SON LUX

THIS IS THE OLD BLOG

2011-01-22T14:56:00.000-08:00

go here, instead.

i got tired of waiting for google to make something that didn't feel like 1998 to use.

NEW HAVEN SHOW - NOV 6

2010-09-20T11:45:00.001-07:00

i'll be a mixed media ensemble featuring dancers and live projected visuals by superDraw. new arrangements, new songs.

ECA (Educational Center for the Arts)
Saturday, Nov 6
Doors at 7, Show at 7:30

CLICK TO BUY TICKETS

Son Lux at the Movies

2010-09-09T07:42:00.000-07:00

The Romantics opens tomorrow night in NYC and LA. son lux's BETRAY is on the soundtrack! i heart anna paquin, but i don't think there are vamps in this one. here's an interesting article about it.

RELEASES

2010-03-17T14:44:00.000-07:00

FREE SON LUX ORIGINALS

"DO" [ALBUM OUT-TAKE] BY SON LUX

"THROW" [ALBUM OUT-TAKE] BY SON LUX

FREE SON LUX REMIXES

WHY? - "THESE HANDS (SON LUX REMIX)"

TAKKA TAKKA - "SILENCE (SON LUX REMIX)"

RADIOHEAD - "NUDE (SON LUX POPULARITY CONTEST REMAKE)"

MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND - "THE DIAMOND (SON LUX ALTERNATE REMIX)"
- this one is a mashup between an unreleased Son Lux instrumental, MBD's The Diamond, and Prokofiev's Romeo & Juliet

MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND - "TO PLUTO'S MOON (SON LUX REMIX)"

MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND - "INSIDE A BOY (SON LUX REMIX)"

BEIRUT - "A SUNDAY SMILE (SON LUX REMIX)"

JAMIE LIDELL - "LITTLE BIT OF FEEL GOOD (SON LUX "JUST THE SOUND OF YOUR VOICE" REMIX)"

CASTANETS - "THE EARLY GAME (SON LUX REMIX)"

------------

BUY THIS STUFF

WEAPONS EP - (ANTICON. RECORDS) [DOWNLOAD ONLY]
◊ AMAZON OR iTUNES

AT WAR WITH WALLS AND MAZES - DEBUT FULL-LENGTH (ANTICON. RECORDS) [CD/LP/DOWNLOAD]
◊ ANTICON. OR AMAZON OR iTUNES

MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND - SHARK REMIXES VOL. 2 - SON LUX EP [DOWNLOAD ONLY]
1 APPLES (SON LUX REMIX)
2 THE DIAMOND (SON LUX REMIX)
3 INSIDE A BOY (SON LUX REMIX)
4 TO PLUTO'S MOON (SON LUX REMIX)
◊ iTUNES OR AMAZON OR EMUSIC

"SPEAK" BY SON LUX, FROM HABITAT, A BENEFIT COMPILATION FOR HABITAT FOR HUMANITY (ASTHMATIC KITTY RECORDS) [CD/DOWNLOAD]
◊ AK OR iTUNES OR AMAZON

SIMPLE MINDS - "DON'T YOU (FORGET ABOUT ME)" COVER BY SON LUX FEAT. DAYNA KURTZ (EMI) [DOWNLOAD ONLY]
◊ iTUNES OR AMAZON

HEADLIGHTS - "TV (SON LUX REMIX)" (POLYVINYL RECORDS) [DOWNLOAD ONLY]
◊ iTUNES OR AMAZON

MUTE MATH - "SPOTLIGHT (SON LUX REMIX)" (WARNER/TELEPROMPT) [DOWNLOAD/LIMITED EDITION 12" VINYL]
◊ iTUNES OR AMAZON OR MUTE MATH'S ONLINE STORE

SON LUX & REINDEER - "IN STATIC" - LIMITED-EDITION 7" (MISM)
◊ MISM RECORDS

SOLE & THE SKYRIDER BAND - "100 LIGHT YEARS AND RUNNING (SON LUX REMIX)"
◊ iTUNES

DM STITH - BMB (Son Lux Remix) [feat. Carlosaur]
◊ iTUNES

* * * coming soon... anathallo, nico muhly, and wild beasts remixes! * * *

New Year, New Music

2010-01-19T04:12:00.000-08:00

NEW EP - FEB 16

WEAPONS EP

"In the time since Mazes, Lott has stayed busy composing – among other things – hours of music for dance companies from New York to Paris. But for him, the chant-based concept of the Son Lux debut required further investigation. The Weapons EP is Lott’s self-issued challenge to do just that – to use Mazes standout “Weapons,” whose primary melody haunts various points of that record, as a launch pad for a complete EP of material derived from a single source." More about the WEAPONS EP is here.

