Before Sunrise Jeff Greinke

• 1 High Flyers of the Night Sky 09:45
• 2 Slow Train on an Open Plain 07:06
• 3 Night Watch 06:10
• 4 The River 05:31
• 5 Under Falling Stars 04:50
• 6 Mountains and Clouds 05:45
• 7 Rain, Then Snow 06:11
• 8 Before Sunrise 11:59
• Total Runtime 57:17

Info for Before Sunrise

Rich with harmonic texture and delicate detail, sound-sculptor Jeff Greinke’s BEFORE SUNRISE presents an exquisite arrangement of ambient chamber music. The album follows a natural progression from the composer's previous works, featuring abstract soundscapes and emotive passages of effortless beauty, created with an abundance of acoustic instruments. Piano, cello, viola, winds, brass, and vibraphone, all blend fluently with Greinke's own sampled textures, synthesizers, and other electronic elements, resulting in an expansive palette of rich timbres that underscore a nuanced display of ambient impressionism.

Spanning the genres of modern classical, electronic, and ambient, BEFORE SUNRISE gently evolves, flowing through a predominately non-linear structure. The music is characteristically slow-moving, and the balance between composition and improvisation reveals an organic sound that is vital for a dynamic listening experience. The string instruments are recorded in such a way as to highlight the sound of the bow moving across the strings, and this attention to both acoustic details and performance techniques feeds the music's natural quality. Greinke explains, "I instructed the musicians not to shy away from squeaks and scrapes that sometimes happen while playing such instruments. It’s the first time I’ve really paid attention to those sounds and I made sure to bring those qualities into the mix when appropriate. I find that those sounds evoke a lonely, abandoned landscape that appeals to me." Indeed, the recordings conjure a desolate, and at times melancholy terrain, while the warmth and depth of the electronic textures offer a lush, comforting blanket of sound.

Greinke takes deep inspiration from the sights, sounds, sensations, and atmosphere of his natural surroundings, and as a result BEFORE SUNRISE is an intimate and spacious work that unfolds with the majestic subtlety of a pre-dawn sky.

Greg Campbell, french horn, hand drums, vibraphone
Lesli Dalaba, trumpet
James Dejoie, clarinet, flute, saxophone
Jeff Greinke, electronics, keyboards, sampling
Alex Guy, viola
Paris Hurley, violin
Austin Larkin, viola, violin
Dylan Rieck, cello

Jeff Greinke
is a musician, composer, performer, and sound sculptor who is known worldwide for his unique sound. Through a highly developed process of layering, Jeff composes and performs music rich in texture, depth, mood, and subtle detail. Using various acoustic and electronic instruments, found sounds, and extended studio techniques, Jeff sculpts sound worlds that conjure a strong sense of place, hovering somewhere between the exotic and the familiar.

Virga, is Jeff’s second release on the Lotuspike/Spotted Peccary label. His previous offering, Winter Light, was released by the label in 2007.

Jeff’s music can also be heard on numerous compilation recordings. He has composed music for film, video, dance, theater, radio, and art installations.

This album contains no booklet.