This September, the border between reality and the abstract dream world is set to be challenged. Travis Duo, a new collaboration between veteran musicians Jarvis Earnshaw and Trevor Dunn, have announced their self-released debut LP Hypnagogia.
Hypnagogia will be exploring instrumental themes that dabble across the psychedelic and abstract mediums. Earnshaw, who has in the past worked with the musical groups SYRINX-, Question and Harbinger, plays sitar on this record while also contributing his voice and tape loops. Dunn is a multifaceted musician and composer who has worked with a plethora of acts and artists such as Mr. Bungle, John Zorn and Tomahawk. Dunn plays both contrabass and percussion on this project and is joined by feature musicians Daniel Carter, Sean McCaul, Devin Brahja Waldman and Niko Wood on several other tracks.
Recorded and mixed by legendary songwriter and producer Martin Bisi in his Brooklyn studio, Hypnagogia is a collection of improvisations that were done based on a set of line drawings and diagrams drawn during lucid dreams. Bisi, who has in the past worked with Sonic Youth, Swans and John Zorn, leaned on his psychedelic and funk based repertoire to produce an album that will have both Earnshaw and Dunn combining abstraction and their pop roots. In this upcoming project, fans can expect dreamlike compositions and an eclectic range of instrumentation including sitars, xylophones and flutes.
On August 7th, Travis Duo released a new track and music video entitled “FAQ” that gives fans a taste of what is to come in mid-September. This song is a 9 minute acid trip that incorporates whimsical jazz elements, meandering sitar riffs and dissonant instrumentation. When combined with Earnshaw’s shouting and chanting vocals, the experience is something truly out of this world.
The music video, a visualization by Preston Spurlock, is a journey to the dream realm. The viewer is transported into a vibrant kaleidoscope-like world as a colorful but grainy video filter is paired with constant images of psychedelic birds. This motif of birds can also be found on the album’s artwork.
Dunn and Mr. Bungle, who will be playing at Riot fest in September, recently announced their first-ever NFT collection called Disco Volante Era Improv at The Bomb Factory that began on August 2nd.
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