Jeremiah Chiu : In Electric Time

Back in June of this year electronic music composer, educator, and artist Jeremiah Chiu walked into the Vintage Synthesizer Museum in Highland Park, Los Angeles, and began to play. Well, program sequences into these rare and vintage synthesizers and create a kind of analog, circuital symphony. Chiu was the mad scientist bringing these machines to life – as well as their interpreter – creating a dialogue between these ancient noise boxes. By the time the engineer showed up Chiu had built several parts around a Gleeman Pentaphonic. They patched a Tascam 388 into the patch bay, and the first song was written and recorded in under an hour.

The resulting album from these improvisations, In Electric Time, was completed in just two days. Editing was done in just another two days. The album is an example of “messing around” in the most prolific way. No preconceived ideas going in; just a thoughtful, curious mind jumping in and building songs from thin air. A conversation between man and machines, In Electric Time is creativity of the highest order.

Going into Jeremiah Chiu’s newest release is like going inside a road map to some other world. The songs don’t sound or feel like sound experiments. There’s no academic feel to the pieces Chiu came up with here. They pulsate with light and curiosity. Melodies rise from the conversations between these ancient beasts, and Jeremiah Chiu turns these improvisational thoughts into a musical novel of sorts. A story written in wires, patch bays, and syncopation.

The songs here buzz and emanate in visceral and emotional connectivity. From the almost tribal nature of opener “ElectroComp 101” to the ethereal and free-floating “Seawater Swell”, Chiu’s improvisational approach translates from machines syncing to elaborate sound worlds one easily gets lost in. Adding to the raw, in-the-moment vibe is the voices you can sometimes here in the background. It gives the proceedings a ‘fly on the wall’ feel that makes this listen all the more intimate.

From long form mood pieces like “Rococco Rondo” and “Transparent Spheres” to melodic blips like “Rhythm Bell” and “Echo Arp Hold”, Chiu keeps things engaging and intriguing, putting the listener in the midst of his creative storm. And album closer “In Electric Time” might be the most engaging of all, an immersive and melodic piece that ebbs and flows with intent even if built on the fly and without precognition.

Jeremiah Chiu’s In Electric Time is a stunning display of the ballet between man and machine. Chiu’s intuitive arranging and composition is jaw dropping, especially given the nature of its conception. This is a record that will delight fans of the great German electronic pioneers, as well as those enamored with early 80s electro pop purveyors. It’s engaging and immersive all the way through, and begs for repeated listens.