Skultura by Nick Dunston

In traditional classical music history education, the curriculum reaches a point around the 60s and 70s where it feels like the only next evolution for classical music was experimental electronics. This was very exciting as I was just beginning my own exploration into experimental music and I found myself inspired by those brave enough to bend and defile within a sometimes pretentious sphere. Listening to Skultura by Nick Dunston evokes the same curiosity as when I first heard Philomel by Milton Babbitt, though Dunston’s free jazz project is decidedly cooler. Discordant harmonies and full-bodied percussion deliver a fascinating sense of unease as pitches bend and the instrumentation becomes more intense, squirming synthesizers and train whistles interrupted by milliseconds of silence to keep you on your toes. Skultura is noneuclidean from start to finish with a great deal of intentionality behind it. - Carrie