Sam Scranton - Body Pillow (2023)

Sam Scranton is a composer and percussionist based in Chicago. His latest album, "Body Pillow," marks an aesthetic investment in the immediacy of improvisation. Simple and spontaneous forms make way for complex sound worlds to gather and accumulate into immersive and dense environments. To make the record, Sam employed a multi-faceted approach, combining contact mic'd balsa wood resonators, pure data patches, general midi presets, a variety of synthesizers, and live percussion. Sam's musicality shines through his loose and organic style of playing, offering a refreshing contrast to the synthetic, unique, and occasionally alien sound palette. There’s a woozy, unpredictable quality that permeates these tunes. Each track’s own universe is ever-shifting with bursts of activity and a flurry of ideas carefully spaced between moments of pause. It’s an exhilarating listen from a distinctive voice in electronic and percussive music.