Remanence - Sepiadrone

"Since the beginning of time, the universe has vibrated and sent out a key tone, an incomprehensible growling... Everything that exists is filled with a constant hum... Even the first thing a human being ever listens to is a drone... Static undertones and tone clusters whose harmony or rhythm changes only slightly ... stripped of everything that sets music apart from pure noise ... [Vibrating their] way into the listener s subconscious ... drones are the voice of the universe.
SIEVERS, F. (2018). The Voice of the Universe - A Brief History of Drone.

It feels like a small miracle that this album has even seen the light of day. Like a collection of old photos, most of this material languished in boxes for years while partner John Phipps gradually moved west to Portland and I moved southwest to Santa Fe. We tried picking up the pieces numerous times but lost momentum as soon as a recording session came to an end or we said goodbye over the phone. Ultimately, the distance proved too great and Remanence slowly drifted apart, leaving 'Sepiadrone' in limbo.

It wasn't for a lack of trying. There were countless versions of songs, edits, overdubs and mastering attempts to prove otherwise. In 2022, in a concerted effort to find closure, I made another attempt to complete the project, painstakingly reassembling and remixing it through outboard gear to add more color and dimension. The initial fear that the album would sound disjointed and incomplete disappeared as the material finally showed itself and came into focus. Now, 'Sepiadrone' connects a series of scattered points in an almost straight line, creating shifting tones that exist somewhere outside of time.

We decided to call the album "Sepiadrone" because most of these songs are based on drones. But also because the meaning created by joining two unrelated words describes the music perfectly. This is the sound of best-laid plans falling apart, ideas languishing in obscurity and songs colored by time. The album captures the unexpected beauty in long pauses and feels like a fitting epilogue to the music we began creating so many years ago. Hopefully, you'll agree that this work adds a vital chapter to the Remanence discography despite the rust found on the surface.

Brian McWilliams ~ January 2023

REMANENCE is

BRIAN McWILLIAMS ensoniq asr10, yamaha an1x, roland juno 106, dsi prophet 8, dsi ob6, camel audio alchemy, drums, rattles, metal plates, found objects, shortwave radio, field recordings, sample manipulation

JOHN PHIPPS ensoniq asr88, red sound darkstar xp2, piano, camel audio alchemy, metal plates, found objects, shortwave radio, field recordings, sample manipulation

All songs written and recorded by Remanence in Michigan, Iowa, Oregon and New Mexico except "Sentinel Species Reprise" by Brian McWilliams. Additional synth textures on Sentinel Species by Jan Roos. Audio archaeology, reprocessing and album sequencing by Brian McWilliams. Mastered by Robin Storey. Artwork and photography by Brian McWilliams.

Thank you to Karla, Robin, Ivan, Jason, Jan, Matthew and Jim for feedback and support during the making of this album.