ST∆ER

ST∆ER is the solo project of Philadelphia-based electronic musician Ian R. Staer. Drawing inspiration equally from the likes of Phillip Glass, Moby, Alessandro Cortini, and John Murphy, ST∆ER juxtaposes spare acoustic piano melodies with analog synthesizer textures -- conjuring beautiful, stark aural landscapes from a concise tonal vocabulary. While the compositions on the first two ST∆ER releases (2014's "Separation Anxiety" and 2017's "SYZYGY") maintained a loose orbit around the modular synthesizer, 2018's "The Garden Of Forking Paths" is a confident excursion beyond the realm of patch cables, with polyphonic analogue synthesizer keyboards and sequencers as the vehicle. Inspired by the classic “Berlin School” material of early Tangerine Dream and by contemporaries such as Chuck Van Zyl, Erik Wøllo, and Jason Sloan, "The Garden Of Forking Paths" is a meditative, hypnotic journey. Percolating, shimmering sequences intertwine within swirling clouds of chorused strings, themselves bound within the gravity of deep, powerful drones.