Sleep Cycle
Announcing Sleep Cycle, the new album from acclaimed Australian jazz bassist and composer Claire Cross, produced by Reuben Lewis and released on Art As Catharsis.
Claire Cross explores the different phases of sleep on her new record, Sleep Cycle. Inspired by the work of Jon Hassell, William Basinski, The Australian Art Orchestra and Skúli Sverrisson, Claire draws on the language of contemporary jazz, ambient music and minimalism to present a mesmerizing work that is as beautiful as it is ambitious.
“This record is a bit of a turning point for me in some respects,” explains Claire. “It’s my first attempt at flexing different composition and improvisation muscles I haven’t used before. I’ve previously been very much the kind of composer who arranges lots of parts or tries to have a lot of control over the writing, and this project has been about letting go of that and leaning into a more open approach to improvisation and composing. The sounds you hear would also not have been possible without the input and genius of Reuben, who also produced this album and collaborated with me to bring the vision to life.”
“By researching what shows up on EEGs during sleep, and the dominant frequencies/waves of each phase, I found limitations that could be applied to musical situations and create an overall composition arc - things such as different frequency ranges of brain wave activity feeding into note choices, the amplitude of brain waves suggesting certain dynamics, different tempos, and so on. By finding ways to differentiate each phase I was able to create 5 contrasting ‘pieces’ that moved fairly seamlessly from one to the other.”
“When performed live, we put a timer on and each section runs for roughly a set time that also loosely corresponds to the ratio of each phase per cycle. We also timed each section in the studio so that the album unfolds in the same way. This explains why some compositions are quite long versus others being a bit shorter. With all of this in mind, the music is quite repetitive and slowly unfolding, but with lots of interaction from the band and interesting textures being created. One thing I wanted to be mindful of was striking a balance between ‘following the science’ vs creating an interesting musical event - so sometimes I didn’t stick to all of my limitations so religiously.”
Claire has assembled a cast of formidable musicians to bring her vision to life, including Reuben Lewis (producer, trumpet, electronics), Kyrie Anderson (drums) and Merinda Dias-Jayasinha (voice). The group bring a depth and dynamism to the tracks, demonstrating why they are regarded as some of the up and coming voices in Australian jazz.
On the album’s first single ‘Alpha’, vocal loops gently cascade over reverb-soaked trumpet lines, while the rhythmic pulsing of bass and drums gradually builds momentum. The track performs the early stages of sleep, which produces low frequency alpha waves that gradually become synchronised. The result is a graceful, moving piece which sets up the album’s unique concept.
“During the early first phase of sleep, when you are starting to relax, your heart beat slows and your body temperature drops, Alpha waves become dominant,” says Claire. “Looking at the small frequency range of these waves, I converted the whole numbers into pitches, which gives us the basis for the melodic and harmonic sound world we float through for this piece.”
“This track attempts to capture the state of drifting in and out of consciousness, with themes overlapping and crashing into each other accompanied by a little bit of chaos - mimicking the way our thoughts get confused, and what is awake/real and not-awake/not-real becomes ambiguous.”
With Sleep Cycle, Claire Cross has brought to life an important new chapter in her already storied career. This is an expertly executed record, sure to appeal to lovers of minimalism, contemporary jazz and ambient music.
Claire Cross - electric bass and effects
Reuben Lewis - trumpet and effects
Merinda Dias-Jayasinha - voice and effects
Kyrie Anderson - drums and bells
Compositions by Claire Cross
Produced by Reuben Lewis
Engineered, Mixed and Mastered by Myles Mumford at Rolling Stock Recording Rooms
Artwork and Design by Tornike Margvelashvili aka Mess_Montage
