Riptyde "Sonic Undertow"

Riptyde "Sonic Undertow"

album cover

Riptyde
Sonic Undertow
The Story
"Sonic Undertow", the brainchild of keyboard player and composer Chris Hoard, has been described as "a surprising blend of prog and hip-hop", but only two tracks ("Time To Move On" and "Free Da Radicals") have rap vocals. The rest of the CD, apart from a few spoken word introductions by poet Ekow Asare, is an instrumental blend of fusion, exotic fusion and progressive rock with a few urban rhythms thrown in here and there for a more modern feel. Guitar fans will rejoice at the inclusion of Allan Holdsworth's six string improvisations on eight of the tracks, as he lays out legato lines in his own indomitable style. Hoard states, "The planet's only musician I considered capable of realizing the kind of melodic ideas and intensity I sought luckily was the one I convinced to take on the job. Certainly without Holdsworth's huge contributions to Riptyde, it would not have been what it became. Much of the music was originally crafted with the intention of showcasing the singular talents of master guitarist Allan Holdsworth."
The Music
02:38 Prelude: Undertow Vocal
04:38 Time To Move On Vocal
00:41 Still Movin' Instrumental
06:30 Time Off In Tannu Tuva Instrumental
04:03 Free Da Radicals Vocal
05:00 Pearls Of Intuition Instrumental
07:21 Chasing Tsunamis Instrumental
06:12 Long Voyage Home Instrumental
05:44 Jurassic City Instrumental
04:44 C'mon Ovaya Instrumental
05:04 Forgotten Planet Suite - Part I Instrumental
04:14 Forgotten Planet Suite - Part II Instrumental
01:43 Coda: Undertow Instrumental
The Artists
Allan Holdsworth Guitar Solos, Guitar Chords, Baritone Electric Guitar, Piccolo Electric Guitar
Chris Hoard Piano, Synths, Chapman Stick, Bass, Samples, Loops, Karma, MIDI Harpsichord, Mellotron, CS80, Synth Bass, Sampled Tuvan Voices, MIDI Piano, 8-String Stick, 10-String Stick, NS Stick, Production, Engineering, Sound Design, Programming, Cover Design, Photography, Art Direction
Amon Freon E-Drums, Loops, Samples, Effects, Sound Design, Programming
Ekow Asare Voice, Spoken Narration
4Zone Rap Vocals on Tracks 2 & 5
Alan Porzio Vocoded Ocean Effects, Additional Sampling, Sound Design
Mark Gleed Synth Cameos, Psychotic Pteradactyls
Chris Bellman Mastering
Tom Warner Karma Programming
Mick Porter Cover Design, Photography
Maya Hoard Photography
Derek Wilson Photography
Recorded at the Men's Crisis Center South, Laguna Hills, August 2001 through April 2004 and the Cal Heights Garage in 1994; additional recording and mixing at undisclosed locations in The South OC.

Mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood, CA.