Listen to WEAPONS V:

________________

{ OUT NOW }

THE COMPLETE SHARK REMIXES

4-Volume, Limited Edition Double CD (edition of 1500) signed and numbered by Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond. Buy it here or get the 320kbps MP3 download here.

________________

MARCH 2

Last year I worked on brass and woodwind arrangements for this album, and went to Prague to record it. It's finally out in the US on March 2.

Check out the single and video, and what the critics are saying...

"A shockingly brilliant album - announces These New Puritans as one of the most powerful artistic forces in britain today - 9/10" - NME
"Astonishing, brave and very peculiar... There are more ideas here than most bands manage in an entire career - 4/5" - The Times
"Adventurous, challenging and futuristic - 4/5" - Mojo
"These New Puritans are out there, on their own - 4/5" - Uncut
"A magnum opus - 9/10" - Drowned In Sound

________________

MARCH 5 & 6

A full night of new music & dance at Symphony Space, including a new 30-minute chamber sextet for yMusic Ensemble, my favorite Supergroup. Two choreographers, Gina Gibney and David Parker, were invited by Symphony Space to present together as part of its Short Form Weave Series. So they each asked me to write them music. yMusic will perform Gina's piece live, and i'll perform David's piece on electronics and whatnot.

Tickets

________________

MARCH 19th

SXSW in Austin, TX - Anticon. Showcase

________________

More projects in the works, including remixes for Nico Muhly, WHY?, Owen Pallett, Wild Beasts, Anathallo, Serengeti & Polyphonic, and Paper Route. More later...

iEmpathize Benefit & Launch Party - Boulder, CO 9/21

2009-09-18T12:08:00.000-07:00

Help change the lives of children around the world by purchasing tickets to the evening and inviting your friends to come. The evening will feature a performance by Son Lux, the premier of the iE short film, and the Empathy Experience (gallery installation).

Tickets $20 at www.iEPresents.com

Nice Review & Pics of MASS MoCA Show

2009-09-08T11:06:00.001-07:00

Thanks again to MASS MoCA for inviting Joshue & I to perform! Check out THIS review, and these pics by "rorris".

Son Lux w/ Joshue Ott @ Mass MoCA - SEPT 4

2009-08-30T10:21:00.000-07:00

making new arrangements for this. can't wait. joshue and i are trying out some new syncing possibilities with his superDraw software, which is "a platform for visual expression using drawing," except cooler. also bringing along my friend caleb burhans (itsnotyouitsme, alarm will sound, escort) to play violin, sing, and even bang on some drums.

AVAILABLE RECORDINGS

2009-07-16T05:29:00.000-07:00

(((updated 16 July 09)))

FREE SON LUX ORIGINALS

"DO" [ALBUM OUT-TAKE] BY SON LUX

"THROW" [ALBUM OUT-TAKE] BY SON LUX

FREE SON LUX REMIXES

TAKKA TAKKA - "SILENCE (SON LUX REMIX)"

RADIOHEAD - "NUDE (SON LUX POPULARITY CONTEST REMAKE)"

MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND - "INSIDE A BOY (SON LUX REMIX)"

BEIRUT - "A SUNDAY SMILE (SON LUX REMIX)"

JAMIE LIDELL - "LITTLE BIT OF FEEL GOOD (SON LUX "JUST THE SOUND OF YOUR VOICE" REMIX)"

CASTANETS - "THE EARLY GAME (SON LUX REMIX)"

LISA PAPINEAU - "POWER & GLORY PT. 1 (SON LUX REMIX)"
- i did this one so long ago i forgot all about it. but it's really cool. it's a remix of lisa's song, but i killed everything but the vocals and conjured all new instrumental parts, drawing heavily from nirvana's "smells like teen spirit." features steve temme on saxophones.

