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Palimpsest

by RJ Valeo

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1.
Freak Show One 04:10
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2.
Layer One 03:32
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3.
Deep In It 06:30
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4.
Hot In July 06:43
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5.
Jilted 05:55
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6.
Leave The Lights On 05:28
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7.
Squelched 04:17
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8.
Triangulation 05:00
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9.
Not The One 03:50
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10.
Layer Two 07:03
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11.
Freak Layer Three 04:13
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about

pal·imp·sest

"a manuscript or piece of writing material on which the original writing has been effaced to make room for later writing but of which traces remain."
or
"something reused or altered but still bearing visible traces of its earlier form."

Most of the sampled sounds on this release are the result of harvesting old cassettes from the trash bin, diving into them, listening to hours of found sound tapes and unearthing obscure sample gold.

There are a lot of quantum mechanics going on here, and just like the thought experiment for Schroedinger's cat, these tapes have everything and nothing on them before they are played. Some are labeled, others not. There is a big swath of the tapes that were recorded off the radio in a very specific era - the 90's, around the golden era of hip-hop. DJ Red Alert and Marly Marl are featured prominently.

Along with the amazing feast of hip hop there were also fantastic finds from Prince, Sheila E, Wendy & Lisa, The Time, Biggie, The list goes on. All of it recorded to old cassettes and with that warmth. Some from records, some with blown-out needles, some even with skips.

I dug, chopped it all up, and 'racked up them samples' and got to work. I didn't think about style or genre - i never do when I am in a flow state with production, that really kills things. I just went for it and had fun.

Those sessions were really fun when I did them a while ago, and I had sort of forgotten about them until the pandemic. I dug them up, mastered them, cut some tracks, found a few others from other work that hadn't gotten released, made sure it fit the sonic pallet and narrative and the palimpsest took shape quickly.

The tapes have been inspiring me for the past decade, and I hope their charm warms up your heart and you enjoy the ride.

credits

released December 25, 2020

Mastering, Production, Engineering, Composition
All the things by RJ Valeo

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RJ Valeo Queens, New York

Electronic Musician, Producer, and Artist

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