19/11/2025
with extended field, the intergenerational frkwys collaboration between and , arriving into the world this friday (!!!), we take a moment to highlight the life and work of singular psychoacoustic pioneer / phenomenon arnold dreyblatt 🎻⚡
in 1974, while studying video art at suny buffalo, dreyblatt encountered a performance of alvin lucier’s “still and moving lines of silence in families of hyperbolas,” in which pure sine waves caused a player-less snare drum to repeatedly resonate. astounded by the piece, he promptly relocated to new york to study under iconic minimalist composer la monte young, whose work in avant-garde music explored the sonic possibilities of sustained drones and serialism
it was there, among friends and contemporaries arthur russell and rhys chatham, that dreyblatt began his decades-long pursuit of exploring the physical properties of sound using hand-crafted instruments. his first creation was the excited strings bass: a double bass strung with piano wires, producing shimmering clouds of metallic overtones when struck. this exploratory approach extended to his compositional practices, which employed a self-devised tuning system residing beyond western conceptions of melody / harmony
dreyblatt would later incorporate his excited strings bass into his groundbreaking 1982 album nodal excitation, an ecstatic work overflowing with kinetic energy. its driving, percussive patterns and resonant harmonies stand as harbingers of the innovative practices that would remain at the heart of his art
decades later, dreyblatt now resides in berlin, continuing to explore the ringing qualities and physicality of sound in his compositions. extended field marks the latest chapter in his creative journey, a truly transcendental experience not to be missed
horse lords and arnold dreyblatt’s frkwys vol. 18: extended field arrives this friday, november 21, 2015 in vinyl and digital editions. available now for pre-order via the rvng store and bandcamp