------------

BUY THIS STUFF

AT WAR WITH WALLS AND MAZES - DEBUT FULL-LENGTH (ANTICON. RECORDS) [CD/LP/DOWNLOAD]
◊ ANTICON. OR AMAZON OR iTUNES

MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND - SHARK REMIXES VOL. 2 - SON LUX EP [DOWNLOAD ONLY]
1 APPLES (SON LUX REMIX)
2 THE DIAMOND (SON LUX REMIX)
3 INSIDE A BOY (SON LUX REMIX)
4 TO PLUTO'S MOON (SON LUX REMIX)
◊ iTUNES OR AMAZON OR EMUSIC

"SPEAK" BY SON LUX, FROM HABITAT, A BENEFIT COMPILATION FOR HABITAT FOR HUMANITY (ASTHMATIC KITTY RECORDS) [CD/DOWNLOAD]
◊ AK OR iTUNES OR AMAZON

SIMPLE MINDS - "DON'T YOU (FORGET ABOUT ME)" COVER BY SON LUX FEAT. DAYNA KURTZ (EMI) [DOWNLOAD ONLY]
◊ iTUNES OR AMAZON

HEADLIGHTS - "TV (SON LUX REMIX)" (POLYVINYL RECORDS) [DOWNLOAD ONLY]
◊ iTUNES OR AMAZON

MUTE MATH - "SPOTLIGHT (SON LUX REMIX)" (WARNER/TELEPROMPT) [DOWNLOAD/LIMITED EDITION 12" VINYL]
◊ iTUNES OR AMAZON OR MUTE MATH'S ONLINE STORE

SON LUX & REINDEER - "IN STATIC" - LIMITED-EDITION 7" (MISM)
◊ MISM RECORDS

SOLE & THE SKYRIDER BAND - "100 LIGHT YEARS AND RUNNING (SON LUX REMIX)"
◊ iTUNES

DM STITH - BMB (Son Lux Remix) [feat. Carlosaur]
◊ iTUNES

* * * coming soon... anathallo, nico muhly, and wild beasts remixes! * * *

MINNEAPOLIS SHOW W/ NICO MUHLY

2009-07-08T05:19:00.000-07:00

In May I performed 2 shows with Nico Muhly and a new friend, Nadia Sirota, in Minneapolis at the Southern Theater. I finally received some beautiful photos by Jayme Halbritter from the show.

Instead of a band I brought along four dancers and superDraw creator Joshue Ott, and performed musically solo on voice, piano and live electronics. Almost all the arrangements were totally new, very stripped down and partially improvised.

My wife Jennifer choreographed and performed TELL (a duet) and and medley of BREAK and STAND (a quartet).

The projected visuals, which also included a dance film to a live version of RAISE by my wife Jennifer & photographer Benden Beecy, were cast against the huge, crumbling rear wall of the space. It was pretty amazing. I'll try and get that video up on YouTube soon.

Special thanks to Kate over there at the Southern, and Nico and Nadia for sharing the bill with me!

NYC SHOW THIS FRI, JULY 10

2009-07-07T06:03:00.000-07:00

DARK DARK DARK w/ SON LUX

i can't wait for this one. i'll be performing the opening set for the evening, and as usual, i'll be playing entirely new arrangements of meditations from my album at war with walls and mazes. this time i'll be performing on piano and electronics, with musical phenoms caleb burhans and nadia sirota on dueling violas.

Le Poisson Rouge
158 Bleecker St.
New York, NY

*EARLY SHOW!*
Doors 7pm, Show 8pm
$10 adv // $12 at the door

2 NEW SON LUX VIDEOS

2009-06-04T15:25:00.000-07:00

NEW SON LUX REMIX: TAKKA TAKKA'S "SILENCE"

2009-05-28T13:24:00.000-07:00

FREE DOWNLOAD: Takka Takka - Silence (Son Lux Remix)

Brooklyn band Takka Takka asked me a while back for a remix of their song "Silence" from their album Migration, and I gladly agreed. It's finally available for download as part of a compilation series called Cross-Pollination. Download the whole album here or just the Son Lux remix directly from me here.

