuck van Zyl discovers hidden affinities. From the raw and power packed on down to the subtle and dulcet, these works recall the spirit of the Berlin-School - and the charged sparks of an exploratory, voltaic realm.

credits

released March 18, 2023

Preformed, Recorded, Edited, Mixed, Mastered, Produced
by Chuck van Zyl

Thanks to:
Ken Anderson
Neil Cippon
Roycee Martin
Steve Roach
Jeff Towne

©2023 Chuck van Zyl
℗2023 Synkronos Music, BMI

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about

Chuck van Zyl Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Chuck van Zyl has been at his own unique style of electronic music since 1983. His musical sensibilities evoke a sense of discovery, with each endeavor marking a new frontier of sound.

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discography

Gwynedd

Sep 2023
Passages

Aug 2023
Live on Star's End 2021-2022

Mar 2023
Skyspace

Aug 2022
The Winter Wind

May 2022
Votive

Dec 2021
Live on Star's End 10.06.19

Feb 2020
The Relic

Mar 2018
Star's End

Jul 2017
Celestial Mechanics

Jun 2017
The Xyl File

Jan 2017
MemorySpace

Nov 2010

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