Friendship Bracelet: CO-PREMIERE: STELLAR OM SOURCE "MAGNETIC DEPTHS/RITES OF FUSION"

Monday, October 25, 2010

CO-PREMIERE: STELLAR OM SOURCE "MAGNETIC DEPTHS/RITES OF FUSION"

Christelle Gualdi a.k.a. Stellar Om Source kicks off a week-long UK tour today at The Portland in Cambridge, and what better way to celebrate than with an Altered Zones co-premiere via Olde English Spelling Bee. "Rites of Fusion" appears on both SOS records Ocean Woman and Trilogy Select, the latter of which is a re-sequenced and remastered version of 2009's CDR trilogy series (which also includes Alliance and Crusader) out now on OESB. I managed to catch both of her Massachusetts shows on this past Winter's tour with Daniel Higgs. The Boston show (at The Whitehaus) also featured Daniel Lopatin playing as Oneohtrix Point Never. Coincidentally, "Rites of Fusion" is a collaboration with Lopatin.

The version of the song from Trilogy Select (and from the video) varies slightly from the version found on Ocean Woman. The original opens with thunder claps and the beginnings of a rainstorm, melting slowly into synthesizer pulsations. The video version cuts abruptly from part of Ocean Woman album closer "Magnetic Depths" to "Rites of Fusion," and from a glowing orange sunrise to tripped-out visions of kids eating cosmic pudding. The visuals, by Rome's AAVV, are appropriately weird, turning all things human into things very much so warped and synthetic (not unlike Megazord's clip for "Island Best").

However, I prefer the original version. It's more drawn-out, finding comfort in a more extended period of warm, watery tones and in the context of the Ocean Woman album as a whole. I highly recommend catching one of these upcoming UK shows, as the couple I caught a few months ago were amazing meditative experiences complete with green jungle lasers. Grab a copy of Ocean Woman (if they still exist), grab a copy of Trilogy Select (with "amazing full color high-gloss jackets" and "a double-sided color insert") and enjoy the video.

STELLAR OM SOURCE "MAGNETIC DEPTHS/RITES OF FUSION" from OLDE ENGLISH SPELLING BEE on Vimeo.