Listen for a few amplified marimbas, a circular-breathing saxophonist, some fuzzed out roto-sonic organ, and some ugly custom drum machine things. Enjoy... you can dance to this one.

2 NEW SHOWS - NYC & MINNEAPOLIS

2009-05-04T08:37:00.000-07:00

(photo: Peter Gibson)

SON LUX LIVE IN NYC - THIS SATURDAY MAY 9

I will be appearing live at 92YTribeca Saturday, May 9th in NYC, performing brand new piano, voice and electronics arrangements, with live visuals by Joshue Ott on his innovative Superdraw software. Opening up are Brooklyn bands Inlets and Glass Ghost.

I'm really excited about this show... it will be my first Son Lux show in a long time with a piano. It will be a good warm-up for this...

SON LUX LIVE IN MINNEAPOLIS - MAY 19 & 20

This is a split bill with my friend Nico Muhly at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis. He's quite awesome, so it's a real honor to share the stage with him.

Minnesota Monthly apparently wrote this about the show: "The hip concert of the season unites two young New Yorkers whose experimental blend of pop and classical music has the art world swooning.” I know I'm swooning.

My wife, choreographer/dancer Jennifer Lott, will be joining me onstage (!) for the first time at a Son Lux show, along with 3 other gifted dancers.

The evening will feature a beautiful film she's creating with our good friend Brenden Beecy to a live, ambient version of Raise. There will also be elegant live visuals by Joshue Ott on Superdraw. I sort of wish I could be in the audience to watch this one.

Here's a great photo by Peter Gibson from a recent show Fluid hosted in NYC:

NEW SINGLE ON EXCLUSIVE SPLIT 7"

2009-04-28T09:09:00.000-07:00

i collaborated recently on a track with one of my favorite emcees and good friend-across-the-pond james reindeer. it was for a limited-edition split 7" out now on mism records.

listen to a sample of both tracks on the label's myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/mismrecords

and check out these pics... the hand-cut packaging and artwork is beautiful! this release is limited to 300 copies, so vinyl heads get it while you can!

here's a description of the track:

‘In Static [strange and gentle things]’ is the A-Side of the single on which Son Lux’s staggering production and soaring vocals meet with the arhythmic lyrical stylings of Reindeer. The two forces combine to create a track that transcends their individual sounds to create something both uplifting and forlorn. The track opens with warped chamber instruments and operatic vocals wrestling a crushing down-tempo drum beat, akin to something from Son Lux’s critically acclaimed debut At War Will Walls and Mazes. Reindeer makes his entrance, the first moments of which secure the brilliance of this artistic marriage. Reindeer characteristically intones a broken and subdued verse that unfolds to paint a lurid and stark scene of a city at night. But suddenly everything falls away to a whisper, Son Lux’s voice breaking the cloudy spell with a mantra-like prayer. What begins from there is an epic post-rock crescendo of layered plucked and bowed strings, bashing drums, and the soaring operatic fragments foreshadowed in the opening. When Reindeer’s voice returns, it is full of force but distant, calling above the crashing wave of sound. It all spills over into a murky haze, with protesting jabs of noise fighting the release. The two vocalists’ whispered final lines disappear into the night, leaving the listener wrestling silence.

Live @ Nublu, NYC - March 26

2009-03-18T08:10:00.000-07:00

SON LUX ON SKINS

2009-02-26T08:58:00.000-08:00

the UK tv show Skins used some son lux in a recent episode. check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXI86CQwjNI

song is BREAK, from At War With Walls & Mazes.

NEW SON LUX REMIX: MUTE MATH'S NEW SINGLE "SPOTLIGHT"

2009-02-10T05:34:00.000-08:00

i was honored to do a remix for mute math of their song "spotlight," which appears on the twilight soundtrack, and is the first single for their upcoming full-length. it's available starting today on itunes or amazon or the like. or even better, get it on limited-edition 12" VINYL in mute math's store. ooh, looks like there's even a t-shirt.

i couldn't pass this one up, as my wife is a huge fan of the book series. so they sent me the stems... there were a crazy number of tracks. like fifty-something. i decided to kill all the guitars, bass, and synths, and work with only the original drums and vocals. this allowed me to reinvent the harmonic structure from scratch. i built a new arrangement with an extended orchestral percussion section, as well as some strings and a drum machine. listen for the consistent heartbeat motif, set poly-rhythmically over the 4/4 meter. i was trying to tie into the vampire deal. after finishing the remix, i allowed myself to hear the original song. i heard it for the first time when they played it live on leno in january.

