For his second full-length and first on vinyl with Oakland-based Ratskin Records, Derek Gedalecia’s HEADBOGGLE project has taken the critically acclaimed hybrid one-minute electronic-stylings of 2019’s “Polyphonic Demo” (Ratskin) and expanded his ideas into 24 longer form pieces that pull from Parliament/Funkadelic as much as Raymond Scott. “Digital Digital Analog” could easily be undulating in the catacombs of label discographies from Editions Mego to Sub Pop or even Mute Records, but has landed in the bin of the Oakland esoteric imprint Ratskin Records. We couldn’t be more excited to present this on beautiful limited edition clear vinyl and digital download to the world, certainly Headboggle’s most astute and developed work to date.

The strange and alien worlds Headboggle opens up throughout the album are a complex mix of Gedalecia’s mischievous sense of humor, love of pure sound, and quirky melodic sensibility inspired by his studies of ragtime and classical music. Whereas previous LPs were more improv-based in their arrangements, “Digital Digital Analog” refines Gedalecia’s decades of research into synthesis through a highly focused and refined compositional lens. The album represents the culmination of 20 plus years of sonic experimentation spanning noise, new music, avant garde, collage, soundtrack oriented music, and so much more into a meticulously refined and generously melodic approach. “Digital Digital Analog” far eclipses the artist’s previous works in a myriad of ways wholly rewarding for the listener.

“Digital Digital Analog” is the first Headboggle album to feature MIDI and digital synths as well as Steinway grand piano. This is another subtext for the album that new Digital and Analog instruments were utilized.

“While other releases were more conceptual, often featuring a single instrument, whereas ‘Digital Digital Analog’ is a full-fledged stops-out utilization of every instrument and every production technique at my disposal.“ – Headboggle

“Digital Digital Analog” references in shorthand the old Compact Disc convention of noting how the album was recorded and issued. In this case, it was recorded digitally, mastered digitally, and prepared for analog release on vinyl with an appropriate sequence of tracks and artwork.

With it’s compositionally adventurous spirit, and sonically cinematic presentations, “Digital Digital Analog” stands as Gedalecia’s most refined and articulate work to date. Most of the tracks for “Digital Digital Analog” came out of the continued exploration of the Dave Smith Prophet polyphonic synthesizer and was culled from many hours of rehearsals in preparation for Ratskin Records 2019 US Tour.

Picture the undulating synth lines of mid-‘70s Parliament transplanted to a petri dish and allowed to grow, or maybe the soundtrack to the most baffling caper movie ever made, and you might have a fraction of what Digital Digital Analog contains. This 36-minute record finds Gedalecia working across a variety of rhythm and genre templates, the titles (“Ancient Trap,” “Skip Pop, ”Breakdance Music”) provoking many questions and fewer answers. The music can be at times both stark and grandiose, desolate and luxuriant, dead-serious and ridiculous, dirge-like and joyful; it’s all de rigueur for Headboggle.

Gedalecia has taken the best and most developed parts of a myriad of sound synthesis and production techniques and coalesced it into a forty minute tour de force of forward-thinking, cinematic and whimsical music. To contextualize this album as anything short of his grand opus within the context of his vast 100+ release back catalog wouldn’t be giving “Digital Digital Analog” it’s due diligence.

credits

Mastered By Jake Rodriguez
soundcrack.net

Artwork By TinyLittleHammers
tinylittlehammers.com

Insert Design: Jason P.

Liner Notes: Carrie Hunter

Released September 24, 2021

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Headboggle “Digital Digital Analog” LP (Ratskin)