Byron Westbrook - Distortion Hue (2021)

Hands in the Dark presents Distortion Hue, American composer Byron Westbrook’s follow-up LP to 2017’s Body Consonance, his previous LP for the label.

Where its predecessor focused on gesture and movement, this new record is grounded in catharsis and gut emotion. Its ten tracks of tape-manipulated electronics present a more raw side of Westbrook’s work, with grainy and damaged textures, walls of feedback and non-metered pulses. The album shows a wide range of expressiveness, capturing at times the deep anxiety of the present moment while also presenting flashes of hope amidst chaos.

With a nod to rock minimalism as well as to his mentor Phill Niblock’s sonic material approach, Distortion Hue is heavy in weight; a complex and layered deep listening experience.