enjoy! - r

COMPLETE LIST OF AVAILABLE RECORDINGS

2009-01-27T11:44:00.000-08:00

i was losing track, so here's a complete list. - SL

FREE SON LUX ORIGINALS

"DO" [ALBUM OUT-TAKE] BY SON LUX

"THROW" [ALBUM OUT-TAKE] BY SON LUX

FREE SON LUX REMIXES

TAKKA TAKKA - "SILENCE (SON LUX REMIX)"

RADIOHEAD - "NUDE (SON LUX POPULARITY CONTEST REMAKE)"

MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND - "INSIDE A BOY (SON LUX REMIX)"

BEIRUT - "A SUNDAY SMILE (SON LUX REMIX)"

JAMIE LIDELL - "LITTLE BIT OF FEEL GOOD (SON LUX "JUST THE SOUND OF YOUR VOICE" REMIX)"

CASTANETS - "THE EARLY GAME (SON LUX REMIX)"

LISA PAPINEAU - "POWER & GLORY PT. 1 (SON LUX REMIX)"
- i did this one so long ago i forgot all about it. but it's really cool. it's a remix of lisa's song, but i killed everything but the vocals and conjured all new instrumental parts, drawing heavily from nirvana's "smells like teen spirit." features steve temme on saxophones.

------------

BUY THIS STUFF

AT WAR WITH WALLS AND MAZES - DEBUT FULL-LENGTH (ANTICON. RECORDS) [CD/LP/DOWNLOAD]
◊ ANTICON. OR AMAZON OR iTUNES

MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND - SHARK REMIXES VOL. 2 - SON LUX EP [DOWNLOAD ONLY]
1 APPLES (SON LUX REMIX)
2 THE DIAMOND (SON LUX REMIX)
3 INSIDE A BOY (SON LUX REMIX)
4 TO PLUTO'S MOON (SON LUX REMIX)
◊ iTUNES OR AMAZON OR EMUSIC

"SPEAK" BY SON LUX, FROM HABITAT, A BENEFIT COMPILATION FOR HABITAT FOR HUMANITY (ASTHMATIC KITTY RECORDS) [CD/DOWNLOAD]
◊ AK OR iTUNES OR AMAZON

SIMPLE MINDS - "DON'T YOU (FORGET ABOUT ME)" COVER BY SON LUX FEAT. DAYNA KURTZ (EMI) [DOWNLOAD ONLY]
◊ iTUNES OR AMAZON

HEADLIGHTS - "TV (SON LUX REMIX)" (POLYVINYL RECORDS) [DOWNLOAD ONLY]
◊ iTUNES OR AMAZON

MUTE MATH - "SPOTLIGHT (SON LUX REMIX)" (WARNER/TELEPROMPT) [DOWNLOAD/LIMITED EDITION 12" VINYL]
◊ iTUNES OR AMAZON OR MUTE MATH'S ONLINE STORE

SOLE & THE SKYRIDER BAND - "100 LIGHT YEARS AND RUNNING (SON LUX REMIX)"
◊ iTUNES

SON LUX & REINDEER - "IN STATIC" - LIMITED-EDITION 7" (MISM)
◊ MISM RECORDS

* * * coming soon... anathallo, nico muhly, and wild beasts remixes! * * *

(updated 16 July 09)

"APPLES" REMIX CREDITS

2009-01-27T09:09:00.000-08:00

i brought in some additional players to implement my new orleans 2nd line blowout idea. they deserve credit!

ryan fitch - drum kit
ben lanz - trombonessss
matt blanchard - tenor saxophonessss

thanks, guys! - SL

FREE DOWNLOAD: "THROW" + NEW EP: "SHARK REMIXES"

2009-01-19T14:01:00.001-08:00

FREE DOWNLOAD: ALBUM OUTTAKE "THROW"

Here is a previously unreleased Son Lux track, Throw. This is an out-take from AWWWM. Enjoy, and please spread it around!

