Loscil
Encyclopedia
Loscil is the electronic
/ambient music
project of Scott Morgan, from Vancouver, BC. The name Loscil is taken from the "looping oscillator" function (loscil) in Csound
. Scott Morgan is also the drummer for the Vancouver indie band Destroyer
.
A self-released album titled A New Demonstration of Thermodynamic Tendencies caught the attention of experimental music
label Kranky
, who signed Morgan on to release his debut album Triple Point in 2001. The album features six tracks off his first independent release as well as four new tracks.
Loscil followed up the release with Submers, an aquatic-themed album. Each track on the album is named after a submarine
. The last track on the album was produced in honour of the people who died on the Russian submarine K-141 Kursk
.
His 2004 album First Narrows (a reference to the official name of the Vancouver bridge, also known as Lions' Gate Bridge
) marked the incorporation of improvised performances by a number of guest musicians: Nyla Raney, cello
; Tim Loewen, guitar
; and Jason Zumpano, Rhodes piano
. Consequently, the songs on First Narrows are more organic and looser in nature than Morgan's previous work.
Eight of his songs were featured on the film score of the 2004 documentary ScaredSacred by award-winning documentary filmmaker Velcrow Ripper
.
In 2005, Morgan released Stases, a collection of drones based upon the backgrounds of his work for Kranky Records. The album was made available as a free download-only release from One Records.
The theme of his fourth major album, released in 2006, continues the conceptual ascent each album has taken, from the sub-atomic level (Triple Point) and watery depths (Submers) to the surface (First Narrows) and the sky (Plume).
Plume continues Morgan's musical integration of other musicians' work into his ambient compositions, including Josh August Lindstrom on vibes and xylophone
and Krista Michelle Marshall and Stephen Michael Wood on ebow guitar (as well as Zumpano again on piano).
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
/ambient music
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
project of Scott Morgan, from Vancouver, BC. The name Loscil is taken from the "looping oscillator" function (loscil) in Csound
Csound
Csound is a computer programming language for dealing with sound, also known as a sound compiler or an audio programming language, or more precisely, a C-based audio DSL. It is called Csound because it is written in C, as opposed to some of its predecessors...
. Scott Morgan is also the drummer for the Vancouver indie band Destroyer
Destroyer (band)
Destroyer is a Canadian indie pop band fronted by singer-songwriter Dan Bejar.- Overview :Daniel Bejar is an independent pop singer-songwriter from Vancouver who formed Destroyer in 1995. He self-produced his first album, the lo-fi We'll Build Them a Golden Bridge, which was recorded at his in...
.
A self-released album titled A New Demonstration of Thermodynamic Tendencies caught the attention of experimental music
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
label Kranky
Kranky Records
Kranky is an independent record label, located in Chicago, Illinois. It was started in 1993 by Bruce Adams and Joel Leoschke.The bands it houses are noted for combining experimental and often electronic influences with elements of more traditional rock structures, and many of the artists on Kranky...
, who signed Morgan on to release his debut album Triple Point in 2001. The album features six tracks off his first independent release as well as four new tracks.
Loscil followed up the release with Submers, an aquatic-themed album. Each track on the album is named after a submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
. The last track on the album was produced in honour of the people who died on the Russian submarine K-141 Kursk
Russian submarine K-141 Kursk
K-141 Kursk was an Oscar-II class nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine of the Russian Navy, lost with all hands when it sank in the Barents Sea on August 12, 2000...
.
His 2004 album First Narrows (a reference to the official name of the Vancouver bridge, also known as Lions' Gate Bridge
Lions' Gate Bridge
The Lions Gate Bridge, officially known as the First Narrows Bridge, is a suspension bridge that crosses the first narrows of Burrard Inlet and connects the City of Vancouver, British Columbia, to the North Shore municipalities of the District of North Vancouver, the City of North Vancouver, and...
) marked the incorporation of improvised performances by a number of guest musicians: Nyla Raney, cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
; Tim Loewen, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
; and Jason Zumpano, Rhodes piano
Rhodes piano
The Rhodes piano is an electro-mechanical piano, invented by Harold Rhodes during the fifties and later manufactured in a number of models, first in collaboration with Fender and after 1965 by CBS....
