NYC-based music and performance art ensemble Cyphered Threads premieres “Ritual”

One of the more unique releases of Fall 2016 is on the way courtesy of the New York-based music and performance art ensemble Cyphered Threads. Their latest vision, Human Observations In Space Time finds the group’s figurehead, Kika Von Klück (vocals), collaborating with a talented cast of musicians with experimentation and a primal spirit at the fore.

Recorded and mixed at Strange Weather Studios in Brooklyn, NY by Daniel Schlett with additional mixing by Ernie Indradat at Ernie’s in Jersey City, NJ, Klück is joined on “Ritual” by a number of musicians including Renee Maskin (Guitar), Paul Gold (Bass), Colin Ryan (Drums), Phil Clingerman (Recorder), Bill Clingerman (Bass Clarinet) and Shawn Butler (Backing Vox).

Today, Groundsounds is premiering Human Observations In Space Time‘s first single, the aforementioned “Ritual,” which finds Klück singing over beating drums and a Nine Inch Nails-style distorted guitar. Be sure to stream “Ritual” while checking out our interview with Cyphered Threads below.

Human Observations In Space Time is out October 28th via BNS Sessions.

Hi, Cyphered Threads! Congrats on Human Observations In Space Time. How did the musical ensemble of CT initially come to be?

Thank you GroundSounds for listening! It all started with a Lecture Action Performance piece called “Subliminal Love” back in 2007, in which live musicians provided punctuation, improvisation, and interpretation every time the piece was presented. More and more musicians got interested in playing the piece and each provided a surprising and different effect to each performance. The idea became an ensemble with a few core musicians and a number of guest musicians who learned the songs and played whenever they felt inspired. More pieces came into being and a few of them were conceived as songs, independent from the Action Performances. Over the past 9 years, Cyphered Threads has consisted of a few different ensembles and rotations based on the location of the show and the pieces that are being performed.

What are some of the larger themes at play on Human Observations In Space Time?

Consciousness and having the ability and courage to question, think and analyze critically, process, and reason. Ancient rituals, ceremonies, and subliminal socio-political commentaries. Clarity coming into being and that chance for all of us to find a common ground rather than resorting to hate, violence or even subtle forms of covert deception and manipulation. The transformation from destruction and destructive forces to unity through diversity, love as the source of creation and mutual aid being the universal unconscious force throughout the realm of living Nature.

With such a large ensemble and range of styles, how much of the album was written before going in to record? How much through experimentation?

Most of the record was conceived before going into the studio for recording and mixing. However, a few of the songs originated as improvisations. There was a session we did at Strange Weather in Brooklyn and rather than going into recording and tracking the rehearsed material, we decided to change things up a bit and just start with some beats and grooves. Kind of like warming up but not with what you had intended to record that day.

We happened to lock into something that was speaking to us at that time and when you have 7 or 8 people on the same wavelength things can become very interesting. You’ll either end up with fragments that may or may not be worth building upon or you can end up with something that has a solid body and foundation. The purpose of the free form approach was to take something that was abstract and convert it into something cohesive and translatable while at the same time pushing musical boundaries.

“Falter” and “Shine” are two that evolved this way. “Give Her” was arranged by Matthew Millar (Guitar) and it follows an ancient tradition of chanting divine names, “Janua Coeli” is a borrowed poem, and “Gallop” started as a concept that ended up fitting into a very guttural driving sonic force of distortion, weird synths, heavy drums, and percussion. The other tracks were a group collaboration we worked on during practice in order to transform them into pieces and structured compositions for this album.

“Uni” sprang into life fully formed, even though it has two recorded versions, while “Homer’s Daughter” is a poem in homage to a Robert Graves idea. It came about in 2014 and it was saved for two years to be especially and beautifully arranged by Matthew and Colin Ryan.

The album takes an interesting turn from a more ethereal, atmospheric front half to a real primal, raw energy on the back. How did you sculpt the sonic narrative and was that dynamic shift in your head from the start?

