Exray’s
Exray’s Jon Bernson reports from Vessel XII.
Seen headlining SF’s premiere DIY phenomenon Push The Feeling and discussing new material with us in recent weeks and years; Exray’s return with the latest chapter of their ongoing science-fantasy/audio-art-deco-futurism unfolding sagas with Twelve. Available on digital and tape from Howells Transmitter, presenting the world premiere of “Begin Your Lives”. Following on the heels of Jon Bernson’s mind-opening “Antiprism” exhibit at the de Young, The Dome EP, Vessel XII log entries, previous releases from Trust a Robot, self-titled, and earlier; Exray’s continue on a path that charts newfound patterns and designs discovered from the outer dimensions in ways that blurs sciences and physics from electronically enabled pop sound schemes.
“Begin Your Lives” is something of a message that could have been transmitted from either a rogue satellite or some unknown planet of intelligence and sophisticated recording and radio abilities. As you follow the fun rhythm schemes cartographed by Michael-Falsetto Mapp to Jason Kick’s keys; the out-of-this-world head-spaces commanded by Bernson and the gang are headed toward destinies that seek to do more than to answer the rhetorical questions of whether or not there is life on mars but rather better understand strange communications from the outer air-spaces and edges where the atmosphere and the galaxy meet through their own ongoing audio alchemy. Working as well alongside local friends and favorites musicians—Nate Brenner of Naytronix, tUnE-yArDs), Amanda Hallquist, Glenn Jackson, Matt Tammariello of Shorticircles, etc—we took the time for our continued dialogues with Exray’s ring leader of accolades and acclaim, Jon Bernson.
Tell us about how the album Twelve developed after The Dome, and how it fits into your fascinating 2015 residency at San Francisco’s de Young Museum.
The Dome is our 2014 EP that previewed songs from the four albums we’ll be releasing in the coming years. Each record has a distinct style, but they’re all dedicated to Vessel XII (a spacecraft that purportedly sent messages back to Earth from a future timeframe). Twelve, which comes out on Friday 2/12, is a lo-fi / sci-fi dance-pop deal. My residency focused on conflicting opinions that experts have put forward over the years. Some are convinced that these messages are authentic, others believe they’re the work of computer hackers, and there are theories that don’t fit into either category. Later in 2016, you’ll be able to watch a documentary that Vessel XII co-creator Michael Falsetto-Mapp, Jennifer Welch and myself have been putting together. The world needs to know.
Tell us about how contributions from Nate Brenner, Aaron Rockers, Glenn Jackson, Matt Tammariello, and Amanda Hallquist along with fellow Exray’s Michael and Jason brought this album to life.
I will start in reverse order! This album really started to take shape when we were rehearsing for a show at Push the Feeling a few years ago. We love this monthly dance party and had some material that fit the bill, but not enough. We wrote four long form instrumentals for the show and then took them into the studio afterward. All of us are recording junkies, so it’s important to divide the tasks and play to everyone’s strengths as they relate to working with one another. Michael is actively involved in all aspects of the beats, mixing and production, whereas Jason usually focuses on hooks and harmonic layers. I’m pretty hardwired for songwriting, lyrics and the arrangements.
Exray’s clockwise from 12 oclock—Jon Bernson, Jason Kick, & Michael Falsetto-Mapp.
Nate laid down a bass line on “The Sound of a Ship”, and Aaron Rockers has been our one-man horn section since Ammunition Teeth (our first EP in 2010). Similarly, Amanda Hallquist has added backing vocals to all of our records. Aaron and Amanda are important to our sound, almost like silent members of the band, in that respect. Glenn and Matt came over to my studio one day to track percussion sounds that any of us could use on our records. Out of laziness, we used a few Exray’s beats as our click tracks, and some ended up being used on the final recordings. “Win-Win,” you could say.
Describe how how these varied and complex exercises in art & science continue to guide the music of Exray’s.
I like hanging out with people who have many interests and get excited about interdisciplinary ideas. Exray’s is no exception. To me, a song that’s locked up inside the world of music is just an exercise. I make music that strives to be something it’s not supposed to be, or not allowed to be. Scientists don’t work like artists, but they make some incredible discoveries and open up many counter-intuitive doors to consciousness. In order to understand the various theories of Vessel XII, I read a lot about theoretical physics and astrobiology. I wanted to know why some outlandish theories are taken seriously and others are discarded. I walked away with a different understanding of the world and, in many respects, I have a much more open and fluid sense of reality than I did before. Perhaps music is a gateway drug that can lead to physics, or the other way around?
What have you been listening to as of late that has struck a chord or key with you?
In the past week I’ve listened to the score from Jodorowsky’s Dune, by a guy named Kurt Stenzel, who is probably famous, but I’d never heard about him. Also Max Eastley, Thomas Koner, Jim Haynes, Glenn Jackson and Bozak. They all have a talent for keeping the ears fresh.
The journeys and various aesthetic conceptualizations from Jon Bernson & Exray’s.
Thoughts on the state of the Bay Area scenes from the Howells Transmitter collective and beyond?
