Estradasphere has created a dvd from the performances on tour of Palace of Mirrors, an album that obliterates the concept of genre. It succeeds as their music work is filmic, imparting the sense of movement through space and time of a narrative, yet without directly addressing a specific utterance of plot or purpose. It’s a journey, a complex and compelling fusion of styles that has me reaching for terms like progressive meta-jazz or Romanian neo-classical swing metal. The dvd contains the full 80 minute set of Palace of Mirrors and an additional hour of performance, plus a documentary road movie showing the assemblage and creation of both the album and the live sets.

The DVD also comes with a story, a parable, or perhaps a warning that fleshes out the narrative behind Palace of Mirrors. A self-mythologizing fable, Horse Coffin, by Chip Yamada and Tim Smolens, accompanies the dvd and lays out some of the motifs that are addressed via the music and the projection in the video.

The story describes a world far in the future, where music is no longer understood or heard, and is instead something recreated and commissioned by scientists. Into this world, a team of workers, mythic versions of the Estradasphere members, are developing new applications of music and using it in unimaginable ways. As a story, it provides a groundwork for where this incredibly complex music has come. It also provides a sort of ironic distance from the pedestrian genres that the music industry has remained so obsessed since motown and allows this talented pool of musicians to cull tropes and styles from a global palate.

Fantary Impromptu

The version of Fantasy Impromptu OP66 by Frederic Chopin covered with heavy metal chords, aggressive drumming, and a short banjo interlude is not to be missed (and you can watch it up above) nor is their encore performance of American Tough, live in Santa Cruz. Thankfully, the video itself sustains multiple viewing as the camera work, the stage lighting, and the remediation of the event on the projection creates a full visual experience highlighting the musicians as they perform.

Sadly, the story ends as a cliffhanger, nothing is fully resolved and the plot is just barely there, just enough to tease and puzzle. I want to know what comes next, and as this dvd was my first real exposure to Estradasphere, I’ll be keeping an eye out for their next release. This dvd is music as it should be – challenging, engaging, narrative-driven, and complex enough to withstand countless repetition.

We’ll have more from Estradasphere on Alterati, as Ray Carney interviews Tim Smolens for the next two RIPPLE podcasts. Until then check out the band and their dvd of Palace of Mirrors Live.