The Essential Indexical: Mid MMXVII

Indexical announces The Essential Indexical: Mid MMXVII, a compilation of two hours of live and live-in-studio recordings of experimental and new chamber music from Santa Cruz, California. Mid MMXVII spans genres and disciplines, from compositions recorded by the New York-based Mivos Quartet to live electronic sets of atmospheric work by Samson Stilwell and Ashley Bellouin & Ben Bracken, to Weston Olencki’s multi-part piece for five-string bass duo Bass2Bass.

Anchoring Mid MMXVII are three performances by Mivos Quartet. Opening the compilation is Martin Stauning’s crystalline Atmende Steine, alongside Mario Diaz de Leon’s propulsive and sonically expansive Moonblood, and a newly revised and expanded version of Anahita Abbasi’s Distorted Attitudes IV / Facile Synthesis. Recorded live-in-studio at Wind River in the Santa Cruz mountains, the atmosphere of the room and the ensemble’s performance channels the energy of a live event.

Indexical Co-Director Andrew C. Smith writes that with these “next-day” recordings, “On the occasion that something unique crosses our path, we want the option to get it down.” This is all the more critical for a series focusing on collaborations between performers and composers, as slight changes might need to be made after a premiere performance, and the opportunity to work in a low-stakes but controlled environment can make all the difference.

The Essential Indexical is a thrice-yearly recording archive and compilation of music from Indexical’s series of experimental and new chamber music in Santa Cruz. Started in 2017, it provides a platform for artists performing in Santa Cruz to reach a global audience. Supported in part by a Bandcamp subscription service, The Essential Indexical allows audiences a chance to discover new work that might not otherwise be made public.

Recorded by David Dunn and Daniel Higdon (1, 3, 5) and Indexical (2, 4, 6).
Mixed by Joseph Branciforte (1, 3, 5) and David Kant (2, 4, 6).
Design by Mustafa Walker.