From the first notes of the Javanese metallophone, Whatitdo Archive Group welcomes you into “The Cashmere Chamber”, the second single from the band’s upcoming new album Palace of a Thousand Sounds. Less a room and more an auditory experience, “Chamber” skillfully guides you deeper into its world complete with menacing drums and bass, sinister vibraphone melodies and a haunting choir. But this driving force of the rhythm section isn’t enough for WAG; we see the song quickly blossom into an adrenaline pumping guitar feature layered expertly with a Turkish baglama saz and percussion. Out on March 24th on digital platforms and also appearing on a 7”, this track is a sample-worthy heater for any DJ.
The new album Palace Of A Thousand Sounds is WAG’s most recent foray into the realms of the esoteric and arcane, and their most adventurous album to date. Its release is scheduled on May 5th, 2023 on Record Kicks on limited edition LP, CD and digital platforms. Palace Of A Thousand Sounds finds Whatitdo Archive Group entrenched deeper in the worlds of mid-century exotica and library music—from the Tropicalia-steeped Amazon to the minor key tonalities of the far-out Near East.
Steeped in obscurity, a cult following of crate-diggers and musical oddity collectors has been brewing over the mysterious releases of the Whatitdo Archive Group. Surfacing in 2009 from the high deserts of Reno, NV USA, this three-piece recording collective (Alexander Korostinsky, Mark Sexton and Aaron Chiazza) focuses solely on curating, performing and preserving esoteric soundtrack, library and deep-groove collections. As an onlooker, it’s hard to tell whether the music they are procuring is actually archival, music of their own creation, or both. Their debut LP The Black Stone Affair, the formerly lost soundtrack music of a once-shelved Italian cinematic masterpiece, was released in 2021 and received critical praise.
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