Russell E.L. Butler's "Blowing Trees" Will Put You In The Chillest Of Zones
The Oakland synth artist’s new tape, Visions of the Future, is out April 20 via Jacktone Records.
Oakland synth artist Russell E.L. Butler used to record heavy acid jams with a punk aesthetic under the name Black Jeans, which is the guise I first saw him perform in at SXSW back in 2012. He's since delved further inside his machines, exploring a variety of techno expressions. "Blowing Trees," from his forthcoming Visions of the Future cassette release, finds him alighting on a simple flute-like melody that has enough charisma to carry the tune home.
"'Blowing Trees' is a track for the chillers," Butler told The FADER over email. "This is my most intimate and informal release thus far. The tracks were made in my living room, on a coffee table, with a modular synthesizer, a zoom recorder or tape deck, likely with Star Trek: The Next Generation on in the background. I've been really obsessed with designing flute sounds on the modular and was excited to create a sound that could morph from a woodwind type sound, to something more akin to a marimba. The title refers to the play between the two, or you know, something more obvious ;-)."
Jacktone Records will release Russell E.L. Butler’s Visions of the Future on April 20.
