Light Switch Dance Party

Album Notes

All tracks written, recorded, mixed and mastered by Stephen Tures.  Cover art by Stephen Tures, clouds near Chicago, IL.

1. Heliosphere.  Partially tracked at Joe Vinny & Bronsons, El Paso TX.

2. Wash.  Partially tracked at Eloise, El Paso TX.

3. Arc.  Partially tracked in Canutillo, TX.  Contains samples from a thunderstorm in my backyard in El Paso TX, as well as environmental sounds captured at the El Paso Zoo.

4. Corona.  Tracked at an afternoon in two different restaurants, El Paso TX.

5. Oscura.  Origin unclear, primary synth line recorded by Rubber Duck synth.  This track was discovered in a folder of discarded project artifacts, and resurrected for a new track.  Named for Oscura Mountains in central New Mexico, just east of the Trinity Site.

6. Sage.  Partially tracked in Canutillo, TX.  Features excerpts of Barack Obama's presidential farewell address.

Statement

This album arrived between very optimistic and pessimistic times in my life.

Earlier in the album, I felt happy and comfortable with who I was, with the marriage that I'm in, and with the child that I was raising. I was optimistic for the progress that seemed to be happening from small communities all the way to a global scale.  Songs like Heliosphere, Wash and Arc reflect this optimism. For example, the primary ambient melody in Arc came to me on a rare morning where I was able to sleep in and it was what I heard as I slowly opened my eyes to the light streaming into my room.

Later in the album, aspects of the external world shifted, and I felt more unhappy with how society began to regress.  In this context, the earlier positive songs in this album felt disconnected from how I felt at that time, and as much as I liked them, I wondered whether I should release them as part of the same album.  Songs like Corona, Oscura and Sage reflect this apprehension.

In the end, I felt obligated to add in text from Barack Obama's farewell speech which best expressed how I felt into the song 'Sage' and leave it as the final track, and then release the album as it was developed in order.  I want the world to move forward.  I want it to be an inclusive place for me and my family, and I have hope that it will slowly move in that direction, but it will take some reflection and effort from all of us to get there.

Enjoy, and thank you for listening. 

- Stephen / KR