Music
Press
IGLOO MAGAZINE
Collapsing Culture “is a good showcase for new electronic artists who don’t hail from the supposed cultural hubs of the States. Theory of Everything is an artist to definitely keep an eye on, as is Æther216. The CD, with its stunning artwork, is a sample of what is out there, away from the bright lights and masses; it shows the potential of small labels from unknown areas.”
- Igloo Magazine
“Collapsing Culture: twenty thoroughly sorted exercises in electronic boom-bap by five Texas-based Exponential artists…the listening experience strengthened by the seamless flow between the cuts…and the artists' dedication to detail and elegant craftsmanship. Though typically only three to four minutes long, the tracks are treated like mini-symphonies in numerous cases.”
- Textura Magazine
“The album first catches with its exceptional covert art, which kind of shows what you will find inside: a rare mixture of urban and ethnic, a patchwork of modified and effected sounds and samples. The fully electronic album is very experimental: no sample was safe from cutting, re-arranging and effecting - you have to take some time to accommodate to the musical way of thinking, but it won't be hard, as Collapsing Culture is very catchy.”
- Triphop.HU
“Their new label compilation, Collapsing Culture, showcases the work of five San Antonio electronic/trip-hop artists and proves the city surprisingly apt… Exponential's aural paintings are impressionistic little abstracts, solid colors and shapes and random boxes that subtly reveal their hidden layers.”
- Popmatters
You should be surprised what these guys can do with sounds, how they compose extraordinary melodic lines, twisted and melancholic beats, wise rhythms and most of all, intelligent music. The group Exponential also militates against the pop star imagery or multi-million dollar record deals from America, fighting with this music and this kind of representation. - Beatfactor
Various Artists - Exponential Presents Collapsing Culture
Collapsing Culture is an excellent compilation of jazzy, relaxed, urban soundscapes with a playful veneer and a sinister edge. The perfect compliment to a solitary afternoon spent smoking cigarettes, drinking bourbon, and pondering where it all went wrong… - ReGen Magazine
Discography
2002 - Algorhythm
2003 - Remixes
2005 - Chasing the Sun
2006 - Collapsing Culture
Collapsing Culture has received national airplay and has even charted in the top 10 RPM charts in Montreal, Rhode Island, and Washington to name a few.
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Bio
Ernest Gonzales is a "Hyphenated American" aka Hispanic, Chicano, Latino, or Mexican -Whatever you want to call it. He grew up next door to the Alamo, but his Spanish is muy pequito. Gonzales is the only child of an electrician father and a Home Depot customer service rep mom. Latch-key only child = video games, drawing trees, making bow and arrows, too much MTV, and pizza pockets. Somehow in between engineering camps Gonzales decided to go to art school but he has no plans on painting the Virgen de Guadalpe. During that time Gonzales used extra scholarship money to buy his first drum machine. See kids...it does pay off to make good grades. All this leads to music production. As Theory, he has no plans on making any raggaeton beats. So there you have it, Ernest Gonzales, a Hyphenated American making music. Hip Hop, Experimental, Electronic - whatever you want to call it.
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