Perhaps this is attributed to where we practiced, the time of season, studio locations, the mental and spiritual states each of us were in, language and topics we were playing with, and our environment. Practice locations included rehearsal studios and houses in NJ (Point Pleasant, Howell, Edison, Piscataway, Hoboken) and Brooklyn NY.

The 12 tracks spanned all 4 seasons and the album was recorded in 3 different studios. 9 of the tracks were recorded and mixed by Daniel Schlett at Strange Weather and 3 of the tracks (Uni, Gallop, and Homer’s Daughter) were recorded and mixed by Ernie Indradat at Stormy’s Cabin in Westtown, NY, Echo Canyon in Hoboken, and Ernie’s in Jersey City, NJ. Somewhat subconsciously we noticed that a narrative was being created throughout the recording and mixing process but we really didn’t know how it would eventually come together.

By the time we had finished all 12 songs and mixed everything, we sat down and asked ourselves “how would we tell a story with these songs?” This was our starting point. After visualizing the 12 tracks, writing down the tracks on paper, playing them on our smartphones and home stereos, the sequence started to come into focus.

Each one has a special intention with many themes and non-linear stories that overlap and intertwine. From a sequencing perspective, we approached it like chapters in a book. As a result, we ended up with 3 chapters with 4 songs each.

Jumping off the last question, what’s your process like in writing lyrics? You play with multiple languages and styles of singing/chanting.

The research part of CT’s performance actions are based on Pre-patriarchal Myths, Feminist Archaeology, Anthropology, Ancient Civilizations, Goddess Spirituality and Shamanism. A lot of the words in the songs are based on a study that encompasses all cultures’ story telling, their origins, the cross pollination of ideas, trade and cultural transformations.

Some of the songs ended up being in Portuguese because Kika (Vocalist) is Brazilian. The chanting influences come from a few members who have studied Krsna Consciousness and Buddhism while other lyrical influences come from spiritual (J. Krishnamurti, Alan Watts, Barbara G. Walker), scientific (Carl Sagan, Ashley Montagu), and Socio-Political (Angela Davis, Riane Eisler) writings, commentaries, and speeches.

Our first single off this album “Ritual” is rooted in a mantra and it is a call to looking beyond one’s self-manifested reality.

Is there a performance art piece planned along with the Human Observations In Space Time album? What would you be your ideal representation of this work in the live arena?

We are targeting November 19th for a performance. It is looking like Space 301 in Brooklyn but we are still finalizing some of the details. The ideal representation depends on a site specific situation. Some songs are also actions, other songs can only be presented on a stage while others like “Falter” happen to fit perfectly with a pre-existing action. There are a bunch of pieces that were designed to be a video performance.

Any new artists/pieces of art you’ve been especially struck by recently?

Earlier this year we caught JoJo Abot at AfricaNow! She is doing a lot of interesting things with music and performance. Since June, Flamingods “Majesty” has been on our constant shuffle and rotation. Recently in Brooklyn we caught a riveting and powerful installation by Ann Lewis titled “One in Five of Us.” Although not necessarily new, it is worth paying homage to Ana Mendieta’s “Earth Body” and Carolee Shneemann’s works as huge inspirations to the performance part of CT. The freedom and eclectic spirit of Van Dyke Parks has a good impact in the musical form, Siouxsie Sioux in the style of singing, and Laurie Anderson in the way she delivers her words.

Where/when can we find Human Observations In Space Time?

The worldwide digital release is set for October 28th Check your favorite digital stores (ITunes, Amazon, Spotify, Boomkat, Bleep, etc.) We’ll also be doing a run of limited edition customized USB Bracelets in November. This will include our entire album complete with art work from Carrie Beehan, Renee Maskin, Ronnie Lawler, and Rebecca Vincent along with a video for “Falter” from Czech Video Artist Ondřej Ševčík. For more info check out www.bnssessions.co.uk and http://www.kikavonkluck.com