BeatRoute Magazine B.C. print e-edition - June 2016

CHAMBERS
electronic collaboration echoes new dialogue in rhythm and sound
by Jamie Goyman
The pairing of Vancouver electronic music
producers Michael Red and Gabriel
Saloman was unplanned, but sometimes
a friendship and collaboration hits hard and
sudden.
Their latest project, Chambers, can be
described as both unexpected and expressive.
Sigma Flare II (Debacle Records), the second
instalment of their two-part series, inspires
wild, lustrous musical landscapes while exploring
and reflecting their growth as individual
artists.
“Michael and I have been making music for
a long time and I think our voices are fully
present in the music. I don’t know how anyone
else could make this music or who would. It
is the two of us in conversation, not speaking
over each other, but speaking back and forth.
Speaking and listening,” says Saloman. “An
appreciation for rhythm and sound was a big
part of our interest in collaborating. I think that
touchstone is much more obvious on the tracks
that show up on Sigma Flare I. The songs on
the new album reflect a transition towards
really discovering our own sound and way of
playing together. We both have a lot of overlap
in terms of music that we listen to and love but
by the time 151 and AEBB were recorded we
were trying to build the world - those audible
landscapes - that was particular to Chambers.”
Artistically these two unyielding in their
creative endeavours, wherever they may lead,
and their albums have this significance about
them that is hard to really place your finger on.
The music of Chambers falls into an area of audible
space depicting landscapes rendered in a
catching body of work that not only transports,
but travels alongside you.
What makes Chambers one of the better
team-ups out there is their complete dedication
to the craft and the camaraderie Red and
Saloman share. “The best part is playing music,
especially live through a solid system. The
music feels like a world that I get to visit only
through this collaboration. I’ve never gotten
bored playing this music and never played a
show without wishing it could continue on for
hours. Besides the playing, it’s the learning experience
of working with an artist like Michael.
He’s a craftsman who’s put in way more than
his ‘10,000 hours’ and it shows. Playing with
him has changed my own music making as a
solo artist, not stylistically so much as in terms
of my knowledge of sound, frequency and the
rigours of the post-production process,” says
Saloman.
For Red, “Those magical moments when
we’re improvising and find that zone and just
ride and enjoy it. I’ve said it before, but I very
much enjoy our differences — both musically
and personally — and how we’re both experienced
and grounded enough to very willingly
jump in and explore where those meeting
points exists. I learn a ton from Gabriel, and I
love to learn.”
Within the Vancouver electronic music scene
Red and Saloman are known for their abilities,
both live and in the studio. This Chambers collaboration
has come to be one of those huzzah
moments for the duo on their creative paths as
artists. “Being creative is a physical and spiritual
need for me, not a want,” Red says. “I need
to express and interpret and discover in order
to stay, or go back to being sane and grounded.
I’m very naturally motivated to go places other
people haven’t gone before and try to break
new ground, and also to express the parts of
me that haven’t been expressed yet. Chambers
is definitely in that category,” Red says.
For more from Chambers, check
out chambers-dub.net
Michael Red and Gabriel Saloman joined forces for a unique electronic music collaboration.
photo: D. L. Frazer
22 ELECTRONICS DEPT.
June 2016