Joshua Saddler (ioflow): Sound + Process # 11

SOUND + PROCESS

At the tail end of last month, Gohan Tapes (https://gohantapes.bandcamp.com) released ‘Spring’ — a new full length album from Joshua Saddler, who records as ioflow. On ‘Spring’, Josh combines field recordings, modular synthesis, and piano improvisations to capture memories like aural photographs. The sparse arrangements interplay with sounds of wildlife from the California landscape. This is an essential album, especially if you live somewhere that's cold right now. Much of his compositional technique is rooted in blind recording, a process he discovered through his participation in Marc Weidenbaum's Disquiet Junto. If you're unfamiliar, the Junto is an incredible project — a weekly assignment which challenges artists to explore new techniques and workflows. https://disquiet.com ‘Spring’ is additionally unique because it was made during the most physically painful phase of Josh’s struggles with congenital hearing loss and neural degradation. Faith is important to him and it's obvious that he shares his work as a celebration of life and in gratitude for his own. This episode is structured a little differently. I’ve removed the interview elements and chosen to focus solely on Josh’s reflections. He’s underscored by selections from ‘Spring’, available on Bandcamp at https://ioflow.bandcamp.com