Algonquin, IL. (Top40 Charts/ Token Boy Records) - 'A Box and a Word' and 'Duologue' bring the number of CD releases in the past year to four, as
Random Touch continue in their quest to take improvisation to new levels. Relying as always on the magic of invitation and serendipity, they use beauty, tension and darkness to create cinematic music that touches and transcends the worlds of rock, jazz and 20th century classical music.
"One consequence of our prolific output is that you are hearing virtually pure improvisation. The urge to perform post-production surgery is quickly extinguished when there are hundreds of recordings waiting in the wings. The last time we dubbed a track was five CDs ago. Perhaps when I'm 90 I'll revisit some of these outtakes." - Christopher Brown, drummer
"The thing about Random Touch that I like is the effect of just a sound, a sound that will get right into your bloodstream. It starts effecting your emotions. It's just magic." - James Day, keyboardist
"Unlike traditional musicians who seek to hone their skills to a point of utter control, we veer away when technique would make us too predictable. We know we need freshness and a sense of fun, and our pursuit of these inevitably leads to using instruments, genres and every day objects in ways that were never intended. When we play we don't know where we are going or how we are getting there. Discovering the answers to these questions, in real time, is pure musical joy." - Christopher Brown
You can sense the spirit of Can, Frank Zappa, Sun Ra and King Crimson, but the music of Random Touch lies outside of simple categories or comparisons. Their music appears sourced from the mythic plane where the collective consciousness of the whole and the individual unconscious become one. The result is dreamy, hypnotic, and otherworldly; it is music that seems to float, free of gravity, continuously on the verge of cohesion and collapse.
Random Touch founders Christopher Brown and James Day have an old and synergistic relationship that began with collaborations in high school (an original rock opera) and college (commissioned multi-media piece Broken Glass among others). Brown and Day first collaborated with member Scott Hamill (guitar) in 1978 and member Matthew Ebbin (camera) in 1998. In addition to music, the visual arts have been an integral part of their work over the years. To Random Touch they are all vibration. Whether videotaping the tight, electric frequency of the color violet or recording the long and lazy thrum of a hammered steel girder, it is all raw material, ready for the alchemy of transmutation.
On June 6, 2008 their ninth and tenth works, 'Duologue' and 'A Box and a Word,' will be released. A journey through beauty, tension and darkness awaits the listener. Some may consider the 57-minute 'A Box and a Word' their most ear-friendly and personal release to date. Listen as Scott Hamill, James Day and Christopher Brown converge once again to explore and flesh out the unfamiliar.
Random Touch - 'Duologue' and 'A Box and a Word' will be available from CD Baby, Amazon.com and the band's official website.
For more information: www.randomtouch.com
