30 August 2011 - 0 Comments

New Zealand based electronic soloist Photonic is to release his third album Rif Mountains on September 12^th. The twelve-track disk features all-original compositions from Photonic’s Craig Scott, including the new radio single ‘Gold Rush’.

Exploring the power of the riff,Rif Mountains draws on a wide range of inspirations in an experiment of repetition and musical mantras. Citing Black Sabbath, Metallica, Slayer and Sepultura as key riff influences, Photonic plays with these diverse inspirations in a concept album that explores a singular, simple notion.

“I wanted to write and record an entire album at home using one beat that I could surf along with, a stream-lined, coherent and continuous idea.”

Photonic formed back in 2000 as a three piece, with frontman Craig joined by Antony Claridge (Avotor) and Douglas Ferguson (The Dirty Sweets). In 2002 they recorded a live-to-tape album in Grey Lynn studio Montage, then in 2003, recorded the tracks ‘Salvageable’ and ‘Respirate’ as a double A-side at York St.

Moving into 2005 and Craig revisited his sound engineering education at The Music & Audio Institute of New Zealand, all the while recording the majority of the self-produced 2008 Photonic album Recorded Contact.

In need of a change of scenery, it was then off to Europe where Craig spent six months playing shows in London, Den Haag and Paris. It was here the concept for Rif Mountains was born, in the form of a beat loop, which was to form the basis of the album and his live act.

“After playing the solo live shows using this beat, I knew that it would also be fun and the best way to write and record the third Photonic album. I decided to stay solo as Photonic and to concentrate on riffs. How riffs could fit together to sustain original plateaus of feeling.”

A largely instrumental album, Rif Mountains was all recorded in the humble location of Craig’s lounge room using Pro Tools and an Aiwa stereo over 2010 and 2011.

Rif Mountains is available from all good music stores and digitally from September 12, 2011.

For further information on Photonic, check out http://www.photonic.co.nz/

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