New Music Releases – J.G. Thirlwell / Manorexia – The Mesopelagic Waters
Label: Tzadik
Format: CD
“In JG Thirlwell’s words……
Manorexia was conceived in the year 2000. I began working on the first album on Thanksgiving morning and released it in 2001. It was started as an electronic and sample based project where I wanted to explore a spatial quality not existent in my other work. I released two albums as Manorexia, Volvox Turbo and The Radiolarian Ooze, both on my label Ectopic Ents exclusively thru my website www.foetus.org.
I had wanted to rearrange some Manorexia compositions for string quartet with percussion for some time, and proposed this to David Sefton at UCLA back in 2002, but in course of those discussions we switched to my Steroid Maximus big band.
Eventually I made the first live performance as Manorexia in Russia in 2006. Kenny Savelson at Bang On A Can proposed my going there for a performance at the same time as the Real Quiet trio of David Cossin, Felix Fan and Andy Russo. Real Quiet agreed to be the core of Manorexia for the Russian dates and we augmented the lineup with two violinists and a violist in Moscow. I rearranged some of the Manorexia material to be played by string quartet, piano, percussion and laptop with Ted Hearne.
I have since formed separate Manorexia ensembles in NYC and London. Manorexia has played at All Tomorrow’s Parties, The Whitney Museum, Bang On A Can marathon, Brainwaves Festival and several times at The Stone NYC.
This album is the product of the first wave of chamber arrangements of Manorexia material.”
