junk orbit

Microtonal guitar is a record with four tracks using a 17-tone per octave just intonation guitar as the only sound source. No effects were used in production, and only the final track, "Junk Orbit", contains multitracking. All four tracks were improvised, with "Junk Orbit" taking three passes. It was released on Tape Drift Records in August 2021. It was featured in The Wire's Invisible Jukebox. Four approaches were used in the four tracks, with "Blues" containing the use of a guitar pick, "Quill" using fingerpicking, "The Red" using the Gizmotron (a mechanical sustaining device similar to an ebow that uses wheels to excite the strings). "Junk Orbit" combines all the techniques into one sprawling track.

Label description: Four amazing tracks of solo microtonal guitar from Tape Drift alum, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Steve Flato. The focus here is on longform minimalist repetition with beautiful dissonance, ringing overtones, and a flare for the subtle. Steve’s approach is unique, and his eye for detail unparalleled. His sense of patience and timing is clear as he masterfully waves a hypnotic spell for the astute listener. There’s a certain trippiness at play too, with tracks conjuring a dream state both familiar and entirely new. This is a work of epic genius and will remain a personal TD fave for years to come."