"THE SHARK REMIXES" - EP OUT NOW

Son Lux was given the honor of reincarnating 4 songs by one of his favorite singers, Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond. On January 20th, Asthmatic Kitty released an EP of these remixes.

Buy it here or here or here.

The label also recently released a benefit album for Habitat for Humanity called Habitat, which features an exclusive original composition by Son Lux, Speak.

SON LUX "BEST UNKOWN OF 2008"

2009-01-01T08:36:00.000-08:00

i was listening to NPR in bed this morning, dozing. i was startled awake when i heard this.

crazy. here's a screen shot of NPR's HOME PAGE!

"At War With Walls and Mazes is a flawlessly produced album with an astonishing range of energy and emotion."

thank you NPR!

NPR'S ALL SONGS CONSIDERED "BEST NEW ARTIST"

2008-12-12T12:46:00.000-08:00

photo by Sébastien Barriol

NPR's All Songs Considered named Son Lux Best New Artist in their The Year in Music show!

"The thing that's great about this record is that it has this incredible range of energy and emotion. The songs have this great narrative arc. They may start off really quiet and intimate and solitary. And then they just kick you in the stomach. They just erupt. I feel sometimes, when I'm listening to this record, like the songs just grab me by the collar, throw me to the ground, and then apologized." - Robin Hilton

Download this show in the All Songs Considered podcast.

BACKSTAGE IN PARIS

2008-12-12T12:41:00.000-08:00

Son Lux - Piano Session @ BBMix
Uploaded by lablogotheque

"STAY" MUSIC VIDEO BY MATT MORGAN

2008-12-03T12:06:00.001-08:00

the multi-faceted matt morgan has created a beautiful, meditative video for "STAY" from At War With Walls & Mazes. thank you, matt!

also, channel 4 in the UK used "break" in a trailer for their US election coverage. it's really cool...

BRAND NEW SON LUX TRACK + FREE REMIX DOWNLOAD

2008-12-03T11:26:00.000-08:00

NEW SON LUX TRACK

wow. it's been a long time since i've written anything here. soon i'll write about and put up images from my european tour. but in the meantime...

a while ago i was asked by my good friend michael over at asthmatic kitty write something for a benefit compilation for habitat for humanity.

i was pleased to create something new just for the project. the 2-disc CD is out now and available here. you can also buy it or just preview it on itunes.

FREE RADIOHEAD REMIX DOWNLOAD

also, several people have asked me to post my radiohead "nude" remix/remake for download. well, i'm finally getting around to it:

Nude (Son Lux Popularity Contest Remake) <---please share this with people.

ENJOY! - SL

Free Download: "Do"

2008-05-14T10:46:00.000-07:00

here's an outtake from the record:

Do

this one was hard to cut! enjoy... - SL

Pitchfork finds Son Lux Radiohead Remix among thousands...

2008-05-14T10:36:00.000-07:00

this is cool:

my radiohead remix was recently featured on Pitchfork

thanks to jud for the ideas and maddy & matt for their talents! - SL

Son Lux Remixes My Brightest Diamond

2008-05-14T10:26:00.000-07:00

{ Son Lux Remixes My Brightest Diamond }

Out now on
iTunes

Read the announcement in
Pitchfork

More from My Brightest Diamond

More Praise for At War With Walls & Mazes

2008-05-14T10:25:00.001-07:00

{ More Praise for At War With Walls & Mazes }

"Gorgeous and brave. The fact that an album such as AWWWM can exist is, to me, representative of our movement away from the ironies of indie emotions and the emotionally blasted landscapes." – Nico Muhly, The Guardian

"[Son Lux] constructed an experimentally-minded but nevertheless insanely satisfying sequencing of pop songs his first time out of the gate. This is how a memorable pop sound is made – create a mood and tread softly but firmly through both the gorgeous and the cacophonous." - Chris Polley, Reveille

"[Son Lux] travels from one style to another with an enviable and accustomed ease, as if he owns each of them and made them his own; in the process managing to create a set of near-perfect 'pop' songs to boot. He covers the whole spectrum with both a confidence and a surety that many would give their immortal soul for." - Simon Marshall-Jones, brainwashed

"Son Lux funnels classical know-how into profound modern art songs. Electronica, alt-hip-hop, chamberlike arrangements, spare piano pop and other diverse strains come together to form a striking, futuristic whole on AWWWM." - Time Out NY

