Aarktica

Aarktica is one of several projects from Jon DeRosa. His other work includes the acoustic folk of Dead Leaves Rising, the country-esque Pale Horse and Rider, and playing guitar for Flare, a chamber pop band led by L.D. Beghtol (also a member of the Moth Wranglers and part-time member of Magnetic Fields). In addition to his recording achievements, DeRosa graduated from the music technology program at NYU, where he studied composition with Kenneth Valitsky, a former student of electronic pioneer Karlheinz Stockhausen.

Aarktica began in winter 1998 in Brooklyn, NY, and is part of the Clairaudience Collective in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. After playing in punk and hardcore bands while a teenager, DeRosa was inspired by artists on ambient goth label Projekt. He soon released No Solace in Sleep on Silber, followed by the Morning One EP on Ochre. Released in early 2002 as volume 18 of Darla's Bliss Out series, Or You Could Just Go Through Your Whole Life and Be Happy Anyway featured contributions from Lorraine Lelis of Mahogany and downtempo/IDM DJ Aaron Spectre. In February 2003, Aarktica returned to Silber Records with Pure Tone Audiometry, an album that intersected gentle lullabies with atonal screeds and feverish percussion with sedate drones. Pure Tone Audiometry was co-produced by Flare's Charles Newman, and included contributions from Plexus bassist Ernie Adzentovich, and Mahogany's Andrew Prinz and Lorraine Lelis on cello and vocals, respectively. In February 2005, Aarktica released Bleeding Light, a conceptual dedication to New York, and after moving to Southern California, he began working on Matchless Years, which was released on November 13, 2007. ~ Kenyon Hopkin, Rovi...

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