Who is Kymatik? Kymatik first appeared on Paradigm Discs back in 1995 with a spontaneous composition created alone in the control room, with all the sounds being derived from a simultaneous improvisation being played in the studio by Morphogenesis. Three years later Paradigm released the full-length Kymatik CD Dar-As-Sulh Vol.1 (PD 015CD), a selection of pieces, some based on purely mathematical ideas, others are more hypnotic pulse based psychedelic soundscapes, some works being performed live in surround sound, with the audience floating on air-beds in a swimming pool. On Anthropological Constants, the first side is mostly taken up with a remixed version of one of these more disorientating soundscapes, structured around dense, ever-shifting and phasing polyrhythms. The piece dates from 1997. The side closes with a short field recording. The second side is one piece that combines elements from two later pieces composed in 1998 and 2001 and uses a similar combination of ambisonic field recordings and abstraction used on the first side. These long tracks still sound strangely contemporary, and as such, are glorious examples of early domestic computer music. The compositions could be said to be loosely akin to the musical areas explored at that time by The Hafler Trio, NWW, Sähkö, and some of the far-reaching aspects of techno music. Kymatik remains anonymous, even the name he goes by is not his real name. For the last few years he has been living in northern Spain and continues to make ambisonic field recordings, which are either released untreated, or used to create further sonic collages.
This is his brief statement: "The works on Anthropological Constants straddle a fence between field recording and experimental composition. The intention of each piece is to lead the listener astray in their environment by firstly identifying cues or references, and then slowly transforming them without replacing them with other [more] cues." Vinyl cut at SST and pressed at Optimal. Includes an insert and download code; Edition of 500.