MP3 Ergo - Quality Anatomechanical Music Since 2005
The blood of Aphex Twin, the bones of Ornette Coleman and the brains of three lost pilgrims align to form the anatomy of Ergo.
7 MP3 Songs
JAZZ: Weird Jazz, ELECTRONIC: Experimental
Details:
"Trombonist Brett Sroka, keyboardist Carl Maguire and drummer Damion Reid are all part of a generation for which Autechre and Sigur Ros are as pressing concerns as Armstrong and Sun Ra. That''s certainly evident in the timbral sophistication, spacey contours and slinky grooves of the band''s self-released debut CD, "Quality Anatomechanical Music since 2005", the cause for celebration tonight."
Steve Smith, TIME OUT NEW YORK
"An Ellington fiend who likes to get his computerized space-dub on, the trombonist has lots of sound sculpture in him. [Ergo''s] rather dramatic art music is both texturally rich and compositionally engaging."
Jim Macnie, THE VILLAGE VOICE
"...the music crosses that indefinable frontier, teeming with intuitive experimentation, probing jazz dialogues and EFX-drenched avant-garde stylizations. Uncannily cohesive and an enormously compelling listening experience"
Glenn Astarita, https://www.tradebit.com
"You are entering a sonic universe, but more importantly, a music which reveals itself as most definitely structured and well thought out. As much as you can just revel in the sounds on this record, a little close listening will uncover memorable themes which develop over time. Each track has a life cycle which carries it forward, so rather than just spacing or tripping out for the duration, this music can be followed and appreciated."
Budd Kopman, https://www.tradebit.com
"The trombonist Brett Sroka, the keyboardist Carl Maguire and the drummer Damion Reid compose this atmospheric collective, which takes full advantage of electronic programming and cross-genre appropriation."
Nate Chinen, THE NEW YORK TIMES
“Brett Sroka has found a way to turn the trombone into the coolest instrument since the bass clarinet. He plays in a band called Ergo, which blends blip-hop electronica with jazz. This trio consists of drums, keyboards, and Sroka''s unruly trombone.”
THE BOSTON GLOBE
"... fully incorporates other-worldly aspects of electronica, with Crimsonesque washes and colors that almost put you in mind of King Crimson. The three-piece band sounds much bigger than it actually is."
J. C. Lockwood, THE MERRIMACK RIVER CURRENT, Northern Mass.
“…judging from a recent set at the Cornelia Street Café in Manhattan Sroka’s music is more interesting than ever. The improvisation stretches more readily in different directions”
Thomas Staudter, THE GAZETTE, Westchester County, NY
“The city has always been known for its under-the-radar jazz talent. This gig — happening tonight only — is a great example of how substantial that talent can be… Here''s a great chance to check Sroka’s dynamic and distinguished ideas in action, while catching a glimpse of the underground. “
John McCormick, https://www.tradebit.com
The blood of Aphex Twin, the bones of Ornette Coleman and the brains of three lost pilgrims align to form the anatomy of Ergo. The collective sound of drummer Damion Reid, keyboardist Carl Maguire and trombonist/laptop-jockey Brett Sroka, Ergo’s music criss-crosses glitchy loops and enveloping electronic textures with plaintive melody and improvisational empathy.
Damion Reid and Brett Sroka met in Boston in 1999, both eventually moving to Brooklyn. Sroka released his debut album "Hearsay" in 2002 and they began playing together in around New York City. After hearing the cerebral compositions and organic playing of Carl Maguire’s debut CD "Floriculture" through a mutual friend Sroka sought him out to play Rhodes electric piano for a new group he was developing. With a nascent attraction to experimental electronic music Sroka began toying with a Prophet analog synth and various software, fascinated by the process of trying to reconcile the six hundred years of technology between trombone and computer. Reid''s composite style of jazz roots, hip-hop inflection and virtuosic audacity dovetailed strangely with Maguire''s knotty rhythms and prismatic harmonies. Steadily, after touring Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, upstate New York and all over New York City, their idiosyncratic dynamic began to cohere and Ergo was born.
With recording of Ergo''s debut album,“Quality Anatomechanical Music Since 2005” the band has finally acheived a level of quality that they are ready to share with the world, as well as a sound to call their own.