"Snippets of this, bites of that, filtering through the radio waves, pulsing orchestration, transcendent beauty, always the beauty shining through and pulling you up there with it. This really is something different, something special, something inspiring, challenging and most of all something to put on repeat and just simply enjoy again and again." - Resonance FM

"Consistently amazing. From the second it hits your ears, AWWWM just completely immerses you in its intriguing sound and sorrowful vocals. A brilliant debut album that has so much raw charm and captivation. - Michael Fitzsimmons, Long Division

Son Lux Remixes Jamie Lidell

2008-05-14T10:22:00.000-07:00

i made this remix using nothing but the a capella track from jamie's song, "Little Bit of Feel Good." every sound you hear is derived from his voice. a little bit of feel good goes a long way.

stereogum kindly posted it today:
Little Bit of Feel Good (Son Lux "Just The Sound of Your Voice" Remix)

enjoy! - SL

CD RELEASE PARTY

2008-03-26T07:48:00.001-07:00

Praise for At War With Walls & Mazes

2008-03-19T15:45:00.000-07:00

"Not one song on this album is below the highest echelon of trip hop and electronic music. It is nearly flawless." - Nick Greer, sputnikmusic

"It will take some sort of miraculous effort to unseat this one as the best album of 2008. - Andy Whitman of Paste

"Affecting, resonant, and engaging. There are lights in the darkness and a holy ghost in the Son Lux machine. The lyrical concerns of Sufjan Stevens circa Seven Swans, production techniques from Massive Attack, and the classical habits of Nico Muhly." - Evan McGarvey, pitchfork

"New York-based composer-turned-beatmaker Son Lux is one of those artistically adventurous outsiders. At War With Walls & Mazes is a hallucinatory vortex of Classical, Jazz, Soul, Rock and Electronica. Yes, it's just another excuse to shout 'SON!!!'" - El Keter, Okayplayer

"One of the most eerie and otherworldly albums in recent memory, but it's also one of the most gloriously human." - J Lincoln Hurst

"A dense, meticulously crafted haze of Baroque instrumentation, electronic pulses and hip-hop beats." - Mehan Jayasuriya, popmatters

"At War with Walls and Mazes defies genre and proves that the mathematics of music can be bent and at times even broken. From minimal elevator sounds to orchestral grandeur, Son Lux is defiant, wondrous, and illuminating." - B.A. Herndon

"Dynamic atmospheric tunnels of sound that quake and curl in your head." - Faith-Ann Young, RCRDLBL

"Music that undulates at a half-step ahead of the curve." - Jake Krolick, jambase

"5/5 stars." - Paul Ford, The Morning News

"Simultaneously engaging and hypnotic." Amelia Raitt, eMusic

"Son Lux has allowed the listener to listen to music without listening to songs, like a poet allows the reader to read words without sense, or at least any traditional sense. In this respect, Son Lux also opens the mind's eye." - Paul Bozzo, treblezine

"Like a well-written story desperate to share every detail, At War takes its time and savors each moment." - XLR8R

"Ryan Lott, a.k.a. Son Lux, picks up where many classical crossover artists seem to jump off." - Paste

"Tracks organically mutate from opera-hall-sized compositions with car-speaker-rattling hip-hop beats to bare-all dim-lit bedroom intimateness. A superb and multifaceted album. More amazing is the fact that it is the work of one man." - Matt Whelihan, Free Times

DEBUT OUT MAR11 ON ANTICON.

2008-02-21T13:59:00.001-08:00

*PRE-ORDER THE ALBUM NOW! Ships February 29th*

At War With Walls & Mazes

2008-01-08T07:41:00.000-08:00

Son Lux - At War With Walls And Mazes
Release date: 02.26.08

At War With Walls & Mazes is a stunning debut wrung from classical precision and good old human gut-wrench. Son Lux’s first is a heady collection of songs breathing the same air and sharing the same space; painted from the same palette but set apart still—each is a distinct region of one broad, heaving sonic landscape. From afar, it’s an environment characterized by would-be contradictions: the austere grandness of chamber music undercut by undulating electronica; the intricately orchestral assembled via hip-hop collage; a day-plain pop ease silhouetted by deep soul. Up close, it’s clear that these contradictions are what hold the entire work together.

