Drifting in Silence
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Drifting in Silence

| INDIE

| INDIE
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"Morning Techno: Drifting in Silence"

’s industrial techno by Drifting In Silence, a band founded by Griffin Technology’s Derrick Stembridge. Five or so years back, I was a more serious techno fan than I am today, but DIS’s music has been making me re-consider the potential of the genre, alternating between the harder sound of Chameleon (in the video) and chill tracks. You can hear some of the music for free on the band’s official website, and through its iTunes pages.

If the genre interests you, my advice would be to start with the 3L3tronic Toxic Remix of Chameleon, which reminds me of old favorites from The Chemical Brothers and Fluke. It’s from the band’s new CD Fallto, which flips between clean driving beats, a more raw NiN sound, and more relaxed songs. I’m actually impressed; it’s not a bad way to wake up, as far as I’m concerned. - ilounge


"Drifting in Silence - Truth"

While bands like Asobi Seksu and Serena-Maneesh are busydoing updates on 4AD's shogaze contingent, Nashville's Derrick Stembridge, an admitted fan of Brian Eno and Harold Budd, takes it upon himself to give the label's more gauzy, ethereal sound a second look. On his sophomore release, Truth, Stembridge wraps his odes to Robin Guthrie and the like in dancing washes of syths and gentle, percolating percussion (all played by Stembridge himself). Eschewing the rhythm-making effects of his drum machine, he instead employs every beat and tick as compositional elements, most finely illustrated on the sailing "Apart" - Aaron Ashley XLR8R Issue 100 Sept. 2006 - XLR8R Magazine


"Drifting in Silence - ladderdown"

Derrick Stembridge is the man behind the name Drifting in Silence. Among his talents other than music are graphic design, illustration, and photography. Don't be fooled by the artist's moniker because this album is actually an interplay of ambient tone poems and rhythmic groove pieces utilising guitar, bass, and keyboards. All the tracks are song length, with the longest coming in at over five minutes.

The scheme of this album is to alternate between upbeat and reflective pieces. It's like continually changing places between a peaceful lounge and a dance club. In the wrong hands this could become annoying or disorienting but somehow it feels natural here. The opening track "Uphillbattle" is an odd man out though, consisting of languorous and soupy guitar musings that generate delicate resonances into the background.

Into the second track "Shadow" and we're in the main flow of the album, though this piece is unusual in that it contains vocals. After an intro of synth chords a lively rhythmic passage of percussion and drums gets underway as blistering riffs and stretchy synth lines add a raw edge to the music. In parts there's an earnest male voice singing the lyrics, and some quieter sections to punctuate the lively nature of the piece.

Typical of the reflective tracks is "Process of Now". Almost orchestral sounding chords conveying a sense of seriousness flow in and out like a gently undulating landscape passing beneath us. All the while an echoing piano melody of sparing notes adds a sense of yearning or melancholy.

Ladderdown is one of the more exciting albums to have come my way recently. It's particularly effective with the volume cranked up, but at modest volumes the meditative pieces work best. Derrick has a deft musical touch on all styles employed on this album; it's effect on me is to reach for the repeat button a lot. Highly recommended. - Melliflua


"Extremely multi-layered and versatile ambient release"

derrick stembridge from nashville, tennessee is the brain behind the new release on tonAtom and he weaves a tight web from beatless and atmospheric ambiences which - unlike other artists' deliberately combined ambient sound layers - unveil obvious structures and a clear sound design. drifting in silence creates the space needed for associations and harmonic melodies, somewhere in between of brian eno and the highly appreciated geir "biosphere" jenssen.

at first ladderdown makes you feel safe. but just when you think you have found your key to this release, stembridge surprises with new facets like skillfully integrated electro-influences and groovy beats showing their sharp teeth.

the listener is moved up and down in waves while he watches all parts of the puzzle combine to a whole: an extremely multi-layered and versatile ambient release which just makes you want more. - TonAtom


Discography

chameleon - EP
ladderdown - LP
truth - LP
Fallto - LP

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

Drifting in Silence Music
Derrick Stembridge, the composer and multi-instrumentalist behind Drifting in Silence, creates light, ambient musical soundscapes that make listeners feel as if they are floating on clouds. Stembridge composes and plays all instruments in his music, including (but not limited to) guitar, bass and keyboards. Stembridge's music takes listeners for a joy ride never experienced before, a ride that impacts the senses in more than the simply auditory dimension.

The Sound
"Dancing washes of synths and gentle, percolating percussion... (Stembridge) employs every beat and tick as compositional elements, most finely illustrated on the sailing 'Apart.'"
- Aaron Ashley / XLR8R (USA)

The Band
At the helm of Drifting in Silence, Stembridge brings forth music that incorporates groove rhythms, instrumental riffs and concrete sounds, inventing an ambient sensation of movement through regions of light and shadow. His CD, Truth, ranges from meditative tone poems to relaxing easy chair grooves. Developing his ideas further in Ladderdown, Stembridge adds sonic depth and timing textures. His latest, Fallto, takes his previously-explored territory one step further, adding edgy vocal textures and punchy rhythms that carry the listener on a tour de force of aural experience.

His song, After the Storm, was featured in the movie Remy-x. Stembridge also lent his mixing skills to the theme music for the new video game Maelstrom from Code Masters (www.codemasters.com/maelstrom/).