Sanctums
Calgary, Alberta, Canada | SELF
Music
Press
4/5
You may have thought that Pantha Du Prince had the final say on the use of chimes in techno, but consider the majesty of Sanctums' "Truth Lifting Up Its Head Against Scandals." Here, chimes explode in a quiet storm of delicate plink and plonk, tracing out a melody that's a touch whimsical but with a dead serious face on. There's a quiet grandeur in the way the slow anticlimax unfolds after five tracks of careful meditation.
Sanctums is the collaborative project from Calgary artists Dan Solo and Evangelos Typist, and it occupies a space somewhere between the lines of techno, ambient and downtempo. It's ambient music that makes percussion its primary concern, paying special attention to the noises that the drums left behind. Scandals is sequenced like a proper album: "Post Humous" brings things to a steady simmer with tremulous basslines and bobbing drums, while "Descendants" introduces the chimes that become the EP's signature. The patterns begin to skip like slo-mo garage, and by the time we get to "Body Fossil," sighing pads and icy breezes have been added to the palette. "Charm School" and "Living Tribunal" offer the most limber-limbed moments, the latter ebbing and flowing with a precision that recalls Trent Reznor's best instrumental work. By the time the masterful closer rolls around, they'll have you deeply immersed in their world. You'll be glad you stuck around.
- Resident Advisor – Andrew Ryce
4/5
You may have thought that Pantha Du Prince had the final say on the use of chimes in techno, but consider the majesty of Sanctums' "Truth Lifting Up Its Head Against Scandals." Here, chimes explode in a quiet storm of delicate plink and plonk, tracing out a melody that's a touch whimsical but with a dead serious face on. There's a quiet grandeur in the way the slow anticlimax unfolds after five tracks of careful meditation.
Sanctums is the collaborative project from Calgary artists Dan Solo and Evangelos Typist, and it occupies a space somewhere between the lines of techno, ambient and downtempo. It's ambient music that makes percussion its primary concern, paying special attention to the noises that the drums left behind. Scandals is sequenced like a proper album: "Post Humous" brings things to a steady simmer with tremulous basslines and bobbing drums, while "Descendants" introduces the chimes that become the EP's signature. The patterns begin to skip like slo-mo garage, and by the time we get to "Body Fossil," sighing pads and icy breezes have been added to the palette. "Charm School" and "Living Tribunal" offer the most limber-limbed moments, the latter ebbing and flowing with a precision that recalls Trent Reznor's best instrumental work. By the time the masterful closer rolls around, they'll have you deeply immersed in their world. You'll be glad you stuck around.
- Resident Advisor – Andrew Ryce
Discography
In descending order – oldest first:
Released our First album called Sanctums on March 29, 2012
Here is the first video from the album, Tidal.
http://vimeo.com/38413746
Released our first EP after a few singles on 11 October, 2012
Here is the first single from the album, Posthumous.
http://vimeo.com/50889746
Upcoming:
An unrleased track is being released on an upcoming 12" compilation series by Beatroute
We have completed 2 EP's one coming out on Modern Math Records and the other on recent Fast Forward cover story Close 2 Modern.
Photos
Bio
Over the past two years we have created an album and several EP’s
inspired by our common love for classical music, film soundtracks,
white noise and hip hop.
We think outside the dance-floor and open hearts to avant expressionism.
All of this music is for written and dedicated to our families,
friends and the vast territories we inhabit.
The music we write may seem serious at times but we’re both full of
monkey business.
We come from different eras, more like brothers than friends, we each
bring a different experience to the table.
Dan grew up on 90's hip-hop, troublemaking and skateboarding, Evangelos raised in a classic Greek fashion found early solace in hardcore music & girls.
We write with very few rules or self-imposed obstacles.
We enjoy anarchism, wizards, alien lore, comic books, cultural theory and
samurai films.
We love metal & radiohead.
We are morally guided through the wisdom of She-Ra.
We are excited about what 2013 has coming in way of shows & further releases.
Thanks for listening.
Sanctums.
Sanctums was runner up in Fast Forwards Best of Calgary:
http://www.ffwdweekly.com/article/life-style/best-calgary/best-of-calgary-2012-results-9278/
After that we got asked to play Bass Coast in Squamish, which was our first live show ever.
Theres a time lapse using one of our songs of the stage we played on:
http://youtu.be/BP3M-ag8zSE
Links
