In the mid-1980’s, Rites of Spring emerged
from the thriving music community that was centered around Dischord Records
in Washington DC. Their sound was raw, dense and emotional. It provided
a soundtrack to a generation of veteran punks for whom introspection and
renewal were increasingly necessary tools in the ongoing (re)construction
of personal and political defiance.
Drink_Deep marks an effort to bridge the two distinct but inter-related
milieus of the 80’s Dischord era and the more recent practice of
electronic minimalism, or microsound, both of which have relied upon aesthetic
innovation and a modus operandi that is at once individualized and collaborative.
Aside from a piano that simulates a particular chord progression, all
of the source material comes from the original R.O.S. tracks whose titles
I have had the privilege of retaining.
As a whole, these compositions are, most importantly, an expression of
the admonition to savor the depths of what life has to offer in the immediate
moment, to embrace the paradoxical hazard of living gracefully and deliberately.
Herein lies, I would suggest, the continuing relevance of the original
music, my interpretations of which are offered out of an enduring inspiration.
Tomas Phillips
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