Bleep

Press Release

With their third full-length release Silfurberg, Modified Toy Orchestra (aka: MTO - Brian Duffy, Darren Joyce and Laurence Hunt) continue their exploration of modified toys. Focusing on the untapped potential of small, classic toy Casio & Yamaha keyboards, the new project takes them into darker territory than previous releases Toygopop and Plastic Planet - embarking on a transcendental voyage outwards from the first stellar navigation aide (the Viking sunstone known as "Silfurberg") through empty cosmological vistas and ultimately journeying ever outwards into the sublime, higher dimensional 'Bulk'.

From Gustav Holst to modern electronic 'Space Concept' artists like Matsuo Ohno, Vangelis and Guilano Sorgini, composers have attempted to explore the cosmos with sound and create listening experiences which guide us off-world into vast, alien territories. With Silfurberg, the group leave behind the triumphal brass fanfares and discover ominous, brooding textures, dissonant string clusters and glitching/pulsating rhythms which conjure the claustrophobia of outer space - contrasting the longing to feel the Earth's gravity, with moments of glittering, tranquil calm.

With the new-old toys forging a more minimalist approach, revealing deeper untapped potential, curiosity for the unknown and the unheard remains a fundamental motivation and inspiration for MTO.