“It is wrong to say: I think. Better to say: I am thought. I is another. So what if a piece of wood discovers it is a violin, and the hell with those who can’t realize, who quibble over something they know nothing about…For I is another. If brass wakes as a bugle, it is not its fault at all. That is quite clear to me: I am a spectator at the flowering of my thought: I watch it, I listen to it: I draw a bow across a string: a symphony stirs in the depths, or surges onto the stage.” – Arthur Rimbaud
JE EST UN AUTRE — which translates to “I is another” — is a new solo project from Dylan Desmond, best known for his work as half of the acclaimed duo Bell Witch, which takes its name from Rimbaud’s declaration on the nature of being.
With the launch of the Bell Witch Patreon in early 2021, Desmond began creating original compositions to be paired with segments of influential films. Where bass is his primary instrument in Bell Witch, synthesizers have become an integral component in these compositions. JE EST UN AUTRE’s Flatworm Mysticism, set for release on March 1st, is the first of what Desmond plans to be a series of releases.
Consider the splitting of a flatworm; two portions of one individual become separate entities. Each body will thus experience the world differently from that moment forward with the shared experience from before. JE EST UN AUTRE was born from Desmond’s expansion beyond his regular focus on the bass guitar as the primary instrument coupled with a desire for further exploration of more synth driven sonic planes. In JE EST UN AUTRE, synthesizers are the tools and voicings of the composition process.
Flatworm Mysticism is the tonal reflection of a dark ambience expanding like a pupil into a mirror. With cues from musicians like William Basinski, Laurie Spiegel, Daphne Oram, and Tangerine Dream paired with themes from the writings of Arthur Schopenhauer and Fyodor Dostoevsky, JE EST UN AUTRE is the musing about what is looking back from the disembodied reflection.
In advance of the release, Desmond unveils “Death, The Musagetes,” now streaming at THIS LOCATION.
Flatworm Mysticism will be released on cassette and digitally in North America via Cestrum Nocturnum Recordings HERE and on CD in Europe via Cloudchamber Recordings HERE.
Flatworm Mysticism Track Listing:
- Ein Einzinger Gedanke
- Time And The Assassins
- Corpse Signal
- Death, The Musagetes
- Ippolite’s Suicide
https://www.instagram.com/cestrum_nocturnum_recordings
https://www.instagram.com/cloudchamber_rec