The prologue begins with the warm quaver of harmonica and a cold, androgynous breath: “Put down all your weapons/Let me in through your open wounds.” There’s a burst of drum, a piano hit that overwhelms the ears, and we’re on At War’s terra firma. First song “Break” is quiet and composed, punctuated by stabs of chaos—reversed instruments, errant electricity, an angry crowd—and given moody depth by the voice of Son Lux, which returns raw and whisper-pretty like Will Oldham’s. Next, “Weapons” flow in and out itself, building static, crystalline keys and thick bass into a pile of sharp edges that bounces like a rubber ball. An angelic cry breaks the rhythmic reverie and the snapping, cracking soundscape goes Richter. Conversely, “Betray” lays a slinky Portishead sulk for its bedrock, then morphs into a laidback, flute-textured upbeat. “Stay” counters this with a swarm of organ and violins, and a deep, unexpected blues.

The picture is always shifting—songs starting on a blast or ending in a whirling climb, occasionally dwelling in a single mood, but never succumbing to traditional structure. There’s “Tell,” which feels intimate, comprised of subtle tones, naked keys, low buzzing slide bass and voice sounding like a transmission from a tin-lined burrow. While the next plot over, “Wither” is a note-smashing hulk of machine crunch and skittering percussion, technically complex and seriously loud. Son Lux’s lyrics don't distract from the journey. Rather, the one and two-line snippets wind their way through the album’s space like mantras to be picked up or passed at will. In “Raise,” a macabre poetry moves with the music, coming in dulcet over bleeding sax, then getting swept up by swirling strings and pulsing electro. On “Stand,” a single unexplained sentence—“You stand between me and all my enemies”—is repeated ad infinitum, gaining in meaning even as it’s subducted under the piano-driven epic. As various permutations of voice, music and noise emerge, one imagines the Notwist’s Markus Acher lost in the bowels of Radiohead’s “Pyramid Song.” This is a very good thing.

After this undeniable apex, At War With Walls & Mazes approaches its quiet close. “War” is a sleepy overture to Son Lux’s wide embrace, glowing warm and full until white light gives way to the epilogue, and the album’s only outright motif: the “Weapons” melody, first heard with the prologue’s opening line. Then, Son Lux asked us to drop our weapons and let him in; now, leaving this place, his apparent plea seems much more like an invitation.

Pitchfork announces Son Lux signing to Anticon.

2008-01-08T07:25:00.000-08:00

Son Lux in the Pitchfork News

Son Lux in the Forkcast (download an exclusive free track from the record)

2008-01-07T16:14:00.001-08:00

Son Lux on mtv.com

2007-11-08T10:24:00.001-08:00

A review of my first NYC show, and an interview, is here:

mtv.com review & interview

Thanks, Billie.

Castanets Remix

2007-11-08T10:16:00.000-08:00

"This is The Early Game (Son Lux Remix)" (download, listen.)

My thanks to Ray for the pleasure, and to Michael Kauffman for making it happen.
http://www.myspace.com/castanets

Son Lux Album Artwork

2007-05-05T08:30:00.000-07:00

this is the working album cover design for At War With Walls & Mazes. my friend, Joshue Ott, created it using his amazing superdraw software, which he built himself. he designed the software to be able to respond to audio input, and this image is, in part, a "reaction" to music from the son lux record.

visit josh's website to see more of his astonishing images.

(son lux is ryan lott. to contact ryan directly, email him at lottmusic [at] gmail [dot] com)

Hello, listen to my music.

2007-05-04T18:15:00.000-07:00

"Stand" (click for a free mp3)

sorry, everyone. i had to take down this link. you'll have to wait for the album for this track!

here's another one instead:

The Distance Between Us {excerpt} (click for a free mp3)

this is a track i wrote this summer for Gina Gibney Dance, a modern dance company here in NYC with whom i've collaborated over the last few years. this is an excerpt from a large-scale work called The Distance Between Us, premiering the end of november here in new york. enjoy!

for more: Son Lux on Myspace

(son lux is ryan lott. to contact ryan directly, email him at lottmusic [at] gmail [dot] com)