. Consequently, the songs on First Narrows are more organic and looser in nature than Morgan's previous work.
Eight of his songs were featured on the film score of the 2004 documentary ScaredSacred by award-winning documentary filmmaker Velcrow Ripper
Velcrow Ripper
Velcrow Ripper is a Canadian documentary filmmaker, writer, and public speaker, best known for his Genie Award-winning 2006 film Scared Sacred and his newest feature documentary, Fierce Light: When Spirit Meets Action...
.
In 2005, Morgan released Stases, a collection of drones based upon the backgrounds of his work for Kranky Records. The album was made available as a free download-only release from One Records.
The theme of his fourth major album, released in 2006, continues the conceptual ascent each album has taken, from the sub-atomic level (Triple Point) and watery depths (Submers) to the surface (First Narrows) and the sky (Plume).
Plume continues Morgan's musical integration of other musicians' work into his ambient compositions, including Josh August Lindstrom on vibes and xylophone
Xylophone
The xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets...
and Krista Michelle Marshall and Stephen Michael Wood on ebow guitar (as well as Zumpano again on piano).
Major Albums
- 1999 A New Demonstration of Thermodynamic Tendencies
- 2001 Triple Point (KrankyKranky RecordsKranky is an independent record label, located in Chicago, Illinois. It was started in 1993 by Bruce Adams and Joel Leoschke.The bands it houses are noted for combining experimental and often electronic influences with elements of more traditional rock structures, and many of the artists on Kranky...
) - 2002 Submers (Kranky)
- 2004 First Narrows (Kranky)
- 2006 Plume (Kranky)
- 2010 Endless Falls (Kranky)
- 2011 Coast / Range / Arc (Glacial Movements Records)
EPs & Other Releases
- 2005 Stases (Drones 2001 - 2005) (One)
- 2009 Strathcona Variations EP (Ghostly InternationalGhostly InternationalGhostly International is an American independent record label. Chief artists include Matthew Dear, Dabrye , Mobius Band, and Skeletons & The Girl-Faced Boys, all of which are innovative contributors to the world of music....
) - 2010 Versions EP (bandcampBandcampBandcamp is an online music store, as well as a platform for artist promotion, that caters mainly for independent artists. Artists on Bandcamp have a customizable microsite with the albums they upload. All tracks can be played for free on the website and some artists offer free music downloads...
) - 2010 Untitled EP (bandcamp)
Tracks Featured On
- 2003 Saturday Morning Empires (Intr Version)
- 2003 The Corporation documentary film soundtrack
- 2004 ScaredSacred documentary film soundtrack
- 2006 Idol Tryouts: Ghostly International Vol. 2Idol Tryouts 2Idol Tryouts 2 is a various artists compilation album released by Ann Arbor, Michigan-based record label Ghostly International. It is the label's third compilation overall and the second in their Idol Tryouts series. Idol Tryouts 2 contains tracks from artists on the label and spans the musical...
(Ghostly InternationalGhostly InternationalGhostly International is an American independent record label. Chief artists include Matthew Dear, Dabrye , Mobius Band, and Skeletons & The Girl-Faced Boys, all of which are innovative contributors to the world of music....
) - 2008 The Sleep Machine contributed to Chequerboards online Relay project
- 2009 OsmosOsmosOsmos is a puzzle video game developed by Canadian developer Hemisphere Games for different systems as Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. The game was made available on Steam on 17 August 2009. The Android port was also hinted to be in development...
computer game
External links
- Official Site
- MySpace Page
- Loscil at Kranky RecordsKranky RecordsKranky is an independent record label, located in Chicago, Illinois. It was started in 1993 by Bruce Adams and Joel Leoschke.The bands it houses are noted for combining experimental and often electronic influences with elements of more traditional rock structures, and many of the artists on Kranky...
- "Environmental Music: Loscil's Impressionistic Portraits CBC Radio 3CBC Radio 3CBC Radio 3 is a radio station that consists of two parts devoted to Canadian arts and music: a radio service which is available on Sirius Satellite Radio and streaming audio, and several daily and weekly podcasts from the CBC Radio 3 website...
Live Concert Session - Two and a Half Questions with Loscil - Interview on Headphone Commute (May, 2010)