Martin Bisi photo by Nicole Capobianco
NYC legendary producer Martin Bisi presents the ‘Let It Fall’ single from ‘Solstice’, his first solo record in five years. His sixth full-length album, this is also his ninth release overall. A renowned producer, sound engineer, and musician, Bisi has been a central figure in NYC’s musical history for the past four decades. Founding BC Studio in Brooklyn in 1981 with the help of Brian Eno and Bill Laswell, he recorded groundbreaking music here by these artists, as well as Sonic Youth, Swans, John Zorn, Herbie Hancock, Helmet, Africa Bambaataa, Dresden Dolls, Unsane, Cop Shoot Cop, Human Impact, JG Thirlwell, US Maple, White Hills, Fab Five Freddy, and countless others.
Ultimately, his role as producer has shaped him as a musician:
“I draw influence in large measure from what comes through the studio. It’s like a giant sieve of this NYC stuff. I don’t advertise, so I record people who are drawn to me for various reasons. I think engineering/ producing has been an essential part of my path as a musician”, adding “I’ve always felt music was a pathway to something primal, not completely knowable, and connected to our essence personally and collectively an essence connected to all life, and the planet. I wanted to do an album that reflected on our planetary cycles, hence ‘Solstice’ LP has Winter and Summer solstice sides – each with different energies. With the opening track (and video), I wanted to go to the beginning of human society. ‘Let It Fall’ itself is a call to the cosmos for rain. The song also speaks of seeking control of nature, so I wanted the video to have a futurist look, to bridge our beginnings to an unknown future”.
The song is an avant-psych-improv song that features him on vocals and the guitar, Amanda White on soprano vocals, Diego Ferri on baritone guitar, Genevieve Fernworthy on the electric viola, and Oliver Rivera-Drew on drums. Absolutely and inward inspired by his whole course in music so far, either as a producer/ sound engineer or a solo artist, Martin Bisi offers an amazing specimen of art, and WL//WH couldn’t just ignore a release like that. As far from trends as any of his work, this psychedelic opus through light and dark sees Bisi team up with video director Scott Kiernan of the mobile TV studio E.S.P.TV, famed for his video and sound multimedia installations around NYC.
Earlier, Bisi‘s work and studio were the subjects of the film ‘Sound & Chaos: The Story Of BC Studio’, squeezed in by the approaching gentrification of his neighbourhood, with commentary by Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth), Bill Laswell, Michael Gira (Swans), Bob Bert (Sonic Youth), Jim Thirlwell (a.k.a. Foetus) and Brian Viglione (Dresden Dolls), among others.
‘Solstice’ LP is out now, available digitally across key online stores and online streaming platforms through Italian label Bronson Recordings.
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