Matthew Welch
The Library of Babel

The soaring exaltation of the bagpipe rejects timid spirits. Pitched high, the skirl of the chanter seeds clouds that rain harmonics, while on the low end… there’s the drone. That drone, that tectonic, guttural roar of fearsome euphoria, a deep, terraformational Om that pummels you in the sporran. And from the clutches of master piper Matthew Welch, glories emanate. He expertly inverts genre and convention, from Indonesian gamelan and experimental sound composition to rock, improvisation, and Highland classical, and through myriad exchanges with artists including Anthony Braxton, Alvin Lucier, Ikue Mori, Zeena Parkins, Julia Wolfe, John Zorn, and members of Bang a Can and Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Here, Matthew Welch resonates within a free-form, extended-duration power trio. As a founding member of the electric guitar quartet Dither, Brendon Randall-Myers has performed works by minimalist pioneers Laurie Spiegel, Steve Reich, and Phill Niblock. In auditory tints and ombrés, that aesthetic seeps and saturates. Electroacoustic composer and drummer Brian Chase is both the weave of a basket and the serpent within, voicing slow-predation menace. Churning the infinities of its Borgesian namesake, The Library of Babel sprawls to a shuddering, heaving climax of near-ultrasonic highs and infrasonic lows, registering awe in the Ur-language of sound.

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“Most music nowadays is some kind of cultural hybrid, but rarely is someone as all over the map as Matthew Welch. Welch’s music is the by-product of an unlikely blend—Indonesian gamelan, Scottish bagpipes, and indie rock. While these types of music might initially seem completely unrelated, Welch has found his compositional voice in their common ground.”
—Frank J. Oteri, NewMusicBox

“… Exquisitely ethereal, made up of delicate, transparent textures that hum with expressive tension. If Mr. Welch were a chef, he’d be the kind who pushes the boundaries of molecular gastronomy, transforming earthy ingredients into translucent beads of pure flavor.”
— New York Times

“Pushing the bagpipes to their limit, Welch creates icy sheets of black metal distortion and feedback … his exploration of the bagpipes’ sonic potential is thrilling.”
—The Wire

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The Library of Babel

Brian Chase is an American drummer in the New York rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs. He was ranked in Gigwise’s list of The Greatest Drummers of All Time. His collaborations with artists beyond the rock realm include Stefan Tcherepnin, Jessica Pavone, Mary Halvorson, and Moppa Elliott. Chase’s drone work is informed by his tenure with La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela at Dream House NYC. He founded and operates Chaikin Records.

Brendon Randall-Myers is a composer and guitarist whose work has been described as "an unflinching testimonial on grief and endurance" (Pitchfork), “emotive and gripping” (The Quietus), “physically punishing, but also detailed with fanatical precision” (Night After Night), and "a yearning explosion” (The Wire). Brendon co-leads avant-metal band Scarcity, is a co-founder of avant-guitar quartet Dither, and serves as the conductor for the Glenn Branca Ensemble. He also writes music for classical performers, experimental groups, and film scores.

Matthew Welch draws upon diverse musical systems, including Western classical and experimental music, jazz and improvisation, Scottish bagpipes, Indonesian gamelan, and music of the Philippine Cordillera. He perceives connections and develops catalysts for dialogue between seemingly disparate musical forms. How does a 300-year-old Pibroch tune from the highlands of Scotland relate to intricate Balinese interlocking rhythms? Welch’s vivid imagination hears these connections as a complex musical language, communicating fluently through modal melodies, driving rhythms, and soaring tempos.