New Release: Available January 12, 2021
'Heirloom' is the first release on Piece of Work
The new album by 羅伯特 (pinyin Luó bó tè) is an offering by Robert Yang
羅伯特
Heirloom
Track list:
01 Asphyxiation Accentuates
02 Calcified
03 Heirloom Brine
04 Clawhammer
05 Vials
06 Discharge
07 Deep Sea Servers
08 Guided Crossing
09 Final Floor
‘Heirloom’ is the name of the first release on this label. The music is reflective, moody and heady. One witnesses a ritual sequence in a temple. Other times they are transported to a subterranean cave under the ocean. Are we to assume this is an entirely authentic experience? Or are they paying lip service marred by exotic yet tired tropes?
Robert takes life growing up in the US into account. Past musical instances are recalibrated into a complex descriptor and then dispatched, track by track, motifs.
‘Clawhammer’, is a nod to a traditional style of Appalachian banjo music that is both rhythmic and percussive. Watching a friend drone on his instrument in a bookshop turned live club in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Robert was inspired to recreate that sound and sensation. 'Discharge' could be the opening theme for a romantic, sci-fi bildungsroman. The prevailing elements of techno like in ‘Final Floor’ are present and tied directly to their progenitors from the Midwest.
'Heirloom' is a homage to the work and sacrifice of pioneers.
All tracks were recorded and tracked by Robert Yang, mastered by Alex Michalski of Grey People and mixed by Reede Reynolds.
About the artwork: The artwork was conceived by Tyson Lee, a designer (and album cover model) from San Francisco. In it he uses family relics to craft a visual story to match the mood of the album. He is the creative director and founder of Mister Lee Designs working as a florist in San Francisco, California.
Tyson is a sculptor of dying things reengineered to reinvigorate life into every space. Self-taught from a very young age, Lee's approach to floristry balances the center of oscillation between the spectrum of masculine and feminine.
Eloise Leigh designed the album cover. She is a freelance graphic designer, illustrator, and art director currently based in Berlin. Her focus is on analogue projects like books, zines, and records, and she has been the main designer at Dark Entries Records for several years.
She also runs New Age Rage, an experimental self-publishing platform and shop to fundraise for various nonprofits.
The photography is by Cabure Alejandro Bonugli otherwise known as Shot in The City. He is a Texas born San Francisco based photographer with 17 years of experience. Shot In The City Photography specializes in studio, event, travel, product, nightlife, fashion, abstract, storyline & photo booth photography.