Time to research the French Resistance? Maybe everyone who moved away during the Summer Of Love sent their rich grandchildren back to take control of the city? It’s no secret that artists are on the defensive in the Bay, but I’m done complaining. My energy, creativity and ingenuity are going into making art. I’m down to protest or participate in some strategic form of opposition, but I’m not going to sit around and vent. I’m ready to hatch some plans or build something different or go out to support people doing good work. Let’s talk about that!
How do you feel your own sounds and approaches to sound have evolved?
Incorporating chance into music is something I’ve become fascinated with in recent years. As I gain more control over what I’m doing and develop more of a sense of structure, I find myself looking for ways to undermine that structure and put myself in situations that subvert my ability to control what I’m doing. It’s kind of a balancing act because structure and form are important to me. Without them, the whole house can cave in, but sometimes it’s better to work with a tee-pee than a skyscraper.
What might be next for Exray’s?
Now that our record is out, we’ll be playing more live shows. Our new set feels like a blind dance party on ice, so who knows where that will take us? We’re having fun though. Beyond that, we are doing a live score for the DFS Preservation Summit in late February, which is an annual archival meeting of the Distant Future Symposium. Sometime in the summer, our documentary should be premiering too. Movies take forever, so don’t quote me, but it’s coming along nicely. I’m optimistic.
The new Exray’s album Twelve is available on cassette & digital from Howells Transmitter.
Regular readers/listeners & viewers have followed our coverage of Exray’s most ambitious & epic work to date—Twelve—and today we proudly present the entire complimentary video cycle of the album. 2014’s The Dome saw the casting of the dye when Jon Bernson, Michael Falsetto-Mapp, and Jason Kick began charting the journeys of what became known as Vessel XII where the ambient & electronic sonic-spheres first began to codify. The concepts that informed Twelve were rooted in the Vessel XII exploration that surveyed broadcast interruptions that occurred between 1986 and 2009 where inexplicable transmissions surprised & stunned the world. Word was sent to the inquiring press that Exray’s participated in Vessel XII research that yielded (on top of the inspired retro-futurism heard in the soundtrack) the following visuals, gathered from footage sent from the outer regions of the galaxy.
Exray’s Twelve starts off with the televised static & warped signals that indicates something (or somewhere) denser than an interstellar black hole on “Empty Space”; where the findings & readings from Vessel XII are seen in the crackling visual distortion that compliments the rocket-packed pop experienced on “The Sound of a Ship”. Sounds & images from Icarus-esque missions yield strange solar/thermal interference where collected colors make up vague visuals found from around the sun, where reignited interests & intrigues find new starts for new theorems wrapped around the odd media discoveries from the outer regions as indicated on “Begin Your Lives”. Ideas of mapped genomes & space flight intersect on the illustrious “New Genes”, where brave new worlds & surreal horizons are embarked upon in the areas outside the charted regions as witnessed on the discoveries of “Adrift”. Imagery gathered from earth-grounded telescopes & the interstellar lenses & scopes from Vessel XII are seen like captured flares that capture the high drama rises & dips heard on “The Fall”, where cloud patterns give away to strange inexplicable planetary images as perceived on the electro-brass blasted quest for “Sold Ground”. Hymns for space flight resound from the stretches of the outer limits of the time-space continuum on the daybreak rising of “The Stars Were Gone”, as our orbit concludes with the eye opening & consciousness expanding ambiance of “I Was Awake” that reverberates like the acoustics of a single note sustain from an old chapel organ.
The journeys and various aesthetic conceptualizations from Jon Bernson & Exray’s.
On behalf of the band, exoplanetary sonologist Dr. Jonah Samadhi had this to say about Exray’s and their relationship to the Vessel XII phenomena:
The Vessel XII controversy is of little interest to the general population, due to its fragmented source material and scattered evidence. In recent years, however, it’s begun to seep into the corners of internet culture as artists, musicians, fringe scientists and philosophers take an interest in the transmissions. In 2015 and 2016, conferences such as NewSpace and Distant Future Symposium held sponsored panel discussions and research grants have been awarded by both the Space Settlement Initiative and the Ralph C. Steckler Fund, to name a few.
‘Here in the Bay Area, we have our own contributors to this conversation, best known as Exray’s, a lo-fi electronic dance band, who have teamed up with local futurist and Vessel XII expert, Astrid Bly. Together, they have collaborated on several ongoing projects related to the broadcasts and the latest one may be the most accessible yet: a series of ten videos that have been constructed entirely from the transmissions themselves. You can watch these hypnotic broadcasts as short music video events, or as an entire 40 minute viewing experience.’
An added bonus is that you can hear Exray’s Twelve for free on YouTube, which is the only place on the web where you’ll find complete access to the album. [Note: not on Spotify, iTunes, Pandora or any of the other streaming services.] If you are an analog person at heart, and have no need for videos or research, cassette copies can be purchased through the Exray’s BandCamp page, through their label, Howells Transmitter. If you are adverse to recorded formats of every kind, Exray’s will be performing live at the Night Light on 9/9 with Glenn Jackson and Naytronix (Nate from Tune-Yards) to celebrate the launch of Easy Bay, a brand new Oakland tape label.
Exray’s Twelve is available now from Howells Transmitter.
