Riparian Zone is the third release from type/token, Oakland based musician Matthew Nelson, on Traced Objects.
“On a more conceptual level, I relate “riparian zone” to the productive confluences that I’m trying to cultivate in my music practice: digital / human, random / composed, organic / synthesized. Like the riparian zone, I don’t want my music to simply be a juxtaposition of these differences, I want it to coalesce into something else, something holistic and verdant”
The sound palette and overall mood will be familiar to listeners type/token’s earlier work. Rhythmic and movement based percussive impacts mixed across deep digital tones, all shrouded in a hint of human touch.
In addition to his work building custom tools for his own musical practice Nelson has also created an interactive version of the album that utilizes the Web Audio protocols. Listeners can control the tracks and affect the audio, as well as add their own sounds to the tool. This version of the work can be found here: https://riparianz.one/
type/token is a process to compose sounds and build software that inform one another while never allowing either the sound or the technology to be in total control.
Nelson says of this process, “I suppose this album coincides with me establishing a bit of a “creative identity” that doesn’t care so much about being an expert, and who is comfortable with being a proficient dabbler. That also comes with the realization that perhaps what I do best (and enjoy doing most) as a music maker is learn/explore/experiment (dabble) with technology and listen."