Best known for keeping the beat in the storied psych-rock troupe OSEES, Dan Rincon is now stepping into his own limelight with his first solo venture, Spotlight City, set to drop on the 3rd of May via Castle Face Records.
Imagine a city conjured from thin air, where the streets hum with synths and the skyline is aglow with electronic vibes. This is ‘Spotlight City,’ meticulously built by Rincon’s impressive array of synthesizers, starring the illustrious Moog Grandmother, the mysterious Mellotron, and a quirky Modular system.
Cessna, the album’s inaugural single, unfolds as a mesmerizing blend of droning electro-orchestral vibes, setting the tone for the record. With strings that soar sky-high and sines that zip and zag with the precision of a well-rehearsed dance troupe, Cessna will gently transport you to your destination. One moment, you’re adrift among the clouds; the next, you’re plunging into the core of the earth, or whisking through a neon-lit cityscape that feels lifted straight from the pages of vintage sci-fi.
The track effortlessly transitions from moments of serene beauty to spine-tingling magnificence, embodying the countless hours Rincon has poured into perfecting his experimental world. He masterfully harmonizes a diverse ensemble of electronic elements: throughout this splendid composition, influences from Kraftwerk, the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, Tangerine Dream, and Delia Derbyshire subtly intertwine.
Cessna weaves together strands of hope and melancholy, accompanied by an exhilarating visualizer from Delaney ________ that invites you to explore the city through the lens of the “Cessna Dreamflight Simulator,” offering a unique aerial perspective with the dizzying pixel technology of 1990.
“I was listening to a lot of solo Roedelius and Conrad Schnitzler records while writing this record and I’d say that both have been hugely inspirational on what I want to do as a solo recording artist,” says Rincon. “The way both of those of those artist pushed the early, chaotic electronic music into something more melodic is really inspiring to me, it’s not that dissimilar than trying to get melodies out of a modular synthesizer.”
Watch the video below:
“Spotlight City” is an adventure into the heart of creativity, with Rincon leading the charge. Strap in —it’s going to be one heck of a trip.
A limited pressing will be availabke soon, but today Cessna is available on all streaming services.
Rincon spoke with Post-Punk.com about his process, ideas, and the album’s concept:
This is your first record as a solo artist, how did you find the experience of creating your own record from scratch?
It was a long learning process, I didn’t even know how to record my own music before doing this record, as every other album ive played on has been as a drummer. I know what I like and know what I would want to hear on a record like this and used that as inspiration.
Where did the idea to create a record based around the fictional location of Spotlight City come from?
I’ve always liked themed records, i.e. Kraftwerk’s Autobahn, and I’ve always liked soundtracks. I like that listening to a soundtrack can bring you back to the part of the film the track was used in, i.e. John Carpenter’s Over the Wall from the Escape From New York soundtrack. While I was writing this record, I originally treated it as a fictional soundtrack, trying to create a mood for a shot of a film and that evolved into what it is now, I say it’s a bit of both, a fake soundtrack about a fake city. “Spotlight City Flyover” is supposed to feel like you’re in a police helicopter flying over the city at night, hearing radio chatter while looking down over backstreets and alleys.
This record uses quite a few synths to create its soundscapes, do you have a favorite instrument, patch, or sound that’s on the record?
The mellotron is a secret weapon. I’m not a great keys player, but I could play a Mellotron with my elbows and something beautiful would come out. I would say that might be the most important instrument on this album – it’s used by itself, used as the source for a vocoder and heavily processed through a modular synthesizer. It’s a wonderful instrument.
The Spotlight City LP will be out on May 5th, via Castle Face Records.
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