Jeremiah Chiu is a Chicago-born, LA-based composer, multi-media artist, and modular synth expert. You might know him as a member of the quintent SML or the series of improvisational albums that he made in collaboration with the violist Marta Sofia Honer, including last year's Different Rooms. Now, Chiu announces plans to follow his 2023 solo album In Electric Time with a new one called Edge Conditions.
Edge Conditions is a layered, rhythmic connection that owes a serious debt to the IDM producers of the '90s and '00s, as well as to Chicago post-rock heroes like Tortoise. Lead single "Plastic Mind / Elastic Machines" is a moody, stuttering zone-out that lasts for exactly six minutes. It's got field recordings and voice from Japanese musician Takako Minekawa and bass from Chiu's SML bandmate Booker Stardrum. Korey Martin, the artist who did the Edge Conditions album cover, is also responsible for the hand-drawn animated video. In a press release, Chiu says:
"Plastic Mind / Elastic Machines" was truly the guiding beacon for the entire record. Prior to rediscovering this track, I imagined an album with a more defined ensemble that was less drum-centric. Once I heard this, I felt drawn to follow this direction and let it take me wherever it was headed...
Korey’s artwork holds visual resonance for what I was trying to create — something analog, abstract, and beautiful, but with some tension and energy that felt like the music. His repetitive visual motifs create a hypnotic quality that perfectly accompanies the song.
The album also has contributions from other Chiu contemporaries like Marta Sofia Honer, Patrick Shiroishi, and Resavoir's Will Miller. Below, check out the "Plastic Mind / Elastic Machines" video, the Edge Conditions tracklist, and Chiu's upcoming shows.
TRACKLIST:
01 "Way In"
02 "A.M. Fuses"
03 "In Visibility"
04 "Edge Conditions"
05 "Interfaces"
06 "Plastic Mind / Elastic Machines"
07 "Sentimental Object"
08 "Doubles"
09 "Non-narrative"
10 "A Floral Pattern"
11 "Night Fog"
TOUR DATES:
9/10 - Chicago, IL @ Plantasia
10/29 - Brooklyn, NY @ Public Records
11/29 - Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon
Edge Conditions is out 10/9 on International Anthem. Pre-order it here.
