Immersed
Justin Gray
IAN Records LC 84945 (justingraysound.bandcamp.com/album/immersed)
As soon as music became a recordable commodity, pressed onto wax cylinders and disseminated through record distribution, jukeboxes, and radio stations, it took on a codependent relationship with technology. For example, while it is true that Louis Armstrong’s instrumental virtuosity expanded the instrumental range of the trumpet, his broadening of register would not have been possible were it not for the then burgeoning technological advances of brass manufacturing. Same goes for the Beatles’ important relationship with the recording studio, where technological advances helped the group realize their increasingly sophisticated artistic goals. And on it goes.
For bassist, composer, mix and mastering engineer and producer Justin Gray, it has been the industry’s technological expansion into Dolby Atmos that has facilitated the realization of his own musical vision, supporting the ambitious, expansive, and consistently excellent work contained on Immersed. As the name articulates, the music was recorded using immersive audio techniques aimed at capturing every sound, musical gesture, and improvisation in three dimensions through a sophisticated process of microphone placement and studio mediation.
While there is much more to discuss regarding the album’s enmeshed relationship with technology, this cinematic release on IAN Records also offers a wonderfully satisfying musical experience thanks to the contributions of a terrific cast of 30-plus world class players who collectively traverse the stylistic boundaries of film, jazz, and Indian Classical Music, among other vibrant global music traditions.
Full disclosure, Justin is a friend and industry colleague, but with Immersed his expansive creative vision, technological engagement, and clear musical artistry is undeniable. Immersed, the album, can be paired with a full-length film and the stereo CD package comes with cinematic visuals for each track and an informative 24-page booklet of liner notes.
