Starkland is an “always worth exploring label” (New Music Box) that releases alternative classical, experimental, "high quality cutting-edge music" (Audiophile Audition). Starkland’s releases have been praised for their adventurous music, high quality sound, excellent performances, and informative liner notes. Starkland’s two most ambitious projects have focused on surround sound. For the label's
Immersion DVD, Starkland commissioned 13 leading-edge composers to create pieces for high-resolution surround sound. Sources such as Pro Sound News and Billboard have recognized Immersion as the first such recording in history. The commissioned composers, all of whom created their first high-resolution surround-sound pieces, are: Paul Dolden, Paul Dresher, Ellen Fullman, Phil Kline, Lukas Ligeti, Ingram Marshall, Merzbow, Meredith Monk, Bruce Odland, Pauline Oliveros, Maggi Payne, Carl Stone, and Pamela Z. Immersion has been praised in such publications as Stereophile and Sound & Vision. Starkland's other surround sound project involved commissioning a major, 65-minute surround sound composition from Phil Kline. Around the World in a Daze is a ten-movement work, presented in four audio formats along with 80 slides from the composer, found on the first disc of the double-DVD release. The second disc offers an extended 34-minute interview with Kline about this music (conducted by John Schaefer) and a music-video MEDITATION (run as fast as you can) with music and video by Kline. Daze is likely the largest composition ever commissioned for a high-res surround recording. Starkland composers include Charles Amirkhanian, Phillip Bimstein, Mary Ellen Childs, Jay Cloidt, Tod Dockstader, Paul Dresher, William Duckworth, Robert Een, Fred Frith, Ellen Fullman, Peter Garland, Lars Hollmer, Aaron Jay Kernis, John King, Roger Kleier, Phil Kline, Guy Klucevsek, Lukas Ligeti, Keeril Makan, Ingram Marshall, Merzbow, Meredith Monk, Pauline Oliveros, Maggi Payne, Vincent Persichetti, Bobby Previte, Somei Satoh, Elliott Sharp, Carl Stone, Lois V Vierk, Pamela Z, John Zorn and more. Musicians appearing on Starkland include The Kronos Quartet, Ethel Quartet, Todd Reynolds, California EAR Unit, Either/Or, Paul Dresher Ensemble, Sierra Winds, and the Turtle Island String Quartet. Starkland’s recordings have been praised in The New York Times, Gramophone, Stereophile, The New Yorker, Los Angeles Times, Billboard, Fanfare, Washington Post, American Record Guide Chamber Musician Today, Sequenza21, Boston Globe, Sound & Vision, New York Magazine, UK’s The Wire, Canada’s Musicworks, and France’s R***e & Corrigée. Starkland’s releases have also been featured on such national radio programs as NPR’s All Things Considered and Weekend Edition.
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